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Remote workers, particularly in the fields of mining and construction, are at greater risk of mental health problems. And accessing quality mental health care can be difficult for them. SHUTTERSTOCK

Virtual reality may be the next frontier in remote mental health care

Participants of both virtual reality-based and Skype-based therapy sessions voted greatly in favour of using VR, reporting high levels of engagement and realism.
It isn’t just that city dwellers assume superiority, some Australians living in rural and regional areas also internalise a sense of inferiority. Mangostar/Shutterstock

Geographical narcissism: when city folk just assume they’re better

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.
Typhoon Faxai left many people without power and other services for several days when it hit the greater Tokyo region in September. NASA/Worldview

Typhoons and other disasters force Japan to rethink its city vs rural living plans for the future

Talk of moving people out of Japan’s cities into rural areas is changing after the recent cyclone hit near Tokyo. Smarter, more connected cities may be a safer way to go.
Melbourne is a favourite destination for migrants from overseas and elsewhere in Australia. TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock

Migrants want to live in the big cities, just like the rest of us

Capital city populations are growing twice as fast as the rest of Australia, because of the employment and business opportunities and lifestyle on offer to both new migrants and long-term residents.
Mingoola resident Julia Harpham has led the way in welcoming African migrant families to revitalise the tiny NSW township. Regennovate/YouTube

Settling migrants in regional areas will need more than a visa to succeed

E⁠n⁠c⁠o⁠u⁠r⁠a⁠g⁠i⁠n⁠g⁠ ⁠m⁠i⁠g⁠r⁠a⁠n⁠t⁠s⁠ ⁠t⁠o⁠ ⁠m⁠o⁠v⁠e⁠ ⁠t⁠o⁠ regional areas could be a win-win’ scenario,⁠ as long as policymakers pay attention to five key factors.
Old mine sites suffer many fates, which range from simply being abandoned to being incorporated into towns or turned into an open-air museum in the case of Gwalia, Western Australia.

Afterlife of the mine: lessons in how towns remake challenging sites

The industrial patterns of mining shaped many Australian towns, which found varied uses for disused mine sites. The mining boom ensures the challenges these sites present will be with us a long time.
Grey nomads are champions of a radical type of portable urbanism as they travel to far-flung places like Lake Ballard in Western Australia. Image courtesy of Tourism Western Australia

Grey nomad lifestyle provides a model for living remotely

Grey nomads travel Australia because they have the desire and the means to do so. Could future generations end up following in their footsteps because they can no longer work and stay in one place?
The TV drama SeaChange had a huge public impact, which made the town where it was filmed, Barwon Heads on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, a highly desirable destination. Diana Plater/AAP

Imagining your own SeaChange – how media inspire our great escapes

We read about and watch other people moving to the coast or country and, in doing so, sometimes we’re persuaded to join the seachangers and treechangers ourselves.
Shepparton residents are clearly disadvantaged by having far fewer daily train services to Melbourne than other regional centres. Alex1991/Wikimedia

Rail access improves liveability, but all regional centres are not equal

Regional areas are expanding, and yet not enough attention is being paid to improving rail access to capital cities. This affects the liveability of the areas.

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