New research shows many good intentions for creating urban environments that promote good health were not carried through. The solutions start with engaging more closely with residents themselves.
Residents near the burnt-out Grenfell Tower display a sign that expresses their anger at being marginalised and ignored.
Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
Why can’t the state fund an ongoing program of upgrading, replacing and building public housing? On the evidence to date, private developers aren’t doing a better job of it.
A stroll through Sydney’s Marks Park and the nearby tourist attraction Sculptures by the Sea is a different experience if one knows the area’s brutal history.
Leah-Anne Thompson from www.shutterstock.com
When wealth accumulation becomes the driver of urban regeneration, residents who already have little or no say in the future of our cities are further marginalised by gentrification.
Our land-title system originated in the mid-19th century when Sir Robert Richard Torrens campaigned to reform Adelaide’s chaotic deeds-based land system.
National Library of Australia
Sir Robert Richard Torrens – the man behind Australia’s ‘Torrens system’ of land-title registration – was an economic liberal who might have approved of privatising title registries.
How truly innovative are companies like Uber and Airbnb, super-monopolies that capture entire markets by locking vendors and customers into their platforms?
Dan Peled/AAP
The digital pin-ups’ business models actually inhibit serendipity and, indeed, innovation by absorbing entire markets into the sealed-off space of their platforms.
When the government decides to evict, public housing tenants’ lives are turned upside down.
Reuters
The last 24 public housing tenants holding out against eviction from Millers Point, Dawes Point and the Sirius Building still hope the government may show some compassion.
When the smart city looks inhuman: a robot police officer from Dubai greets guests at last November’s Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
Ramon Costa/AAP
The corporate world has taken the lead in promoting various creative/smart city visions, which struggle to be inclusive, let alone entrust citizens with control over their lives.
Bicycles are the main form of transport around the Burning Man Festival and are recycled or gifted afterwards.
stuartlchambers/flickr
Melbourne’s street art has an international reputation and may be a very valuable tourist attraction. But the city remains ambivalent about the activities that have created its ‘laneway galleries’.
Neglected and sub-par facilities are one of many barriers to youth participation in sport.
tup wanders
The first step in reviving a lost sporting culture is to involve young Australians in working out why sport has lost its appeal and how to reverse the decline in youth participation.
Sydney’s bus services are a mix of public and private-operated routes, which complicates any estimates of potential cost savings.
Dean Lewins/AAP
Estimated cost savings for rail and bus franchising from Infrastructure Australia and PwC will have government treasurers salivating. Problem is, the figures are almost certainly far too high.
The national broadband network promised by the incoming Rudd government was politicised from the start.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The highly politicised nature of the NBN has led to a lack of transparency that makes it even harder to fix the mess that has been made of this vital national infrastructure.
The flat white experience is so ubiquitous that it could be anywhere.
mavo from www.shutterstock.com
The ubiquitous cafes across Australian cities attract locals and tourists alike, but surely there’s more to thriving neighbourhoods than a flat white.
Of those who have experienced homelessness, 62% cite family breakdown or conflict as the main reason for becoming homeless for the first time.
shutterstock
Parental separation substantially raises the risk of homelessness by the age of 30 for girls and boys, but only boys are affected by a break-up after the age of 12.
Central Queensland University and James Cook University are part of the Townsville City Deal signed by three tiers of government in December 2016.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Universities can lead the way in creating opportunities for the economic development of regional cities and outer metropolitan areas under new City Deals.
Most Sydneysiders are concerned about the effects of foreign investment on the local real estate market.
Dave Hunt/AAP
Only 18% of Sydneysiders think foreign investors should be able to buy property. They simply don’t accept arguments that this investment improves housing affordability by increasing supply.
Southport station, Nerang Street, soon after the light rail began running in 2014.
Matthew Burke
The light rail project pushed up property values within 800 metres of the stations by over 30% from 1996 to 2016. Gains on this scale offer a potential source of finance for public transport.
Sydneysiders’ view of their city’s liveability is very different depending on whether they live in the east or west.
Sam Mooy/AAP
Justifying Sydney’s ranking as a liveable city requires greater recognition of the inequality of Sydneysiders’ access to jobs, wealth, transport and housing.