Trees and the shade they provide are one of the best ways of cooling cities. But they also present challenges that are best resolved by managing this shared resource as part of an urban commons.
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Articles on Liveable cities
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The world’s fastest-growing cities are in the tropics. They are highly exposed to climate change, especially as urban heat island effects and humidity magnify the impacts of increasing heatwaves.
The research has been done. The evidence is in. We know how to create cities that are sustainable, liveable and affordable. But we have yet to apply that knowledge widely across Australian cities.
Future Earth Australia is working to create a long-term national plan of transformation for our cities. As part of this, everyone in Australia is invited to have their say in a survey.
The performance of Melbourne and Sydney on this international platform speaks volumes for the position of the country as a study destination.
The seemingly ad hoc collection of nine City Deals announced so far falls short of a national settlement strategy that finally gets to grips with where our growing population might live and live well.
The global trend is to free up valuable city space by reducing parking and promoting other forms of transport that don’t clog roads and pollute the air. Australian cities are still putting cars first.
Australia has well established urban design guidelines, whereas many Chinese cities don’t have any – and it shows. But Australia can also learn from China.
Australian cities have a glut of parking, even as politicians move to protect parking spaces or promise even more. There are better ways to keep congestion manageable and our cities liveable.
New South Wales now has a minister for public spaces, a nod to their importance to the life of a city. But not all is well with public spaces and some issues demand the minister’s attention.
When a city scores badly on “liveability”, it can put serious pressure on city leaders – but do these rankings really help improve life for local people?
Rather than mourn the end of a seven-year reign as ‘world’s most liveable city’, Melbourne could raise its sights to become more liveable, healthy and sustainable for all who live in the city.
Much of the growth in our cities is in the outer suburbs, now home to around 5 million people. And that creates problems like traffic that detract from the advantages residents see in living there.
If the menu of potential activities that do us good is made to look uninviting or challenging, we are more likely to choose the easier but less healthy option.
Autonomous cars and people-centered communities are mutually exclusive, writes a cyclist and transportation scholar.
Every year, our big cities vie for global liveability honours. But as well as differences between the cities, liveability varies widely within them, leaving plenty of work to be done.
The world’s “most liveable city” ranking is based on an index designed for companies sending their employees overseas. It’s not relevant to the average person.
The number of families living in high-rise, inner-city apartments is growing. Yet our research shows many parents find it challenging to raise children in such housing.
As cities become ‘smarter’, they need more and more objects fitted with technology. We need to think about designing these objects to accommodate computers, which often break down and create e-waste.
We searched Instagram for city images people associated with happiness. And they consistently included similar features, such as water, nature and heritage buildings.
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Top contributors
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Distinguished Professor and Director, Urban Futures Enabling Capability Platform, and Director, Healthy Liveable Cities Group, RMIT University
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Senior Research Fellow, Healthy Liveable Cities Group, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, RMIT University
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Associate Professor, Director Australian Urban Observatory, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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Research Officer, Healthy Liveable Cities Group, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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Senior Research Fellow in Urbanism, University of Sydney
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Research Associate, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
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Adjunct professor, School of Media and Communications, RMIT University
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Research Fellow in Social Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne
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Paul James is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Globalization and Cultural Diversity, Western Sydney University
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Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
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Senior Research Fellow, Acting Director, CHETRE, UNSW Sydney
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Adjunct Associate Professor, South Western Sydney Local Health District
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Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, University of Tasmania
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Director, Social & Global Studies Centre, RMIT University
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Director, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of Melbourne
