New article on gated communities and income inequality in Indonesia by UQ|UP’s Sonia Roitman and Redento Recio. The article examines the relationship between increasing number of gated communities in Indonesian cities and increasing income inequality. It argues that there is a mutual reinforcing relationship between this type of housing and inequality. Jakarta and Yogyakarta are … Continue reading
The Chinese government has recently issued a directive that calls for an end to gated communities. The aim is to halt the construction of new gated communities, and gradually open existing gated communities to the public. This paper examines the challenges of implementing the new directive in Shanghai, where more than 80% of residential communities … Continue reading
In just ten years, the inner city populations of Australia’s biggest state capitals have boomed. We examined Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census data comparing the population in 2006 and 2016 and found, in Brisbane, the inner-city population grew by 22% in that period. In Sydney, the increase was 33%. And in Melbourne, the population … Continue reading
While a substantial amount of study of informal settlements has been undertaken, they remain largely unstudied in terms of urban form. The purpose of this article is to set forth a conceptual framework, which considers the context in which informality takes place, the settlement itself, the houses contained therein, the dwellers of those houses and … Continue reading
This study maps and models the effect of weather on cycling in New York whilst controlling for several built and natural environment characteristics and temporal factors. To this end, we draw on 12 months of disaggregate trip data from the Citibike public bicycle sharing scheme (PBSP) in New York, currently the largest public bicycle sharing system … Continue reading
The use of different forms of public transport connotes different symbolic meanings across national cultures. This has relevance when encouraging the uptake of public transport in Asia’s megacities such as Beijing or Chennai, where rapid deterioration in air quality has been partly attributed to a rapid increase in private motorised transport ownership and usage. Yet … Continue reading
The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies has finally been published. It includes over 450 entries on the most important topics and from a range of theoretical perspectives. It is a collective work with contributions from over 300 researchers worldwide. This Encyclopedia is a major reference in urban studies. Sonia Roitman (UQ|UP) and … Continue reading
Gillian Cornish, a UQ|UP PhD candidate, together with Elizabeth Rhoads, a PhD candidate at Kings College, recently presented at the ANU’s biannual Myanmar Update. Their paper investigates how ordinary Yangon residents navigate uncertainty in their day-to-day lives in accessing housing security. They differentiate between legal uncertainty, where legal outcomes are unpredictable or unknowable, and everyday … Continue reading
Redento Recio, who completed his PhD in Planning at UQ in 2018, has published an article in The Conversation today. The article is based on his PhD thesis. The article discusses the practices developed by street vendors in Metro Manila (Philippines) to use public space to develop their livelihoods, constantly negotiating with planning authorities and … Continue reading
This paper examines the implementation of sustainability into urban communities that includes the use of sustainability assessment tools such as Green Star Communities (Green-Star). Paul Sparshott is a UQ|UP PhD candidate (principal advisor: Dr. Sebastien Darchen). Title: Do sustainability rating tools deliver the best outcomes in master planned urban infill projects? City to the Lake … Continue reading
New research by UQ|UP, by former MURP student Enshan Hooi and Dr Dorina Pojani, studied 10 of Brisbane’s suburbs and how their high streets are designed. The research was featured by Brisbane Times, and Dr Pojani was interviewed by journalist Lucy Stone for the paper. Read the full piece: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/walking-through-beauty-how-brisbane-s-high-streets-could-change-the-way-we-live-20190122-p50sy1.html The research was also featured … Continue reading
A new edited book on urban informality is out! The ‘Rutledge Handbook on Informal Urbanization‘ has been edited by Roberto Rocco and Jan van Ballegooijen at Delft University of Technology. It contains a collection of 25 case studies on urban informality, which examine the processes of informal urbanization in different socio-political and cultural setttings. Dorina … Continue reading
If well planned and designed, suburban high streets can fulfil important economic functions and carry social significance, in addition to allowing for the passage of traffic. However, in newer cities which have been built around the automobile, suburban high streets have struggled to attract and retain customers. This study quantitatively assesses the design quality of … Continue reading
