The living city

Biological metaphors for the city abound in daily use – you may live close to an “arterial” road or in the “heart” of a metropolis – and the use of such metaphors indicates an underlying naturalism in our thinking about the city.

Super cool building solutions for our cities

New building materials that reflect rather than absorb solar energy can reduce peak temperatures in our cities by up to four degrees.

Cracks in the system

It is almost impossible for purchasers to predict whether their new apartment will have building defects, a report into the apartment building industry has found.

Engineers should study ethics as well as maths

The Miami apartment collapse is a grim reminder of why engineering matters, and why comprehensive education in ethics should be embedded in the training of engineers.

Kitchen capers

Many Australians locked-down at home will be eyeing home improvements to pass the time productively, and the kitchen offers most ‘bang for buck’ when remodeling a room.

Melbourne dweller’s “Russian” winter

Australia’s housing just isn’t good enough when it comes to dealing with winter temperatures – we need to take lessons from the Northern Hemisphere.

More green, fewer blues

Our cities are increasingly crowded but people feel lonelier than ever. As our trees and gardens are replaced by ever denser housing and concrete drives, retaining more green space would help people socialise or commune with nature.

The road to hell

Health impacts of major transport projects are too often glossed over during the planning phases, allowing issues such as air and noise pollution, residents’ mental health and impact on children’s health to escape the scrutiny they deserve.

Why transport megaprojects are costing too much

Megaprojects are making up an ever-bigger portion of transport infrastructure projects. Governments must focus on keeping the long-term cost as low otherwise, taxpayers will be at risk of paying over the odds.

Building resilient, sustainable and secure cities for a post-COVID-19 world

Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic could help cities modernise themselves to weather other types of disruptions and build resilience against future risks.

Designing liveable cities for our future climate

The new Climate Imaginary exhibit explores works from architects and urban designers, pushing the boundaries of our imagination to envision better and more creative climate futures for our cities.

A home of one’s own stays out of reach for many

Despite rising numbers of new home loans amid the COVID-19 economic recovery, the outlook for housing affordability remains bleak and more of us will be renting long term.