People and Parks: The Real Value of Open Space in Western Sydney. The Western Sydney Parklands (WSP), a corridor of 5500 contiguous hectares, will be the largest urban park in the southern hemisphere - an extraordinary open space resource. This study uses quantitative and qualitative research techniques to gauge 'imageability' and feelings of 'attachment' and 'connectedness' to the Parklands experienced by residents of Western Sydney. We will construct new thematic layers for an existing Geograp ....People and Parks: The Real Value of Open Space in Western Sydney. The Western Sydney Parklands (WSP), a corridor of 5500 contiguous hectares, will be the largest urban park in the southern hemisphere - an extraordinary open space resource. This study uses quantitative and qualitative research techniques to gauge 'imageability' and feelings of 'attachment' and 'connectedness' to the Parklands experienced by residents of Western Sydney. We will construct new thematic layers for an existing Geographic Information Systems database that incorporate subjective values about open space. This expanded understanding of feelings of connectedness will reveal shared community values and enhance future planning and design of urban parklands.Read moreRead less
Urban salinity in Kalgoorlie-Boulder: Causes, extent and treatment through revegetation - a pilot study for Australian rural towns. The National Land and Water Resources Audit suggests that salinity will threaten 200 towns in Australia by 2050. The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has a salinity problem caused by shallow, saline groundwater. This project will: (a) document and map the extent and causes of salinity, (b) determine whether salinity can be controlled through improved surface drainage an ....Urban salinity in Kalgoorlie-Boulder: Causes, extent and treatment through revegetation - a pilot study for Australian rural towns. The National Land and Water Resources Audit suggests that salinity will threaten 200 towns in Australia by 2050. The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has a salinity problem caused by shallow, saline groundwater. This project will: (a) document and map the extent and causes of salinity, (b) determine whether salinity can be controlled through improved surface drainage and revegetation, and (c) conduct adaptation trials of ornamental trees and shrubs for tolerance to salt, waterlogging and inundation. The work will be conducted in partnership with the City Council and local Urban Landcare Group. Outcomes will be disseminated through WA's Rural Towns Program, national conferences and scientific papers.Read moreRead less
Virtual Environments and Autonomous Agents for Urban Park and Garden Management. Urban parks and gardens are a heavily used resource. The quality of the recreational experience and the physical environment are at risk from over-use. Modelling recreator behaviour can identify management decisions that maximise benefit. Autonomous agents are an emerging approach to modelling people's movements based on their beliefs, desires and intentions. The behavioural characteristics of various agents will be ....Virtual Environments and Autonomous Agents for Urban Park and Garden Management. Urban parks and gardens are a heavily used resource. The quality of the recreational experience and the physical environment are at risk from over-use. Modelling recreator behaviour can identify management decisions that maximise benefit. Autonomous agents are an emerging approach to modelling people's movements based on their beliefs, desires and intentions. The behavioural characteristics of various agents will be assessed using surveys and controlled experiments in virtual environments. Agent-modelling based on these experiments will be applied in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. This is an ideal test environment but the results will have applicability in a wider international context.Read moreRead less
Evaluation of Performance-Based Planning under the Queensland Integrated Planning Act 1997. The project will undertake an evaluation of performance-based planning in Queensland, examining the application since introduction of the Integrated Planning Act in 1997. The project aims to assess how performance-based planning has been adopted in Queensland; evaluate national, international literature and empirical experience with the application of this planning method; develop a set of measurement cri ....Evaluation of Performance-Based Planning under the Queensland Integrated Planning Act 1997. The project will undertake an evaluation of performance-based planning in Queensland, examining the application since introduction of the Integrated Planning Act in 1997. The project aims to assess how performance-based planning has been adopted in Queensland; evaluate national, international literature and empirical experience with the application of this planning method; develop a set of measurement criteria drawn from policy and scholarly literature that have evaluated performance-based systems; contribute to the international social scientific understanding of performance-based planning; and enhance the partner organisation's ability to assess its key policy and regulatory frames to improve their data handling and analytical capacities.Read moreRead less
Transitions of mobility and parking. Transitions of mobility and parking. This project aims to understand the role of parking in mobility, urban consolidation and transit-oriented development. Does parking supply affect travel demand, car ownership, and ultimately urban quality of life? New transitions and trends in land-use and transport, including car-sharing and automated vehicles, and the revival of urban living, raise important questions about the redesign and reuse of urban space. This pro ....Transitions of mobility and parking. Transitions of mobility and parking. This project aims to understand the role of parking in mobility, urban consolidation and transit-oriented development. Does parking supply affect travel demand, car ownership, and ultimately urban quality of life? New transitions and trends in land-use and transport, including car-sharing and automated vehicles, and the revival of urban living, raise important questions about the redesign and reuse of urban space. This project aims to give policy-makers an evidence base and toolkit to determine how best to repurpose the space currently accommodating private cars. This project is expected to make cities more attractive, efficient and liveable, improving a disproportionately large number of Australian lives.Read moreRead less
