Blog

Cities in the sky: how do we decide where this urban journey is taking us?

02 October 2016

We shape the city and it shapes us. The idea of “the city” looms large. There are, it seems, no limits to the prospects and possibilities of technology and human entrepreneurship.

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Phew! New Urban Agenda clears last hurdle before Habitat III

12 September 2016

Having run the diplomatic equivalent of a cross-country marathon, there was concern that negotiations on the New Urban Agenda might trip at the final hurdle.

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Sustainable housing’s expensive, right? Not when you look at the whole equation

25 August 2016

Sustainable housing can also have important benefits for some of the most vulnerable members of our community, as the report released this week shows.

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The Panopticons are coming! And they’ll know when we think the grass is greener

22 August 2016

Does a walk in the park during your lunch break make you feel relaxed? Does lush greenery or a glint of sunlight on running water catch your eye and allow you to stare and rest your brain?

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‘No More Hunger’ Games: if only we cared about the real-world Liveability Olympics

15 August 2016

Melbourne may have a lot of work to do to regain the top position in the 2016 Economist Global Livability Ranking.

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Re-imagining Cities

12 August 2016

Pushing up through the Earth, out through the dirt of the lower strata towards the bright stratosphere, cities are emerging out of the Earth’s surface like a voracious vine.

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The solution to Australia’s gas crisis is not more gas

05 August 2016

Concern about higher and more volatile gas prices in southern and eastern Australia is spreading.

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Commuters help regions tap into city-driven growth

01 August 2016

Long-distance commuting may help promote the development of regional cities by boosting local populations, skills and income.

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Let’s talk about the family home … and its exemption from the pension means test

25 July 2016

As the population ages and the government’s fiscal problems grow, there’s increasing policy interest in tapping into older people’s accumulated housing wealth to support retirement.

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Planning to help our natural landscapes adapt to climate change

12 July 2016

Climate projections for Australia tell us that children born since the millennium can expect anything from 1.7oC to 5.1oC degrees of warming in their lifetimes.

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Election 2016: what will a re-elected Coalition government mean for key policy areas?

11 July 2016

The Conversation’s experts respond to what the Coalition’s agenda will mean for key policy areas.

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Darebin Climate Forum 15 June 2016

07 July 2016

In Darebin, for World Environment Day 2016, a panel of prominent climate change experts discussed the current climate situation, why we should be taking action, and what local governments, other levels of government and individuals can do to address climate change.

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The Pears Report: Basslink blues, abatement buy-in

28 June 2016

Is a second Basslink cable the best solution for Tasmania? And with the UN now trading carbon offsets, how can you become a voluntary abater? Alan Pears reviews the options.

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‘The urban’: a concept under stress in an interconnected world

27 June 2016

Are humans now an “urban species”? Do we now live in an “Urban Age”?

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What’s the key to home ownership for Gen Y?

24 June 2016

Growing concerns about their home ownership prospects have prompted those in Generation Y to become increasingly vocal about the difficulties of achieving home ownership.

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Lessons from APEC’s Low Carbon Model Towns Project

20 June 2016

The APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) project on Low Carbon Model Towns, led by APEC’s Tokyo-based Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) has run since 2011.

Blog

In the world’s biggest city, the past offers lessons for surviving the future

20 June 2016

A major campaign, “Cool Japan”, is underway to promote the nation as a “cultural superpower”. As part of a resurgence of interest in the Edo era (the name for Tokyo between 1603-1868), we want to suggest that “Edo Japan is Cool!”

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Our cities will stop working without a decent national housing policy

15 June 2016

We have to move the housing conversation beyond a game of political football about negative-gearing winners and losers. Australia needs a bipartisan, long-term, housing policy.

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The hidden energy cost of smart homes

13 June 2016

Light globes that change colour with the tap of an app, coffee machines you can talk to, and ovens that know exactly how long to cook your food: our homes are getting smart

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World Environment Day in a shifting ‘environment’

06 June 2016

What does World Environment Day mean in a world in which we are no longer sure what ‘environment’ means?

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Meet Stephen Flood: expert in climate adaption

06 June 2016

Recently, Stephen Flood Post Doctoral Fellow at the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington, and the Director of Research and Pacific Projects at SmartEarth Ireland, visited the Centre for Urban Research to discuss his working paper on the legal issues affecting coastal retreat as an effective response to sea level rise.

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Has the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge benefited Melbourne?

02 June 2016

The selection of Melbourne to participate in the international 100 Resilient Cities program sponsored by the New York-based Rockefeller Foundation generated a mix of hopes, expectations and concerns.

Blog

Factory Farming and Urban Planning

30 May 2016

While many of us can barely imagine what a million chickens in a shed might look or smell like, peri-urban and rural communities often have firsthand experience. Australians consume a lot of cheap chicken, but planning conflicts show not everyone appreciates an intensive chicken factory as a neighbour.

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‘30-minute city’? Not in my backyard! Smart Cities Plan must let people have their say

24 May 2016

The federal government’s Smart Cities Plan is framed around the “30-minute city”. In this city, journeys will take no more than half an hour, regardless of your location.