A new report issued by the Australian Government analyzes the changing demographics of the country's largest cities, home to 77 percent of its population, and looks at their progress in increasing productivity, sustainability and liveability.
The report released last week, "State of Australian Cities 2012", is the third in a series of annual Australian Government publications reporting on the progress of the country's cities. Among the nuggets captured by the 2011 census: housing prices in urban environs and the numbers of families living in high-density dwellings continues to rise. Also notable: "New houses in Australia are possibly the largest in the world, eclipsing the United States."
The report also looks at governance in Australia’s major cities and, for the first time, evaluates the progress of cities in meeting the goals set forth in the country's National Urban Policy, which was released in May 2011.
"Within the document an urban design protocol for Australian cities, Creating Places for People – is a web-based tool that establishes 12 broadly agreed principles for quality urban places in the Australian context. It is intended that these principles be applied to any project or location – whether in a large capital city, regional centre or rural town. The aim is 'to create productive, sustainable and liveable places for people through leadership and the integration of design excellence’."
FULL STORY: Urban design protocol outlined in State of Australian Cities 2012 report
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.