Estimating temporary populations. Estimating temporary populations. Drawing on new and emerging sources of data, this project aims to develop a novel series of population estimates for Australian regions and localities that encompasses visitors and other temporary movements, and complement existing estimates of resident populations. It will clarify user needs, evaluate data quality, apply metrics to capture key forms of temporary mobility, and integrate symptomatic data to estimate the timing an ....Estimating temporary populations. Estimating temporary populations. Drawing on new and emerging sources of data, this project aims to develop a novel series of population estimates for Australian regions and localities that encompasses visitors and other temporary movements, and complement existing estimates of resident populations. It will clarify user needs, evaluate data quality, apply metrics to capture key forms of temporary mobility, and integrate symptomatic data to estimate the timing and magnitude of population flux at local and regional levels. These results are expected to advance the science of population estimation and have direct practical relevance to planning, while positioning Australia at the forefront in addressing a growing global information need.Read moreRead less
Tackling defects in multi-unit strata housing. This project aims to address growing concerns that building quality issues are threatening the appeal of higher density multi-unit housing for city dwellers, which could undermine urban planning goals. The project will investigate the prevalence of defects, why they occur and how multi-unit housing quality can be improved. The findings will be used to inform options for changes to planning and development policy resulting in significant economic and ....Tackling defects in multi-unit strata housing. This project aims to address growing concerns that building quality issues are threatening the appeal of higher density multi-unit housing for city dwellers, which could undermine urban planning goals. The project will investigate the prevalence of defects, why they occur and how multi-unit housing quality can be improved. The findings will be used to inform options for changes to planning and development policy resulting in significant economic and social benefits including more effective construction regulation, improved building quality and safety, lower costs and stress for owners, more resilient urban communities and better urban planning outcomes.Read moreRead less
Urban Accessibility Re-Shaped - Transport disadvantage and urban socio-spatial change. The project directly addresses 'National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health - Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' by assisting governments to solve problems of communities' poor access to employment and services. Good urban accessibility is crucial to achieving good economic, social and environmental outcomes from land-use and transport planning in Australian cities. ....Urban Accessibility Re-Shaped - Transport disadvantage and urban socio-spatial change. The project directly addresses 'National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health - Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' by assisting governments to solve problems of communities' poor access to employment and services. Good urban accessibility is crucial to achieving good economic, social and environmental outcomes from land-use and transport planning in Australian cities. The project will assist state and local government's to address unmet and often unidentified community needs. The project will be of immense national importance in providing new methodologies to assess urban access employment and services. Internationally this project will mark Australia as a producer of high quality urban research.Read moreRead less
An evolutionary model for interactions of land use and travel behaviour. An evolutionary model for interactions of land use and travel behaviour. This project aims to develop a policy appraisal tool that shows the consequences of land use decisions. The proposed integrated multi-level modelling framework—linked to models that monitor demographics evolution, travel demand, energy, labour, economy, housing and household dynamics—can assess sustainability, equity and economy. This framework is expe ....An evolutionary model for interactions of land use and travel behaviour. An evolutionary model for interactions of land use and travel behaviour. This project aims to develop a policy appraisal tool that shows the consequences of land use decisions. The proposed integrated multi-level modelling framework—linked to models that monitor demographics evolution, travel demand, energy, labour, economy, housing and household dynamics—can assess sustainability, equity and economy. This framework is expected to help people make better decisions about housing, maintain system level properties such as price equilibrium, show the impact of land use in the transport system, and improve policy appraisal for city planning.Read moreRead less
Locating jobs to improve urban sustainability: investigating the Transport Impacts of Employment Decentralisation in Australian Cities (TIEDAC). This project investigates how the relocation of public sector employment to suburban nodes can improve the efficiency of Australian cities. The project will identify transport efficiencies from employment decentralisation that can reduce infrastructure costs for governments and reduce commuting distances for Australian urban residents.