Blog
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.
Blog
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.
Blog
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.
Blog
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?
Blog
15 August 2016
Melbourne may have a lot of work to do to regain the top position in the 2016 Economist Global Livability Ranking.
Blog
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.
Blog
05 August 2016
Concern about higher and more volatile gas prices in southern and eastern Australia is spreading.
Blog
01 August 2016
Long-distance commuting may help promote the development of regional cities by boosting local populations, skills and income.
Blog
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.
Blog
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.
Blog
11 July 2016
The Conversation’s experts respond to what the Coalition’s agenda will mean for key policy areas.
Blog
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.
Blog
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.
Blog
27 June 2016
Are humans now an “urban species”? Do we now live in an “Urban Age”?
Blog
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.
Blog
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
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!”
Blog
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.
Blog
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
Blog
06 June 2016
What does World Environment Day mean in a world in which we are no longer sure what ‘environment’ means?
Blog
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.
Blog
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
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.
Blog
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.
