Anton Roux and John Stanley of ON LINE opinion outline the future for Australian cities.
Roux and Stanley have authored a new report that outlines future scenarios for Australian cities, looking in particular at the challenges posed by population growth and the trade-off inherent to increasing city size between "agglomeration benefits and increasing external costs such as traffic congestion, crime, pollution and noise /sustainability concerns."
The two authors point to a theory posed by Professor Ed Blakely from The University of Sydney that identifies cities of between 250,000-300,000 people as ideal for dealing with the above trade-off: "[these cities] can have the benefits of both scale and density to be competitive, without the detriment and burden related to larger populations."
They go on to emphasize the importance not only of developing new cities, but also of improving livability within existing cities and metro-areas and conclude with a discussion of the financial and political headwinds to meaningful changes in urban policy.
Thanks to Ryan Sloan
FULL STORY: Urban dreaming: Australian cities for the future
What the Future Looked Like Before the Coronavirus
Common Edge surveyed mayors and urban designers for ideas about what the next decade holds in store for cities. There were plenty of challenges in facing the world before the pandemic.
A 20-Year To-Do List for Cities
Predicting the future of challenges facing cities isn't very hard when the future is already staring cities right in the face.
The Long-Term Thinking Cities Need
A roundtable of discussion of prominent urbanists examines the questions of urbanism with a long-term mindset.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)