This article focuses on west-east planning policy transfers in Europe – the movement of ideas, principles, priorities, and processes related to the development, implementation and evaluation of planning policy. It examines the case of Albania, where various activities to promote the transfer of policy have taken place over the last quarter century. Since the end … Continue reading
Has the concept of urban sustainability made a difference in planning practice? The answer is yes. This article presents the benefits of local planning innovations to solve sustainability challenges for Australian cities. Read the full article on The Conversation page: theconversation.com/our-cities-fall-short-on-sustainability-but-planning-innovations-offer-local-solutions-107091. The concept of planning innovations is further developed in a recent book by the … Continue reading
High-tech companies and venture capitalists have been striving to break into the transport and mobility market. Between 2016 and 2018, venture capital investment in urban technology surpassed that of many other areas, including pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence. Almost 70% of this investment was in mobility. The battle to be the Amazon (or Netflix) of transport by … Continue reading
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) represents a new way of thinking about about transport. It has the potential to be the most significant innovation in transport since the advent of the automobile. In a move away from dependence on privately owned cars or multiple transport apps, MaaS combines mobility services from public transport, taxis, car … Continue reading
A new book entitled Contested Cities and Urban Activism has just been published by Palgrave. The book was edited by Ngai Ming Yip, Miguel Martinez Lopez and Xiaoyi Sun. It discusses cases of urban activism in cities of the Global North and South in 12 chapters. UQ|UP’s Sonia Roitman examines the work done by two … Continue reading
In September 2018, the University of Sydney organised a one-day symposium to discuss informal urbanism in the Asia Pacific region. UQ|UP’s Sonia Roitman presented her research on grassroots strategies for a more inclusive city in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The conference proceedings have been published, and all presentations and recordings are available for download. Access these documents … Continue reading
In this study, performance‐based planning is implicated in the destabilisation of community trust in the planning system. Set in a contested inner city area of Brisbane, Australia, the research associates neoliberal planning objectives with the discretionary decision‐making specifically embedded in performance‐based planning. The neoliberalisation of planning is, we submit, symptomatic of a post‐ideological politics of … Continue reading
The development of global metrics for evaluating university research performance has been accompanied by increasing attention to key performance metrics for individual disciplines. This paper examines research performance metrics for Australian planning academics. It addresses questions related to programs, staff, publications, and citations. The main findings are the following: Wide gender gaps exist in Australian … Continue reading
This edited volume interrogates innovative solutions for sustainability in cities around the world. The book draws on a group of 12 international case studies, including Vancouver and Calgary in Canada, San Francisco and Los Angeles in the US (North America), Yogyakarta in Indonesia, Seoul in Korea (South-East Asia), Medellin in Colombia (South America), Helsinki in … Continue reading
Advances in Transport Policy and Planning assesses both successful and unsuccessful practices and policies from around the world on the topic. This new release includes chapters that focus on incentives to influence travel behavior, promotion of urban cycling, Transit-Oriented Development, urban freight transport policies, and more. The objective of this book is to provide policy … Continue reading
Over the past 12 months, something new has been promoted as the solution to the last mile problem. Powered by a rechargeable battery, these are dockless, have a range of 20-60 kilometres per charge and a top speed of 24 kilometres per hour. Shared e-scooters are reportedly on their way to Australia. How will they … Continue reading
In theory, Australian cities are ideal for cycling. In view of their high potential, this study seeks to answer “why Australia is not a cycling mecca.” This is an issue of importance in the current era of grave concern about climate change. The authors have sought input from professionals working in government and non-government organisations across five … Continue reading
