Cities are often thought of as organic structures that ‘grow’ and ‘evolve,’ to meet the changing needs of their citizens. They have a ‘heart,’ ‘arterial’ corridors, ‘a soul’ and they…
Media picture of urban consolidation focuses more on a good scare story than the facts
Neighbourhoods as “battlefields”, “sardine city”, traditional suburbs as “threatened species” and urban hubs as the domain of “latte-sipping yuppies”. These are examples of the dramatic and negative imagery Queensland newspapers…
The way we fund Australian transport projects is nonsensical
Dr Matthew Burke is deputy director and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the Urban Research Program. His research is mainly in how transport systems, land uses and travel…
Rethinking Social Housing
Why do we need a house? It beats sleeping in the street. Yes, but it also means we are healthier so we need less hospital and medical care; it means…
What has happened to the Australian backyard?
Up until the end of the 1980s, nearly all suburban houses in Australia had large backyards by world standards. The older type of suburban form is still characterised by backyards…
Move over, McMansions – the tiny house movement is here
A small group of people are gathered around a campfire in a Victorian State Forest. Members of the Tiny Houses Australia community, they’re attending a Spring Camp to talk about how to…
Gerotopias: the ‘good life’ for later life
The Federal Government’s push to move the retirement age to 70 will impact on the dreams and realities of many Baby Boomers (those people born between 1946 and 1964). This…
What do major sporting events leave behind?
Event legacy – the positive things left behind after a major sporting event – has become an important part of the competition to host events and winning bids are now…
Who is willing to pay for passenger transport infrastructure?
In modern society, every day we make decisions about our willingness to pay. At a basic level, we might consider paying extra for milk from the easy-to-access corner shop rather…
The Return of Light Rail to Australian Cities
“The light rail scheme is such a great natural experiment,” ponders Dr Matthew Burke a senior planning and transport researcher within Urban Research Program. “Can contemporary light rail really change…