Designing for people

From the humble toaster to the popular coffee machine, more goes into designing an appliance or product than we probably think, but focusing on people’s needs should be central to the process.

Parramatta study reveals ways to reduce city temperatures by 2°C

Cooling strategies, such as increased greenery and shading and the installation of water features, can help mitigate urban heat.

Addressing housing for older people

Australia faces a massive challenge delivering suitable housing for an ageing population, but what do older Australians actually want from their housing. And what can be done to ensure future supply matches demand?

Better buildings can help beat climate change

Upgrading the walls, windows, roofs and insulation of our homes and buildings and using smart software to control heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation could slash carbon emissions.

Planning Darwin’s future as a “resilient city”

Darwin’s development of its own resilience plan would strengthen the city’s importance as a viable, vibrant and secure state capital.

A patchwork of City Deals or a national settlement strategy: what’s best for our growing cities?

The Commonwealth government has a long history of intervening in cities, from addressing housing shortages to funding urban infrastructure, but is a more formal national urban planning process required?

Protecting Australia’s critical infrastructure

Critical infrastructure is an area where the cyber and physical worlds are converging. Compromise of digital systems affects our physical world too and so the authorities must safeguard both to protect Australia from malicious attacks.

Affordable rental housing policy not delivering for low income earners

A report by UNSW’s City Futures Research Centre finds planning policy is delivering micro-apartments for students and young professionals rather than affordable housing for low income families.

Helping plan for hotter cities

As Australian cities heat up, local governments and planning practices will increasingly have to address rising temperatures and urban heat island effects. A new tool, incorporating scientific models, case studies and broad guidelines, has been released to help.

The global problem of thirsty cities

500 million people already experience water shortages around the world but better governance and smart water management could lead to collaboration rather than competition and manage our dwindling supplies more efficiently.

Floating cities – fact or fantasy?

The concept of floating cities has long fascinated engineers and speculative authors, but will fantasy turn into reality to combat the ravages of sea level rises caused by climate change?

How big data can help city residents

Analysing big data can tell us how a big city ticks and help individual citizens – as well as public planners and tech corporations – get the jobs, housing and services they need.