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Mapping safer cities: Planning graduate Thalia receives the SGS Graham Larcombe scholarship

Posted June 10, 2025

For Thalia, urban planning is a way to ask—and begin to answer—questions about how cities serve their people. With a background in architecture and urban design, her studies led her to the Master of Urban Planning program at the University of Melbourne, where she was drawn to the intersections of policy, infrastructure, and community engagement.

I was interested in how the built environment is shaped. But over time, I became more focused on how people interact with that environment—who it works for, and who it doesn’t.
— Thalia Tambingon

Growing up in Indonesia shaped Thalia’s interest in planning. Her current research digitally maps walkability and public safety in Jakarta. Her project identifies areas of the city that are less accessible, particularly for women and people with disabilities, highlighting gaps in infrastructure that can limit safety and mobility.

SGS Economics and Planning Jakarta site visit 5

Thalia Tambingon, site visit in Jakarta

Towards more inclusive consultation

Through her research and lived experience, Thalia has come to view inclusive public consultation as central to good planning outcomes. She notes that in many contexts, especially in Indonesia, the needs and perspectives of certain groups are often underrepresented in planning processes.

Public consultation has a lot of potential. But in practice, it often overlooks the voices of women, people with disabilities, and others whose experiences could really shape better design outcomes.
— Thalia Tambingon

Studying in Melbourne, she saw how infrastructure, particularly public transport, can improve accessibility in everyday life. She points to ramps on buses as small but impactful features that enhance the usability of the system for more people.

A technical and community-focused approach

Thalia hopes to build a career that brings together her skills in digital mapping and stakeholder engagement. For her, spatial data is a way to make planning more concrete, both for communities and decision-makers.

Mapping helps communicate things that are otherwise hard to explain. It gives people a way to see where improvements are needed and why.
— Thalia Tambingon

Her long-term ambition is to work for a public transportation company that emphasises public consultation with its passengers. She sees potential in combining data-driven insights with more inclusive consultation to inform better infrastructure planning.

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Thalia Tambingon, site visit in Jakarta

Recognition and opportunity

Thalia is the latest recipient of the SGS Economics and Planning Graham Larcombe Scholarship, awarded to urban planning students who demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion in cities. She says the recognition has been motivating, particularly because of the scholarship’s focus on social justice in the built environment.

It’s meaningful to see a planning firm take these issues seriously. It makes me feel more confident about continuing to pursue this kind of work.
— Thalia Tambingon, site visit in Jakarta

She plans to use the scholarship funds to attend the Just Cities summer program in Delft, where she’ll study urban development alongside peers from around the world. She sees the experience as a chance to exchange ideas, learn from different contexts, and return to her work with fresh perspectives.

About the scholarship

The SGS Economics and Planning Graham Larcombe Scholarship is awarded annually to one student at the University of Melbourne and one at Western Sydney University. It recognises students who demonstrate a strong interest in social equity and inclusive urban development.

The scholarship honours the legacy of Graham Larcombe, a long-time consultant, educator, and adviser at SGS. Graham was deeply committed to promoting equality of opportunity, sustainability, and democratic urban governance. His work reflected a belief that cities should be shaped by and for the people who live in them.

The scholarship is one way SGS continues to support emerging planners who share these values.

If you would like to know more about the scholarship, please get in touch.

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