Why driverless vehicles should not be given unchecked access to our citie? Autonomous, or driverless, vehicles can support and promote active travel, such as walking and cycling, when two basic conditions are met: their access to cities is restricted their use is pooled. In the absence of these two conditions, autonomous vehicles could lead to … Continue reading
Understanding the dynamics of settlement by migrant group is complex, with a number of processes affecting outcomes ranging from assimilation to segregation. While both the assimilation and segregation are idealised models, the ‘segmented assimilation’ model provides a middle-ground explanation which fits more with actual outcomes whereby socio-economic position is affected by the class status of … Continue reading
Studies of informal street vending in the Global South often investigate grassroots resistance to formal and informal power as a collective and organised phenomenon. In our case study in the megacity of Dhaka, we show collective resistance is not possible due to an overwhelming threat from a coercive state. Informal vendors must resort to other … Continue reading
The new book “Knowledge, Policymaking and Learning for European Cities and Regions From Research to Practice” (Edward Elgar Pub., 2018, N. Dotti, ed.), provides theories, experiences, reflections and future directions for social scientists who wish to engage with policy-oriented research in cities and regions. The ‘policy learning’ perspective is comprehensively discussed, focusing on actors promoting … Continue reading
Nearly 3000 train services carry 8 million passengers daily through Mumbai, India’s financial capital. Suburban trains are chronically overcrowded, especially during peak hours. Images of scores of commuters hanging onto the doors of overflowing compartments have become iconic. Until now, the steps taken to ease congestion have focused on increasing the trains’ capacity. While India’s … Continue reading
For Middle Eastern migrants to Australia, the process of acculturation is compounded by Islamophobia, which is on the rise, with many incidents occurring in public spaces and targeting women. Through in-depth interviews, this paper examines how women migrants from the Middle East, especially Muslim ones, are affected. The study finds that Middle Eastern women migrants … Continue reading
This study investigates changing housing and lifestyle preferences that occur when young people migrate from compact, high-density to low-density, car-oriented environments, through in-depth interviews of East and Southeast Asian university students in Brisbane, Australia. The findings reveal that the majority of international students adapt to their new living environment, and even come to prefer a … Continue reading
Ecovillages and cohousing are types of intentional community living arrangements that bring positive social, ecological and economic solutions to challenges of housing affordability, social breakdown and ecological over consumption. They are fast attracting interest among planners, governments, developers, the media and the public. Yet what was the population and characteristics of these compared to other … Continue reading
Transport choices are not merely practical decisions but steeped in cultural and societal perceptions. Understanding these latent drivers of behaviour will allow countries to develop and import policies to more successfully promote sustainable transport. Transport symbolism – what people believe their ownership or use of a mode connotes to others about their societal position – … Continue reading
Many remedies have been put in place to cope with population increase – one of which is encouraging more people to commute using bicycles. Urban planners might hope, when adopting a bike-sharing scheme, that cycling will replace (at least some) car-based commuting in their city. If a bicycle is made available for rent nearby, people … Continue reading
This article discusses the mobility intentions of adolescents in Tirana, Albania – one of the least studied areas of Central and Eastern Europe. The main research question – explored through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) – is whether now, nearly three decades after the demise of state socialism, cars are still considered as a necessity and/or … Continue reading
The list of planning and human geography students presenting at the conference follows below: Poster session – 12:30-1:30pm Ayodeji Adeniyi (Human Geography) What determines where and when Brisbane residents will move? Fahimeh Khalaj (Planning) Why are cities still building highways? Jasmine Pearson (Human Geography) Pacific Islanders’ knowledge of mangrove ecosystems, Vanua Levu, Fiji: A basis … Continue reading
New book edited by Glen Searle (UQ/University of Sydney) “Compulsory property acquisition for urban densification” featuring a chapter by Sebastien Darchen as well as a chapter by SEES PhD student Long Chen. The book summarizes international experiences of the extent to which property rights have or have not been protected in the use of compulsory … Continue reading
