At the peak of a summer heatwave in Adelaide, an aerial survey of land surface temperatures reveals just how much cooler neighbourhoods with good tree and vegetation cover can be.
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Long before a fire season that destroyed 3,500 homes, more than 100,000 Australians were homeless. If only we showed the same urgency and innovation in housing them as we did for bushfire victims.
Five capital city water storages fell over summer, and some appear to be facing dramatic long-term declines. Late drenching rains fell on southeastern Australia, but some unlucky centres missed out.
Earth-covered houses are not only highly fire-resistant, but sustainable features such as off-grid power and water supplies could also be life-saving in a bushfire.
The proposed law does little to give people confidence in the apartments they buy. And it utterly neglects the role of architects and on-site inspections in delivering sound buildings.
An archaeologist tells the story of how she and her colleagues discovered a traditional Irish village, a clachan, in a South Australian field – the first confirmed clachan found outside Ireland.
The continued upward trend in our second-biggest source of emissions is a result of government inaction on a transport mix dominated by trucks and cars and a lack of fuel-efficiency standards.
Inner Melbourne alone has lost 2,000 street trees to major developments within a decade. Losing tree cover makes it even more difficult for our cities to cope with an increasingly tough climate.
More older Australians are carrying housing debt later in life, or not owning homes at all, but lack suitable alternatives to the family home. The result is lower incomes in retirement.
Some threatened species hit hard by the bushfires this summer have populations in and around urban areas, which are now crucial refuges. Here are some tips to help improve their odds of survival.
Over US$33 billion was invested in mobility tech last year in response to claims it will transform our lives. Based on what we have seen so far, which of these promised solutions will be delivered?
The rise of global cities, metropolises that dominate their states, is exposing Australia’s lack of metropolitan governments. It’s time to restart the evolution of our states after a century on hold.
Only the inner suburbs of Melbourne and other capital cities meet the 20-minute neighbourhood test. But we could transform the other suburbs for much less than the cost of current transport projects.
The neighbourhoods of Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam with densities 3-5 times those of Melbourne and Sydney offer an insight into how we could transform our cities for the better.
States across Australia are increasingly using market-led proposals to build infrastructure. The emerging problems reflect the inherent risks of projects that bypass proper public planning processes.
Millions of Australians are struggling with unaffordable housing. It’s a systemic problem that’s been decades in the making, and only concerted system-wide reforms will fix it.
Carbon accounting isn’t always simple, so it’s important to make it easier to measure and reduce emissions at the local level. And that’s ultimately the starting point for global climate action.
About 4% of Australian housing stock has been or is listed on Airbnb. The number of listings continues to grow, with a shift towards more professional managers of listed properties.
Recent extreme events in Australia, with torrential rain and floods following devastating bushfires, have focused the World Urban Forum’s attention on the urgency of climate action.
While a majority of householders over 55 have thought about downsizing, only one in four have done it. What’s stopping them? Most simply can’t find a home in the right place that meets their needs.
The tall buildings of our cities kill horrifying numbers of birds. But some cities are adopting mandatory design measures to cut the toll.
One in four Australian households now rent their homes in the private rental market. Flexibility and lifestyle are key reasons some choose to rent even if they can afford to buy a home.
The knowledge economy creates clear winners and losers in the big cities whose growth it drives. Many Australian and US cities with strong knowledge economies have high levels of social vulnerability.
Visitors to Dubai are drawn to its carefully created and recreated urban precincts, but placemaking in this city helps sugercoat the reality of autocratic rule.
‘Smart cities’, featuring networks of automatic lights, video cameras and environmental sensors, have been hailed as an enhancement to urban life. But they are also tools of surveillance and control.