Home Posts tagged "Sustainability" (Page 7)

Tag Archives: Sustainability

German Battery Giant Teams with Australian Solar Tile Maker to Take on Tesla – Again

German battery storage giant and major Tesla rival, Sonnen, has opened up competition on yet another front in Australia, with the announcement this week of a partnership with a local roofing company that is set to launch its own version of an integrated solar tile. Sonnen said on Thursday that it had signed an agreement with Australian company Bristile Roofing to be the national supplier of solar powered energy storage systems for homes using its new solar tile, which is due to hit the market in September. Under the deal, Bristile will offer the Sonnen AC Coupled modular battery storage system …

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Housing Affordability: A Problem With A Solution?

The unaffordability of housing is an almost universal problem, with planners and politicians alike being accused of killing the Aussie or Kiwi Dream. This is not a new issue —in the 1950s the ‘working man’ faced problems financing their first home. That was addressed by the emergence of the ‘working woman’ and her income and government assistance from soft loans to building subsidies, to smooth the way to home ownership. While government intervention is still possible, present governments are less willing to intervene in those ways and the ‘working family’ has no one left to send out to work. Governments …

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How to include physical activity related health benefits in the economics of urban planning

Belen Zapata-Diomedi, Lennert Veerman. Attributes of the built environment, such as street connectivity, diversity of land uses and transportation infrastructure can positively influence physical activity of urban populations, which results in health and economic benefits. However, decisions within the built environment are usually made without a full consideration of health outcomes. While health effects related to road trauma and exposure to poor air quality are included in the appraisal process in the transport sector, physical activity is not assessed on a routine basis. This incomplete picture may result in a bias towards built environments that are not supportive of physical …

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Low Carbon West

Councils are taking responsibility to reduce carbon emissions – leading the way by reducing their own emissions and assisting community action. But to transform a whole region to a low carbon economy, councils need to do more. They can collaborate on large-scale projects across municipalities, create opportunities for businesses from sustainable, low-carbon growth, and coordinate programs to increase their reach to communities, strengthen their messages and improve liveability. The Western Alliance for Greenhouse Action (WAGA) is a partnership of eight councils in the west of Melbourne, representing a cross-section from urban (Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley), to growth …

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SymbioResort Update Feb 2017

Since the Australian Regional Development Conference was held in September 2016, QUT researchers have been busy working with the renowned resort master planner Mr Paul Ma on new regional tourism developments and refurbishments throughout Australia using the “SymbioResort” design techniques as outlined to delegates at the conference. A number of greenfield projects are being planned for Tasmania at Burnie and Bridestowe whilst the new owners of existing tourism resorts at Couran Cove and Kooralbyn are exploring the economic, social and environmental benefits of undertaking refurbishments using this new place-based design protocol to help breathe life back into these once dormant …

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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES: SHIFTING THE SILOS

In changing times, the pressure on community organisations to respond and adapt to the needs of families, children and communities is high. With traditional funding streams concurrently being reviewed, many agencies are feeling caught between the high demands of grass roots work with their client group and the need to spend more quality time developing partnerships and planning alternative models to accommodate the changing service system landscape. The Canopy, a growing multi-focus community organisation based in Lake Macquarie NSW, had existed for 23 years as a small family support agency with 4 staff.  Where agencies had traditionally collaborated with a …

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THE ROLE OF URBAN RESERVES IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABIILITY

THE ROLE OF URBAN RESERVES IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PORTLAND, OREGON METROPOLITAN REGION By Edward J. Sullivan, Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies and Planning Portland State University Oregon has developed a unique comprehensive urban growth strategy.  Rural areas are separated from urban areas by an urban growth boundary (UGB) concentrating most urban uses within the boundary and fostering policies to provide urban levels of facilities and services, as wells as varying use intensities for residential, industrial, employment, recreational and commercial uses.  The UGB encompasses existing and anticipated urban uses over a rolling 20-year period.  Expansion of the UGB requires extensive …

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Smart Parking for Smart Cities

Traffic congestion caused by vehicle is an alarming problem at a global scale and it has been growing exponentially. Car parking problem is a major contributor and has been, still a major problem with increasing number of vehicles and confined parking spaces in urban cities. Congestion and parking are interrelated since looking for a parking space (called “cruising”) creates additional delays and impairs local circulation. In central areas of large cities cruising may account for 30% of the local circulation as drivers can spend up to 30 minutes on average looking for a parking spot. Smart city concept is a …

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Land of opportunity – accommodating population and social diversity from the ashes of manufacturing

Preston is a typical Melbourne working class suburb characterised by industrial properties along key routes with surrounding ¼ acre worker housing. The recent decline in Australian manufacturing has resulted in many sites becoming vacant and jobs going out of these areas.  In many cases these vacated sites are large enough to accommodate significant residential, commercial and civic infrastructure and therefore generate local employment. They also present a great opportunity for exemplary urban design outcomes due to the sheer scale. Oakover Square is such a property.  This proposal is an example of industrial land being successfully knitted back into its suburban …

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Three way communication creates place making results

Two years ago, the town of Nambour on the Sunshine Coast was a little lost. It had great ‘bones’ but the surface was looking a little tired. The place was a bit … well, directionless. Fast forward one year, and the local council adopted the Nambour Activation Plan. Unlike many plans, the Activation Plan does not prescribe what must happen, when and at what cost. Rather, it is an ‘enabler’ – providing the webbing and stimulation for locals to define the types of projects and place Nambour wants to be. Fast forward another year to the present, and the catchphrase …

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