UQ|UP’s Laurel Johnson says the Live, Work, Play CityPulse indices are a broad though helpful way to compare the quality of life in key locations in the growing metro region of south east Queensland. Interviewed for Channel 9 news, Laurel said that the key to liveability is access via ‘high frequency, affordable public transport’ across … Continue reading
Renting is an important housing option for many Queenslanders. To ensure the rental needs of Queenslanders will be met now and into the future, the Queensland Government is opening the door to renting reform. Share your rental experiences and ideas on how to improve renting in Queensland. Get involved! Continue reading
This blog has stemmed out of curiosity. The seeds of this blog were sown when my supervisor Dr. Dorina Pojani posed a series of questions to inspire students to write a blog. The question that fueled my curiosity was “Have you been called a MAMIL?”. I had come across this term for the first time … Continue reading
With the move to a bike share platform, Uber hopes to alleviate congestion problems in cities. But Australia has a chequered past when it comes to bike-sharing platforms. Unless Governments commit to spending on cycling infrastructure, experts question the real benefits for Australian cities. Listen to the podcast. Continue reading
Adelaide is one of Australia’s foremost planned cities, and it is typified with a compelling parkland and grid system. In the innermost part of the city lies the grid-iron layout, and five central parks: Light Square, Whitmore Square, Hurtle Square and Hindmarsh. The city also features a greater parklands system which surrounds the Central Business District on all sides. However, these were not the most impressive aspect of Adelaide’s planning, from my brief research. The city radiates outwards, with the densest buildings located centrally, and there is a gradual decrease in height and density as buildings approach the parklands. This is often referred to as Adelaide’s pyramid planning. Continue reading
Popular bike sharing service oBike is experiencing a tough exit from its operation in Melbourne. Following the company’s decision to cease operation in the state which legislated tougher laws in oBikes management of its stock including hefty fines. The end of oBike in Melbourne has also raised questions over the longevity of dockless bike sharing … Continue reading
In the wake of another horrific murder of a young woman in a public space in an Australian city, UQ Urban Planning’s Laurel Johnson was interviewed on ABC Radio about urban planning and design strategies to keep Brisbane’s public spaces safe. Listen to the interview on ABC Radio Breakfast show. Continue reading
The yellow oBikes are set to leave Melbourne, with the Singaporean company reportedly breaking the news to Melbourne City Council on Tuesday morning. Listen to Dr Pojani’s opinion on this issue on Triple R’s Grapevine program this morning. Continue reading
Listen to the podcast of Breakfast on the ABC Radio Brisbane website, Tue 12 Jun 2018, ~6.35am. Continue reading
The interview took place in the aftermath of a Brisbane City Council plan to stop townhouses and apartments being built in areas for single homes. Read the article on ABC News (by Andree Whitney and Ashleigh Stevenson). Watch the interview on ABC News QLD (iView) tonight at 8.30 pm. Continue reading
Listen to the full podcast on ABC Radio’s Breakfast show – with Jacinta Parsons and Sami Shah (pictured below). Continue reading
How much has gender shaped our cities? On International Women’s Day, UQ urban planning expert Dr Dorina Pojani explains how battling sexism in the planning industry might lead to more cyclists and fewer dark alleys. Read the full blog post. Happy IWD to all the women planners! Continue reading
PhD candidate Renuka Bhoge recently organized a focus group on climate sensitive urban design in her hometown of Nagpur, India. This is her travelogue: My research topic is “Climate Sensitive Urban Design: A comparison between Brisbane (Australia) and Nagpur (India)” I went to India in Christmas holidays of 2017-18. I was in Nagpur for 5 … Continue reading
The Federal Government is now conducting an ‘Inquiry into the Australian Government’s role in development of cities’. In recent weeks, members of the Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities conducting the Inquiry have been holding public hearings in major Australian cities, meeting with individuals and organisations that made an effort to participate in the Inquiry. … Continue reading
In recent years, Australia has experienced unprecedented heat, including heatwaves and record-breaking hot days, months, seasons and years. Australia has a naturally variable climate, but recent studies show that our recent extremes are already being influenced by climate change. Even if the Paris agreement to limit the global temperature rise to below 2C is met, … Continue reading
What are we as planners doing to address housing un-affordability for our elder generations…in particular the elder women? There have a been a number of media articles and social media groups highlighting the plight of a growing yet largely unspoken group that are entering homelessness…aging women. Two well presented video articles from SBS Insight bring … Continue reading
There are many examples of Ecovillages all around the world. In many cases they are showing repeated triple bottom line wins – ecologically, economically and socially. For inspiration here is a simple video about Ecovillages. What would it take for this to be a widespread initiative in Australia? Continue reading
I guided a tour of 12 laneways in Brisbane city this week for the World Symposium on Transport and Land Use Research. These spaces are hidden treasures for sanctuary and walking ‘short cuts’ that enable empathy through the sharing of city space. BUT they could produce so much more than coffee consumption. They are limited … Continue reading
Oh dear, did I just write ‘brothel’ in a School blog post? Well, it is a legitimate land use, isn’t it? Anyway. The original version of the title quote comes from the French author Jacques Seguela, and refers to working in advertising, not planning, but aren’t we planners a lot like publicists, anyway? Let me … Continue reading
Novels that are based in cities can illustrate the evolution of urban planning. By describing and re-creating a place, these stories can grasp details that lie beyond the scope of formal urban planning research. They might also provide, I guess, more powerful explanations than academic articles of the role of planning in a given city. … Continue reading