Congrtulations Dr Recio! Who Governs the ‘Ungovernable’? Examining Governing Relations in Urban Informality Synopsis: The thesis examines an interface that emerges between formal (state-backed) systems and informal mechanisms in the context of a vulnerable condition of thousands of street vendors in Metro Manila’s Baclaran district. Analyzing this interface is critical for urban planners and policy-makers … 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. The decision came around two weeks after the Environmental Protection Authority issued new rules and fines around stranded bikes. But while oBike crashed quickly (less than a year into its operation), this … Continue reading
Dr. Sebastien Darchen in collaboration with Professor Claire Poitras (INRS-UCS, Montreal) published a chapter titled “Accommodating densification and social sustainability in the inner city: Case study of Griffintown in Montreal” in the recent edited volume “Compulsory acquisition for urban densification” Edited by Associate Professor Glen Searle. The book also includes a chapter by Long Chen … Continue reading
Given the magnitude of transport-problems in many large cities, the potential of rivers to serve as transport arteries is being recognized once again. However, some world cities, such as Paris, have failed to maximize their river potential. The Seine remains underutilized by mass commuter ferries serving the local population. Why, in the modern era, has … Continue reading
Written by Prof Reid Ewing, the review appeared in the April 2018 issue of Planning under the column “Research you can use.” Planning is published by the American Planning Association eleven times a year. It reaches thousands of readers — planners and the public alike — covering innovative ideas that reshape communities across America and … Continue reading
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We need to have a conversation about sexism and the city. Gender affects all other “vulnerable group” considerations in the cities, where nearly 90% of Australians live. Sexism and the city: how urban planning has failed women Authors: Dr Dorina Pojani (UQ) Dr Dorothy Wardale (ECU) Prof Kerry Brown (ECU) Read the full article on … Continue reading
Policy design for sustainable urban transport in the Global South. Authors: Dr Dorina Pojani (UQ) A/Prof Dominic Stead (TU Delft) Many urban areas, both in the Global North and South, are becoming increasingly automobile-dominated and less sustainable. The need to take action is well recognized but all too often governance arrangements and the symbolism attached … Continue reading
Too wet? Too cold? Too hot? This is how weather affects the trips we make What sorts of weather lead us to change our daily travel behaviour? How do we respond to scorching heatwaves, sapping humidity, snow and frost, strong winds, or torrential rain? International research shows weather is important in shaping our everyday movements. … Continue reading
To understand why Australian cities are far from being meccas for walking and cycling, follow the money. Our research has collated data for all the states and territories and our three biggest cities. We found that cycling and walking receive a tiny fraction of overall transport infrastructure funding. Read the full story in The Conversation. … Continue reading
Internationally, an age-friendly built environment, including safe, affordable, and convenient transportation, has been identified as crucial in enhancing the quality of life for increasingly large numbers of elderly people. This study presents data on the urban travel and mobility patterns of older adults in Shiraz, Iran – a country where the population is ageing faster … Continue reading
Article published this week in the Conversation by Dr. Sebastien Darchen (UQ) and Dr. Gwendal Simon (Universite Paris-Est, Marne-La-Vallee, UPEM) has reached 15 000 readers and is the most read article this week in the “Cities” section. This confirms that the debate on densification is a hot and controversial topic in Australia. Read the full … Continue reading
Dr. Sebastien Darchen (UQ) and Dr. Gwendal Simon (Universite Paris-Est Marne-La-Vallee) present the planning instruments and financing mechanisms leading to good regeneration outcomes in France. The examples of large-scale regeneration projects of Ile de Nantes, Lyon Confluence and Paris Rive Gauche are presented. If “New Built Gentrification” cannot always be avoided, regeneration processes in France … Continue reading
This study investigates whether income inequality is related to sprawl and wellbeing in American cities. The results do not provide evidence to support the role of income inequality as a mediator of the link between sprawl and well-being. Instead, the results tell a more nuanced story. Specifically, they indicate that consistent with a priori expectations, … Continue reading
