Inactive Aussie kids en route to becoming a backseat generation

28 January 2019

Australian kids are at risk of becoming a backseat generation with more than a third of primary schoolchildren not walking or riding to school despite living nearby, new research shows.

Small habitats crucial to species survival: study

10 December 2018

Local patches of bushland play a much bigger role in conserving biodiversity and supporting the survival of endangered species than previously thought, according to new research.

RMIT urban research wins at Victorian planning awards

27 November 2018

RMIT urban academics and students have been recognised at the Awards for Planning Excellence – Victoria for their leadership in planning.

How can high-density living house Victoria’s growing population?

23 November 2018

As our state’s numbers grow, we need plan how we accommodate every person. Here, our experts provide their insights on the critical challenges facing Melbourne’s housing needs.

Social housing in Australia must triple to meet demand: report

18 November 2018

Australia needs to triple the amount of social housing built over the next 20 years if it is to meet future demands, a new study has found.

How can we manage congestion on Victoria’s roads?

16 November 2018

Congestion is a key issue affecting Victoria’s transport sector. Here, our experts provide their insights on how we can better manage our roads.

How can we make Victoria more walkable and bike-friendly?

08 November 2018

The benefits of cycling and walking are many and well-known. Here, our experts provide their insights on how to get Victorians moving.

How can we make Victoria more liveable?

Melbourne’s growing population is as topical as ever. Here, our experts provide their insights on the critical challenges that affect the liveability of Victorians.

Nine things to make Melbourne even better

30 October 2018

Here our experts share everything you need to know about how policymakers can make Melbourne more liveable, improve our liveability, reduce commuter crushes and increase housing affordability.

RMIT research inspires community gardening for wildlife state-wide

04 September 2018

The new community initiative Gardens for Wildlife, based on RMIT research, will serve as a role-model across Victoria to encourage gardening to support local wildlife.

Researchers inviting participants for transport project

22 August 2018

A team of researchers at RMIT University are seeking interview participants for the project “Early delivery of equitable and healthy transport options in new suburbs: Critical reform and tools”.

Buy, protect, resell: Revolving natural heritage protection?

10 August 2018

Finding ways to conserve and protect heritage assets on privately owned and managed property is an ongoing challenge for policy makers.

Rethinking ‘place’ in more-than-human cities

Connecting people with place is a popular and appealing pursuit in Australian cities.

Creating healthy cities for all needs collaborACTION

There is over 30 years of research on how aspects of the built environment can be shaped to support health and wellbeing. Despite knowing better, we are still building neighbourhoods without public transport, good parks and footpaths.

Why public Wi-Fi? The rise of public networks in Australia

Investment in public Wi-Fi provision by Australian local government authorities (LGAs) has surged in recent years. But why do LGAs choose to operate public networks, and what are these networks used for?

Informal greenspaces: Values, perceptions and use

Apart from formal parks and gardens, street verges and other planned greenspaces, most cities have pockets of unplanned vegetation and leftover open spaces, including vacant lots, railway verges and drainage channels.

Filling the space between trams and place

How is movement and place represented across Melbourne’s tram network?

Implementing sustainability in the built environment

09 August 2018

Why we should be challenging the status quo to increase the role and effectiveness of the building and planning system in delivering sustainable cities

Ask not what nature can do for you

In our recent paper, we ponder whether the increasingly prevalent trend for framing nature in terms of ecosystem services is actually helping to build public engagement in conservation.

August 2018 edition of The Urban Observer out now

With Australia’s population reaching 25 million this month, the liveability of our cities has become critically important for our national prosperity and sustainability.

Urban researcher wins Graduate Women Victoria scholarship

18 July 2018

RMIT PhD student Ani Landau-Ward has been awarded the prestigious William and Elizabeth Fisher Scholarship for her research on property registration for marginalised communities.

New study probes links between apartment design and mental health

02 July 2018

Researchers are investigating how to improve apartment design policy to enhance the mental health of residents.

New book calls for policy to branch out to nature for healthier cities

28 June 2018

Dr Cecily Maller’s new book challenges how we create healthy liveable cities and calls for planners and urban policymakers to integrate ways for humans to live better with nature and other life forms.

New research puts the brakes on city car parking glut

22 June 2018

New research by an RMIT urban academic has revealed that up to 40 per cent of apartment parking in central areas of Melbourne are going unused.