Architects and those working on the built environment can learn valuable lessons about their discipline – how it’s taught, and how it’s carried out – from the 2015 student protests.
An Egyptian engineer at work on a project to upgrade the Suez Canal. Engineers will be crucial in making the sustainable development goals a reality.
Amr Dalsh/Reuters
If we want the Sustainable Development Goals to be more than just big dreams, Africa will need well trained engineers who can put their skills to good use in their own communities.
Rail and other public transport infrastructure could receive more funding from the new Turnbull government.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Jamie Briggs talks to Michelle Grattan about his new portfolio, the policy pivot away from just roads toward other infrastructure projects like public transport, and much more.
It’s not always as ostentatious as Dubai, but our coastlines are home to ever-growing numbers of manmade structures.
NASA/Wikimedia Commons
Urban sprawl has spread to the sea, as more and more man-made structures are being built along the world’s coastlines. Just as we do on land, we need to think about how to build sustainably at sea.
Newly arrived refugees face many obstacles to making healthy food choices.
Lucian/Flickr
Refugees settling in Australia constantly face new challenges. They have to re-adjust to new income levels, cultural practices and language. They also face a new food environment, where many traditional…
Temporary security measures often become permanent.
Larry Downing/Reuters
The recent security lapses at the White House have brought to the forefront the 13-year-old question of how to effectively secure public spaces. As officials weigh increasing perimeter security and installing…
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, it would be better if we built buildings from wood than from concrete, brick, aluminium and steel. We use millions of tonnes of these modern materials every year…
Is that an volatile organic compound I can smell, or your aftershave?
Lei Han
While city planners have been encouraged to plant trees and gardens to green the city for the health of its inhabitants, recent research has found that the same trees can damage certain buildings. Our…
The geographic setting of where you live is important for health in a number of ways.
Daniel Pietzsch/Flickr
Socioeconomic disadvantage and its impact on where we live and work (and how we get between the two), has enormous implications for health and well-being. But the picture is not as clear cut as many people…
A new study sheds light on why natural spaces in cities can help keep us healthy. Researchers found that people living in neighbourhoods with a large amount of green space, such as parks or playing fields…
Many apartment dwellers would like to know how to make their home more sustainable. But where to start?
Chris Kreussling
Rebecca Leshinsky, Swinburne University of Technology et Judy Rex, Swinburne University of Technology
Apartment owners beware – your asset could be under threat! If we don’t improve the sustainability of our city apartment blocks their value will fall. Australian cities are increasingly embracing apartment…
Facing tough questions: NSW’s planning review must grapple with competing visions of development.
Flickr/Askew One
Later this year Brad Hazzard, NSW Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, faces a difficult decision. Will he prepare new state planning legislation that prioritises a desired outcome: healthy, functional…
Swanston Street in Melbourne is an example of urban design that brings people together.
AAP/Julian Smith
Isolation and loneliness pose an increasing threat to the health of Australians, many of whom are cut off from friends and locals by ill-conceived urban design, a report has warned. Social Cities, produced…
Non-communicable diseases – Billie Giles-Corti looks at how the built environment impacts the development of NCDs. Never before in human history have so many people been able to be so sedentary in the…
Professor of Architecture and SARChI: DST/NRF/SACN Research Chair in Spatial Transformation (Positive Change in the Built Environment), Tshwane University of Technology