Blog

The temporal dynamics of being an international visiting scholar

17 May 2016

In this short piece of writing we are interested in the ways in which one globalising move — the appointment of the ‘visiting academic’ — disrupts and rearranges the temporal routines of academics’ everyday lives.

Blog

EcoCheck: Victoria’s flower-strewn western plains could be swamped by development

17 May 2016

When Europeans first saw Victoria’s native grasslands in the 1830s, they were struck by the vast beauty of the landscape, as well as its productive potential.

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CCR researchers look beyond the city boundary

12 May 2016

This April, members of the CCR research program presented on the group and their research at a meeting of the Victorian Universities Rural and Regional Research Network hosted for the first time at RMIT.

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Build in good services from day one for healthier communities: lessons from Selandra Rise

09 May 2016

Building new residential communities is no mean feat. Building healthy new communities is an even greater challenge.

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PolicyCheck: Labor’s phased emissions trading scheme

01 May 2016

The Conversation’s academic experts look at the history of policies, whether they have been tried in Australia before, and how likely they are to succeed.

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Turnbull should help the states switch stamp duty for land tax

20 April 2016

Before the government considers company or personal income tax cuts, it should help the states replace property stamp duties with a broad based land tax argues the Australian Council of Social Service.

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Ideas for Australia: City v4.0, a new model of urban growth and governance for Australia

20 April 2016

In providing for the well-being of the next three million urban Australians, we need to take unvarnished stock of our situation.

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Does higher-density city development leave urban forests out on a limb?

14 April 2016

Greater recognition of the benefits of urban forests is focusing efforts from all levels of government to defend and improve them.

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The two-year wait for Hazelwood mine fire charges shows the system needs to change

16 March 2016

Victoria’s Environmental Protection Authority has brought charges against four companies over the Hazelwood coal mine fire, which burned for 45 days in February and March 2014, blanketing the nearby town of Morwell in smoke.

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Hot cities: the ‘smart’ response to urban heat threats

16 March 2016

Significant urban policy and planning efforts have been directed at the problem of rising heat in cities.

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Done like a chicken dinner: city fringes locked in battles over broiler farms

07 March 2016

Since 1965 the per-capita annual consumption of chicken meat in Australia has increased ten-fold from 4.6 kilograms per person in 1965 to 44.6 kilograms in 2012.

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An environmentally just city works best for all in the end

04 March 2016

Melbourne’s population is expected to almost double by mid-century, overtaking Sydney as Australia’s biggest city.

Blog

Amphibious Living in Iceland

04 March 2016

Combining water and architecture for sustainable living

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Raising expectations for Melbourne’s railways

03 March 2016

Improved public transport has long been a high priority among Victorian voters however; the recent announcement of the $1.6 billion project to remove nine level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong has not been met with the expected enthusiasm.

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Christchurch five years on: have politicians helped or hindered the earthquake recovery?

03 March 2016

The Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-11 required a momentous recovery undertaking by the City of Christchurch in New Zealand. Five years on, what insight can we glean from the fallout?

Blog

Will house prices ‘collapse’ if negative gearing is changed?

26 February 2016

There is much confusion about the effects of Labor’s tax proposals with respect to investors in rental housing.

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Negative gearing: scrap or preserve?

25 February 2016

The Australian tax debate has placed negative gearing under scrutiny.

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The ‘sky rail’ saga: can big new transport projects ever run smoothly?

23 February 2016

Tensions are rising in Melbourne over plans to use elevated rail to remove suburban level crossings.

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In a heatwave, the leafy suburbs are even more advantaged

08 February 2016

Summer brings out the heliophobe in many of us. It’s manageable if you live in a house that stays cool when shut up tight. It helps if you’re physically capable of crossing to the shadier side of a hot street.

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The ethical city: an idea whose time has come

27 January 2016

Globally, there is intense discussion about the future of urban life through the World Urban Campaign.

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Japan offers us many lessons in embracing longevity

22 January 2016

Japan’s experience makes it an interesting example to learn from in the area of aged care.

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National spotlight on cities must not leave local input in the shade

18 December 2015

Failing to tap the rich local knowledge and diverse expertise of groups with an interest in planning the places most meaningful to them risks a failure of democracy.

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‘Not a lot of people read the stuff’: how planning defies good theory

09 March 2015

Research into the way cities do – or do not – work can make a critical contribution to urban policy and practice.