The pursuit of ‘vanity height’ in skyscrapers is driven by aesthetic appeal and the status of being ‘the tallest’. Redefining how we measure building heights can help cut the environmental cost.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Better Cities
Displaying 1 - 20 of 277 articles
Sydney emerges as the most segregated of our biggest capital cities, and the trend will continue without broad changes in government policy and investment.
The number of deaths on Australian roads has been increasing steadily year after year. It’s unacceptable not to act on the evidence of what works to boost road safety.
Changing work habits and shifting environmental priorities demand new models of urban redevelopment. Architectural ‘exaptation’ uses the past to reimagine the future.
How long will it take for electric vehicles to cut emissions and improve air in our cities? Longer than we think – because petrol and diesel make up almost all of the fleet.
Producing energy from harvested trees and other plants – bioenergy – might sound like a greener option, but it’s not a simple issue.
A review of the November 2023 Optus outage has sparked an overhaul for the Triple Zero system and more transparency for telcos.
Most kids associate sports coaches with men, but they should be coached by women as well. There’s no quick fix to change attitudes and address biases, though.
Development is claiming so many of our old suburban homes that tell the story of Australia.
The more plastic, the more waste we produce. It sounds simple, but this discovery could help us find ways of ending plastic pollution.
Australia’s rental crisis has been a long-standing problem and will not be repaired unless there is real reform of both supply and demand issues.
When diners were asked why they don’t order plant-based meat dishes, it turns out they have many different reasons.
Next month’s budget is an opportunity for the government to move beyond its ‘I feel your pain’ rhetoric to a HomeKeeper-style policy for this particular group of temporarily squeezed Australians.
So much of day to day life is not powered by technology, but what happens if you’ve been behind bars for years? It’s time prisoners better prepared inmates for life once they’ve served their time.
Existing laws and regulations failed to prevent asbestos contamination of mulch. What’s missing is mandatory certification of recycled products so users can be sure they’ve been tested and are safe.
The high-profile Indian startup is under pressure from rivals at home and is also preparing to list on the stock exchange.
Infill development is patchy across Australian cities, as is its quality. Bigger and better projects are needed to hit planning targets and reduce urban sprawl.
What are ‘squatters’ rights’ and do they apply in Australia? They do, but using them will likely prove difficult.
South Australia stands out as having the weakest tree-protection laws, but cities around the nation are losing tree cover at a time when climate change makes them more important than ever.
Roughly half of people surveyed support the development of autonomous vehicles. But a third were undecided about many aspects and will need to be convinced about their safety and other benefits.
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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Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology
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Neil G Sipe is a Friend of The Conversation.
Honorary Professor of Planning, The University of Queensland
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Louise Grimmer is a Friend of The Conversation.
Senior Lecturer in Retail Marketing, University of Tasmania
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Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University
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Research Associate, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
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Adjunct Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia
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Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University
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Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
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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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Professor of Housing Research, University of Adelaide
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Professor of Housing & Social Policy, 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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Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University
