The architecture design review panel is a process of urban planning increasingly championed by Australian governments of all types — and Melbourne's the latest to join the club. These are made up of experts who are invested in the creation of cities — architects, planners, urbanists, and passionate citizens — who advise governments on development proposals. But do they work? Or do they risk creating a city of technocratic conformity? We've enlisted the help of architects, academics and passionate urbanists Shelley Penn and Elizabeth Farrelly to help us understand the history and function of design process.