Booming prices for coastal properties are a mark of our reluctance to reckon with the climate change that is already upon us. We must start to properly account for and act on climate risk.
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Articles on Better Cities
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A planning strategy for Australia’s first multi-city region, home to nearly one in four Australians, is being developed. So what’s the thinking behind creating an integrated network of six cities?
It’s often claimed that reforming tenancy laws to better protect tenants will drive landlords out of the market, leading to fewer rental properties. A new study finds no evidence to support the claim.
Bioarchitecture draws on design principles from nature to construct buildings that work in ways that help tackle climate change and reverse environmental damage.
What steps is the state government taking to bring Brisbane closer to being a smart city while managing rapid growth? And what differences can city residents expect to see for themselves?
Ageing brick apartment buildings of two to three storeys are being redeveloped in many suburbs. Typically, they are knocked down to be replaced by much bigger developments. But here’s an alternative.
A serious disability is one of the most common reasons people apply for social housing. The long wait for a suitable home just adds to the daily challenges they face.
The Hoddle Grid that dictates the flow of vehicles and people in central Melbourne has had its day. It can be remade to reduce the dominance of cars and create a liveable city for the 21st century.
COP27 wraps up with Solutions Day, focusing on sustainable cities and transport, green buildings and resilient infrastructure. Climate-related disasters show the urgency of urban planning responses.
Quiet hour is a strategy aimed at making retail spaces more inclusive for people who struggle with sensory overload, but they’re not the only ones who welcome a pause in the assault on their senses.
Constructing and running buildings accounts for roughly a third of global energy use and emissions. So it’s alarming that a report to COP27 shows the sector is veering off course for net zero by 2050.
The layouts of our cities and their transport systems were not planned with women in mind. Inflexible services and inconveniently located schools, childcare and workplaces pose daily challenges.
Australia now has a target of protecting 30% of its land and sea area. But the challenges of conserving urban biodiversity illustrate why it’s a much more complex task than a simple target suggests.
Australian plumbing standards require apartment buildings to have systems designed for three times their actual peak water use. This can lead to costly water damage on top of inflated building costs.
A study of 85 policies at all levels of government shows the focus in Australia is on residential care homes. Most older people are not in care, but their need for age-friendly cities is overlooked.
Foods stir up river sediments and can spread contaminants across the floodplain. It’s a risk in areas with a history of industrial pollution, like Maribyrnong, but EPA test results are reassuring.
Targets of 50,000 new homes for rent at below-market rates and 1 million homes to improve affordability in general are positive steps, but the budget neglects the need to reform an ailing system.
Our heavy reliance on sandbagging suggests we really don’t understand the river landscapes we inhabit. We must learn from communities that have developed better solutions to living with floods.
It’s easy to spot the similarities in how this first Labor budget and its Coalition predecessors approached transport projects. Their eye-watering spending isn’t supported by proper assessments.
Local councils are on the front line in a planning system that lacks an up-to-date planning framework to properly assess flood risks and prepare responses.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
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Professor of Housing Research and Policy, and Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
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Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University
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Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology
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Honorary Professor of Planning, The University of Queensland
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Adjunct Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia
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Senior Lecturer in Retail Marketing, University of Tasmania
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Professor of Housing Research, University of Adelaide
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Alan Morris is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
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Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University
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Research Associate, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
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Lecturer in Planning and Human Geography, La Trobe University
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Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor of Housing & Social Policy, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
