CATCH: Children, Active Travel, Connectedness and Health. This project will explore built and social environmental influences on children's independent mobility, active travel and health. The research will provide necessary evidentiary support to justify government and development industry policy supportive of healthy and child-friendly environments.
Australia’s new cities: past, present and future. This project aims to investigate the conceptualisation, creation and promotion of new cities in Australia since the mid-20th century. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of urban planning and architectural history, leading to new understandings of community engagement with planning and architecture and dialogue on decentralisation, housing affordability and metropolitan primacy. Expected outcomes of this project include cont ....Australia’s new cities: past, present and future. This project aims to investigate the conceptualisation, creation and promotion of new cities in Australia since the mid-20th century. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of urban planning and architectural history, leading to new understandings of community engagement with planning and architecture and dialogue on decentralisation, housing affordability and metropolitan primacy. Expected outcomes of this project include contribution to the national conversation regarding political vision for large-scale infrastructure through a book, short film and media engagement on the topic. This project should provide significant benefits to community dialogue on issues of heritage, housing and environment.Read moreRead less
Green shoots? Exploring the genesis and development of a Green Economy in Australia. Creating a green economy is fundamental to the sustainability of Australia in the twenty-first-century. This project will explore the genesis of this new economy, and for the first time, develop a classification of green industries, measure their significance and map the geography of the nation's green economy by sector and region.
Why is (re)development hot?: Measuring cumulative heat in Australian cities. Incremental (re)development of Australia’s residential areas occurs piecemeal, with varied planning oversight, and results in potentially harmful cumulative warming. This project aims to causally identify the warming effect of residential (re)development and investigate the impact of planning policies that control changes in the built form associated with increased heat exposure. Using large geospatial datasets and a qu ....Why is (re)development hot?: Measuring cumulative heat in Australian cities. Incremental (re)development of Australia’s residential areas occurs piecemeal, with varied planning oversight, and results in potentially harmful cumulative warming. This project aims to causally identify the warming effect of residential (re)development and investigate the impact of planning policies that control changes in the built form associated with increased heat exposure. Using large geospatial datasets and a quasi-experimental research design, warming in Australia’s suburbs over the past decade at the micro (street canyon)- and neighbourhood-scales, will be attributed to (re)development types and ‘fissures’ in policy to inform climate resilient planning. Read moreRead less
Community Self-determination in the Era of Automated Home Delivery Systems. Urban environments in Australia and internationally are on the cusp of major disruption resulting from impending proliferation of home delivery services using autonomous vehicles in the form of trucks, shuttles, bots, and drones. As witnessed in the case of ride-share services, socio-technical changes can permeate society before effective regulation is introduced unless swift anticipatory action is taken. The aim of this ....Community Self-determination in the Era of Automated Home Delivery Systems. Urban environments in Australia and internationally are on the cusp of major disruption resulting from impending proliferation of home delivery services using autonomous vehicles in the form of trucks, shuttles, bots, and drones. As witnessed in the case of ride-share services, socio-technical changes can permeate society before effective regulation is introduced unless swift anticipatory action is taken. The aim of this project is to deliver the critical information inputs required to empower and protect communities in a future characterised by the widespread use of automated product deliveries. Outputs will include modelled scenarios and negotiated policy recommendations that reflect meaningful community consultation.Read moreRead less
Edges of home ownership. This project aims to address substantial knowledge gaps about household behaviours, wealth management and wellbeing outcomes at the edges of home ownership. Housing pathways were traditionally viewed as linear progressions that began when leaving the parental home and ended in outright ownership. However, growing numbers of Australians now face an uncertain future at the edges of home ownership, where there is considerable movement both in and out of owning and renting o ....Edges of home ownership. This project aims to address substantial knowledge gaps about household behaviours, wealth management and wellbeing outcomes at the edges of home ownership. Housing pathways were traditionally viewed as linear progressions that began when leaving the parental home and ended in outright ownership. However, growing numbers of Australians now face an uncertain future at the edges of home ownership, where there is considerable movement both in and out of owning and renting over the life course. This project will deliver new evidence on households’ wealth strategies, wellbeing and risk burdens at the edges of home ownership. The project will promote policies that enhance financial wellbeing, housing stability and retirement income security amidst growing housing precariousness in Australia.Read moreRead less
Emerging transport technologies: finding new practices in urban governance. This project will explore the rapidly changing political economy of Australia’s urban transport systems as private companies deploy new technologies. Many new and existing policy instruments are available to governments to manage this difficult technological transition. In-depth case studies of emerging policy responses in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney will be set in the context of fast-moving international developments. T ....Emerging transport technologies: finding new practices in urban governance. This project will explore the rapidly changing political economy of Australia’s urban transport systems as private companies deploy new technologies. Many new and existing policy instruments are available to governments to manage this difficult technological transition. In-depth case studies of emerging policy responses in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney will be set in the context of fast-moving international developments. This work will deliver new insights into the design and use of better instruments for policy, planning and governance to meet the needs of businesses and the public and to ensure that the potential benefits of the new technologies are fully realised in Australian cities. Read moreRead less
Tracing the impact of urban experimentation in water and energy domains. This proposal aims to investigate how the processes of experimenting with alternative urban infrastructure systems can lead to sustainable urban transformations. Focusing on the urban water and energy sectors, this project expects to generate new cross-sector knowledge regarding the transition dynamics associated with delivering sustainable urban futures. The anticipated outcomes of examining how innovations become mainstre ....Tracing the impact of urban experimentation in water and energy domains. This proposal aims to investigate how the processes of experimenting with alternative urban infrastructure systems can lead to sustainable urban transformations. Focusing on the urban water and energy sectors, this project expects to generate new cross-sector knowledge regarding the transition dynamics associated with delivering sustainable urban futures. The anticipated outcomes of examining how innovations become mainstream include, improved institutional strategies and enhanced policy and program interventions. This work expects to positively impact the value and associated outcomes of government and private investment in innovative urban infrastructures dedicated to advancing sustainable and resilient urban environments.Read moreRead less
Spatial network analysis for multimodal urban transport systems: a planning decision support tool. This research explores and assesses the development and use of accessibility tools for integrated land use and transport planning. It will establish international benchmarks for sustainable accessibility providing evidentiary support for government decision making and investment in sustainable urban development and public transport infrastructure.
Creating evidence-based public open space standards for apartment residents. This project aims to examine how to create public open space for apartment residents. It will (1) identify how apartment dwellers use public open space, including which spaces are used and why; and (2) test whether public open space use compensates for reduced apartment/building space. With less private space, apartment residents are assumed to rely on public spaces for physical, social and recreational activities. Yet ....Creating evidence-based public open space standards for apartment residents. This project aims to examine how to create public open space for apartment residents. It will (1) identify how apartment dwellers use public open space, including which spaces are used and why; and (2) test whether public open space use compensates for reduced apartment/building space. With less private space, apartment residents are assumed to rely on public spaces for physical, social and recreational activities. Yet little is known about which spaces they use and why, and what they would prefer. Expected outcomes include tailored, equitable evidence-based recommendations for public open space planning and apartment design guidelines. Benefits include the delivery of sustainable high-density precincts that cater to community needs.Read moreRead less