UQ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences PhD research by Annie McCabe has revealed that community renewable energy – community energy – is a new, but growing movement in Australia, in which community organisations could help economically disadvantaged households gain more equitable access to renewable energy. The study, co-authored by UQ’s Dr Pojani and University … Continue reading
New article in The Conversation by UQ|UP team: Australian cities are crying out for better planning, but the research funding is missing Authors Dorina Pojani Jaime Olvera-Garcia Jason Byrne Neil Sipe Read the full article in The Conversation. Excerpt The Australian Research Council (ARC) provided only A$31.7 million for 91 urban and regional planning research … Continue reading
Abstract Background: Levels of internal migration vary significantly between countries. Australia and the United States consistently record among the highest levels of migration anywhere in the world. Very little is known, however, about the factors underlying mobility differentials. We argue that this is because existing evidence is almost exclusively based on period measures applied to cross-sectional … Continue reading
Social housing and renewable energy: Community energy in a supporting role Annie McCabe Dorina Pojani Anthony Broese van Groenou Abstract. The development of renewable energy offers potential for achieving distributive justice. Individuals and communities have emerged as a major force in shaping just energy transitions. This brief perspective piece provides an introductory exploration of the … Continue reading
Is transit-oriented development (TOD) an internationally transferable policy concept? Regional Studies Many cities and regions have embraced the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD). This paper explores how transfer of TOD as a policy concept impacts its implementation in the Netherlands. The study determined international policy ideas and tools that have contributed to implementation and tested … Continue reading
‘Urban acupuncture’ to alleviate stress in informal settlements in Mexico Authors: Alejandro Lastra Dorina Pojani Abstract. This paper explores whether smaller-scale physical space interventions (‘urban acupuncture’) have the power to alleviate the stress, social pathologies and political disengagement experienced by the residents of informal settlements. The case study is Tepito, a barrio in Mexico City. … Continue reading
Australian cities are far from being meccas for walking and cycling Australian city planners are seeking ways to make cities better for walking and cycling. Walkability and cyclability are attractive and “green” urban amenities. They reduce pollution and improve health. They are also economic assets. In developing countries, active transport is key to improving accessibility … Continue reading
Associate Professor (UQ), Dr. Mateo-Babiano (UMelbourne) and Dr. Sebastien Darchen explain about the possibilities of 3D modelling and simulation for Planning practice and planning education. The article titled “How virtual 3D modelling and simulation can help us create better cities” has been published in the Conversation. Full article here Continue reading
Dr. Sebastien Darchen and Dr. Thomas Sigler in collaboration with Dr. Damien Charrieras (City University, Hong Kong) have been published in top- ranked journal Cities. In the paper titled “The Shifting spaces of creativity in Hong Kong” we argue that top down ‘planning’ is insufficient to make creative spaces function effectively. Full article Continue reading
A new article on the success determinants of bikesharing schemes by UQ|UP team members Dorina Pojani and Jonathan Corcoran and colleagues from the University of Melbourne was just published in The Conversation. Read the original article, a version republished by SBS News, or a YouTube visualization prepared by South Africa News. Join the discussion at … Continue reading
A new systematic literature review by PhD student Annie McCabe and her advisor, Dr Dorina Pojani, on the application of renewable energy to social housing was just published in Energy Policy. Download the full text. Abstract. Low-income housing associations provide a unique opportunity for renewable energy installations, through potential scale of implementation sites, and in … Continue reading
Research by Dr. Sebastien Darchen initially published in Urban Studies is included in the LSE US CENTRE BLOG Facing increasing population pressures, many US urban centers are turning to novel methods, such as adaptive re-use, in order to encourage more intense land use. Sébastien Darchen writes that while adaptive re-use is often employed as a regeneration … Continue reading
Title: Cities as story: Redevelopment projects in authoritarian and hybrid regimes Author: Dorina Pojani Abstract: In the past decade, so-called hybrid regimes—authoritarian regimes in the guise of democracy—have emerged in Europe. Similar to the authoritarian or totalitarian regimes of 20th-century Europe, the association between urban design and politics is evident in the capital cities of … Continue reading
