Proud Sponsors of the PIA National Congress 2025

This year’s Congress offered a valuable opportunity to hear from First Nations knowledge holders from across Australia (including Larrakia, Dharug and Wurundjeri Nations), with a spotlight on how planning processes can be reimagined to acknowledge First Nations systems and processes. These discussions highlighted the critical importance of strengthening the connections between Country and Traditional Landowners in fostering a meaningful allyship between planners and First Nations communities.

Members of the Mecone team attended, and our Founder and Executive Chair, Ben Hendriks, delivered an insightful presentation ‘Transforming Urban Planning with AI – Practical Insights from Mecone’.

Ben shared how we’re advancing innovation in planning through:
• MOSAIC AI chatbot – delivering real-time planning insights
• Mecone Flow – our AI-assisted report writing platform (Coming soon!)

His session explored navigating the real-world AI journey: barriers, digital horizons, expectations, and risks. As Ben shared: “In the planning world, AI should be there to augment and add capacity, not replace people. The focus should be on making the process more efficient – not trying to do complex planning tasks such as merit tests, development assessment, or justification of variations.”

Mecone and MOSAIC were also proud sponsors of the Technology & Digital Innovation category at the 2025 National Awards for Planning Excellence.

Congratulations to all the award winners and thank you to the Planning Institute Australia for hosting another incredible event.

Download Ben Hendriks full presentation below:

Transforming Urban Planning with AI – Practical Insights with Mecone