Old buildings aren't just waste – the materials can be reused to create the cities of the future.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
Governments and regulators assume compliance with building regulations will restore public confidence. But complying with the National Construction Code won't fix many common defects.
Traffic congestion causes more problems than just being stuck in traffic. There are real effects on the health, quality of life and wallets of taxpayers.
Most homes are not as cyclone-ready as they could be. It seems lower insurance premiums aren't enough of an incentive for owners to upgrade their homes, but a new study points to some solutions.
A major investment in renewing the urban centre of Dandenong is starting to pay dividends. But while research has found three keys to success, the benefits haven't reached everyone.
Unsolicited market proposals are not transparently assessed. Infrastructure should be built to serve the public interest, not shaped by its private backers, but the checks to ensure this are broken.
Self-driving vehicles that constantly roam the streets looking for passengers could overwhelm cities. But, if kept in check, these vehicles could be useful for improving urban transport.
Pilot studies in several cities have shown that innovative partnerships are essential in addressing urban transportation challenges and improving the quality of life for urban residents.
The ‘New Bradfield’ scheme seeks to revive a nation-building ethos supposedly stifled by bureaucratic inertia. But there are good reasons the scheme never became a reality.
Big cities are seen as the centre of everything, which creates an attitude that often devalues the work and skills of rural professionals. And sometimes even they subconsciously buy into this.
Democratic candidates are keen to burnish their climate credentials by calling for grand electric vehicle plans. But there are both economic and political reasons for going slowly.
Making better use of existing building space is a neglected but essential way to cut our carbon emissions. The key is human behaviour. Good low-carbon citizens will help create good low-carbon cities.
The haze now engulfing Sydney isn't an isolated problem. Cities around the world struggle to manage the many sources of tiny airborne particles and the discomfort and illnesses these cause.
The government-backed body set up to help finance social housing providers is providing longer-term, cheaper loans. What's still missing in Australia is direct public investment in new housing.
In major cities around the world, dockless scooters and bikes are everywhere, yet the companies themselves are often breathtakingly short-lived. Basic economic concepts give us clues why.
More attention needs to be paid to loneliness’s complex history.
The difficulty of finding out about building defects creates an information deficit that threatens public confidence and stability in the apartment market. NSW has begun work on a solution.
Land-use planning should give more weight to the increasing risks of natural hazards like bushfires as the first step in reducing the impacts.
In the rush to become 'open defecation free', cities are taking quick fixes that are making matters worse.
Venice is a beautiful city with legendary myths that have attracted travellers for hundreds of years. These myths may be what brings the resources needed to save the city.
The cement needed to make concrete – the most widely used man-made material – is a major source of global emissions. Researchers are working on a green replacement that could transform the sector.
Residents of the 'leafy suburbs' will continue to fear what they might lose to increasing urban density without an explicit planning approach that enhances green space in affected neighbourhoods.
When primary school children in a disadvantaged part of Sydney were asked to map what they valued in the area, their choices were revealing and sometimes surprising.
Hundreds of Canadian municipalities have declared climate emergencies but many have yet to take action.
The music we choose to listen to not only allows us to retreat into a place of peace and privacy, but also helps frame our daily routines and interactions with others.
From Santiago and La Paz to Beirut and Jakarta, many of the cities now gripped by protest share a common problem: They've grown too much, too fast.
Where bikes are kept is a strong pointer to the place of cycling in the owner's life. Effective active transport policy starts with understanding what stops people using their bikes instead of cars.
Living sustainably has its challenges, but none greater than in the climate and geography of Antarctica.
City trees are often short-lived and many others get cut down in their prime. Turning them into mulch both wastes timber and releases stored carbon. A wood rescue program creates a more fitting legacy.
Faced with the eye-watering costs of building infrastructure, it makes sense to turn to much more cost-effective smart technology to get traffic flowing.
When mapping deprivation, using traditional boundaries can distort the data and distract readers from important information.
Berlin's rapid transformation is proof that cities can overcome conflict – but the fight against injustice doesn't end there.
Expanding on sustainable practices in remote parts of Australia can deliver great benefits to both local Indigenous owners and national and global communities.
Transport
Traffic congestion causes more problems than just being stuck in traffic. There are real effects on the health, quality of life and wallets of taxpayers.
Democratic candidates are keen to burnish their climate credentials by calling for grand electric vehicle plans. But there are both economic and political reasons for going slowly.
In major cities around the world, dockless scooters and bikes are everywhere, yet the companies themselves are often breathtakingly short-lived. Basic economic concepts give us clues why.
Ecological economics
The demands on land and resources from our fast-growing cities are unsustainable, as are the wastes they produce. Yet still our leaders act as if unlimited growth is possible.
Ecological economics focuses on sustainability and development rather than efficiency and growth. Cities, as home to 70-80% of economic activity, are at the heart of the challenge of being sustainable.
Laws in other countries recognise 'rights of nature'. But even trees sacred to Indigenous Australian communities have no special protection.
Expanding on sustainable practices in remote parts of Australia can deliver great benefits to both local Indigenous owners and national and global communities.
Housing
Most homes are not as cyclone-ready as they could be. It seems lower insurance premiums aren't enough of an incentive for owners to upgrade their homes, but a new study points to some solutions.
The government-backed body set up to help finance social housing providers is providing longer-term, cheaper loans. What's still missing in Australia is direct public investment in new housing.
Sustainable cities
Making better use of existing building space is a neglected but essential way to cut our carbon emissions. The key is human behaviour. Good low-carbon citizens will help create good low-carbon cities.
Pilot studies in several cities have shown that innovative partnerships are essential in addressing urban transportation challenges and improving the quality of life for urban residents.
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When so much of the green space in our cities is in the form of nature strips, current restrictions on plantings are denying us the many social and environmental benefits of more diverse greenery.
Faced with the eye-watering costs of building infrastructure, it makes sense to turn to much more cost-effective smart technology to get traffic flowing.
Almost half of apartment residents in Australia are families, but few high-rise dwellings were built with them in mind. Many find these apartments present barriers to building social connections.
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.
In a time of populist momentum to 'build a wall', your front fence says more than you think.
Increasing numbers of older Australians don't own their homes. Whether they are private renters or live in social housing can make a big difference to their risk of loneliness and anxiety.
Darwin is one of the aspiring 'smart cities' that is adopting Chinese technology that can identify and track individuals. Add changes in Australian law, and we have the makings of a surveillance state.
Bright lighting alone does not make a space feel safe. It can blind and disorientate and create dark shadows at the edges. Tellingly, 'unsafe' places had much higher illuminance than 'safe' places.
Some countries have already committed to using electric aircraft on domestic routes. These aircraft could slash costs and emissions on some of Australia's busiest flight routes.
Kebab vans symbolise the success of 'bottom-up' multiculturalism, providing a way for the non-European cultural ‘other’ to become part of our way of life.
Parents and children rarely put agreements about granny flats in writing and almost never consult a lawyer. But when these arrangements go wrong, the consequences can be disastrous and costly for all.
Cities relied entirely on conserving and recycling water to get through the last big drought. We now have desalination plants, but getting the most out of our water reserves still makes sense.
Children growing up in the most disadvantaged suburbs also lack the social opportunities to develop skills and aspirations that would improve their prospects in life.
Young refugees are at high risk of being homeless in Australia. A five-year study has found re-establishing connections with their communities was the pathway out of homeless for most of them.
As neighbourhoods lost their milk bars, they also lost a daily point of connection for locals. But all is not lost. In some areas, the humble corner store is making a comeback.
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