The way cities are portrayed reveals and shapes public perceptions of the city. For young people, in particular, the media inform and disseminate the most elemental images of the city and the society that inhabits it. The media can be an important didactic tool – often the only one available to much of the population. … Continue reading
The Australia and New Zealand Association of Planning Schools (ANZAPS) is a scholarly society formed by the urban planning schools and programs at Australian universities (including UQ) and New Zealand universities, as well as planning educators and individuals concerned with urban and regional planning education and research. ANZAPS is recognised as representing the planning schools … Continue reading
Parking may seem like a “pedestrian” topic (pun intended). However, parking is of increasing importance in metropolitan areas worldwide. Freeing up the huge areas set aside for parking can transform our cities. Read the full story in The Conversation. Authors: Dorina Pojani, Derlie Mateo-Babiano, Jonathan Corcoran, Neil Sipe. Continue reading
Dr. Sebastien Darchen published an article in the Conversation on the electronic dance music scene in Brisbane. Full article in the Conversation here: https://theconversation.com/underground-in-brisvegas-can-an-electronic-dance-music-artist-thrive-outside-the-city-84705 Electronic dance music (EDM) is an increasingly popular music genre. Electronic music can be defined as a sound dominated by electronic instruments and digitally generated sounds and also by digital samples … Continue reading
A new paper by UQ|UP team: We propose a conceptual framework to guide parking research. As the diagram illustrates, we do not view parking as a standalone element of the transportation system but rather as an integral component of policy, technology, economics, society, and even urban design. From this conceptual framework, we next develop a … Continue reading
Parking: An International Perspective (Elsevier, 2020) At first sight, parking may seem like a somewhat ‘pedestrian’ topic (pun intended). However, parking is arguably a key component of urban transport and land use systems worldwide. This book (available in 2020) will include parking case studies from more than 20 countries. They will draw together international best … Continue reading
Dialogues in Urban and Regional Planning 6 | The Right to the City Edited by Christopher Silver, Robert Freestone, Christophe Demaziere Chapter 9: “Putting Children in the Place on Public Transit: Managing Mobilities in the Child-Friendly City” by Deanna Grant-Smith, Peter Edwards and Laurel Johnson The Dialogues in Urban and Regional Planning series offers a … Continue reading
Abstract: Drawing on personal interviews with local planners, this paper examines barriers to the pedestrianization of city centres in two contrasting settings, one in a Global North city (Brisbane, Australia) and the other in a Global South city (Kathmandu, Nepal). These cases are illuminating because Brisbane already contains a popular three-block pedestrian mall in its … Continue reading
Abstract: Tirana, the Balkan capital examined in this study, displays patterns of gendered job search behavior and access, which are unique within contemporary Europe and even within post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe. Here, it is a rather spatially constricted job search range rather than transport poverty that prevents women living in first-ring suburbs from attaining … Continue reading
The 15th International Conference on Computers in Urban Planning and Urban Management (CUPUM) was hosted by the School of Art, Architecture and Design at the University of South Australia in Adelaide on July 11-14. The theme of CUPUM is using technology for better urban planning and management. Keynote sessions and paper presentations at this conference … Continue reading
Sonia Roitman (UQ, Planning) presented a paper on inequality and gated communities in Indonesia at the 7th Nordic Geographers Meeting on Geographies of Inequality, in Stockholm in June 2017 http://www.humangeo.su.se/english/ngm-2017/programme/theme. For more information, get in touch with Sonia (s.roitman@uq.edu.au). Continue reading
Sonia Roitman and colleagues from the Global Change Institute (Grace Muriuki and Karen Hussey) and the School of Public Health (Lisa Schubert) recently published a working paper on ‘Urban food systems’ emphasising the importance of food security in the planning agenda of local governments. Urban Food Systems in Australian Cities_Background-compile Continue reading
A benchmarking study by a team of researchers at UQ|UP (Dorina Pojani, Jaime Olvera-Garcia, Neil Sipe) and Griffith University (Jason Byrne) has revealed wide gender gaps in Australian planning academia. ► Download the full Working Paper. Continue reading