News

New tool shows active transport benefits to health and finances

23 November 2023

Today a team from the RMIT Centre for Urban Research are launching THAT-Brisbane, a transport and health assessment tool for planning healthier cities.

News

THAT-Melbourne wins PIA Victoria Award for Excellence in Planning Research

15 December 2021

Two projects out of the Centre for Urban Research were recognised at last week’s 2021 PIA Victoria Awards for Planning Excellence.

Blog

New Zealand rushes in on upzoning where Australia fears to tread

12 November 2021

Australian planners and economists are currently debating the role of planning policies and regulations in dwelling production as part of the federal parliamentary inquiry into housing supply. Meanwhile the New Zealand government has announced it intends to dramatically roll back residential zoning across the country’s major cities in response to high house prices. This simplistic policy poses risks for strategic metropolitan planning and Australia should pay attention.

Reports

Street space allocation and use in Melbourne’s activity centres – Working paper

Dr Chris De Gruyter, Seyed Mojib Zahraee, Emeritus Professor William Young

Using a case study of Melbourne, this research aims to understand how much street space is allocated to each mode of transport and how this compares to the use of each mode of transport.

View Publication
News

New digital tool provides green solutions for city planners

26 May 2020

A European funded research project has released an online decision-making tool to identify suitable Nature-Based Solutions according to a city’s specific environmental challenges.

News

Meet the women helping to improve how we live in cities and with nature

05 March 2020

As our cities evolve, so too should our approach to building and planning our urban habitats. Here, six RMIT urban researchers share how their work is shaping how we live in our cities and with nature.

Media

Response, recovery and resilience: experts react to the bushfire crisis

14 January 2020

Our experts respond to Australia's bushfires with perspectives on topics ranging from policy and planning, to community resilience, the mental health of first responders and the psychology of loss.

News

The evolution of metropolitan planning

18 May 2018

If one were to conduct an opinion poll among all the urban planners currently employed by local government authorities across metropolitan Melbourne with regard to the issue of state government regulation and interference, one might be reasonably safe to assert that the survey response would be ‘there is too much.’

Blog

New cities? It’s an idea worth thinking about for Australia

14 March 2018

Is there a case for revisiting the idea of new cities for Australia in the light of recent population projections and resurgent debate about the implications of a big Australia?

Blog

The elephant in the planning scheme: how cities still work around the dominance of parking space

29 January 2018

Car parking is expected but often unnoticed, taking up surprisingly large proportions of city space. A parking bay occupies at least 13 square metres – some codes specify up to 30 square metres including access ways.

Blog

Higher-density cities need greening to stay healthy and liveable

05 May 2017

Cities are home to more than just people. We also need to accommodate the critters and plants who live in them.

Blog

How do we restore the public’s faith in transport planning?

04 April 2017

This is the third article in our series Making Cities Work. It considers the problems of providing critical infrastructure and how we might produce the innovations and reforms needed to meet 21st-century needs and challenges.

News

The Victorian Planning System: Practice, Problems and Prospects

20 March 2017

Dr Stephen Rowley discusses his new book 'The Victorian Planning System' – the perfect introduction to the Victorian planning systems for new planners and the wider public who need to deal with the planning system.

News

New book maps Melbourne’s past, present and future

24 August 2016

A new book by RMIT urban planning experts delves into our city’s past to present a citizen’s handbook that unlocks the potential for shaping Melbourne's future.

News

How urban planners are creating cities for the future

22 August 2016

Well-planned cities can encourage people to spend more time outside, commute more sustainably and connect with their communities. Good planning is central to making cities liveable and sustainable.

Media

Reducing commute times integral to the health of outer surburban residential communities

09 May 2016

Providing good public transport links with job opportunities near affordable housing is crucial to improving the health and wellbeing of residential communities in outer suburban growth areas, according to new research.

News

Looking upwards for transport solutions

11 March 2016

Level crossing removals should be part of a total picture for an effective transport system and “skytrains” are the best way to do this, according to RMIT and Melbourne University researchers.

Blog

‘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.