The ‘Surfers Paradise Tall Stories - Loud in the City’ series asks why city life is so loud and how we can change it. This is the fifth article in the series looking at how ubiquitous fossil-fuel driven equipment has become in high-density high rise cities, and why it needn’t be so for much longer. … Continue reading How to get fresh air when pollution is stopping me from opening my windows
The 'Surfers Paradise Tall Stories - Loud in the City' articles explore urban noise pollution and its impact on high-density living. Focusing on noisy constructions and high-rise buildings, the series emphasizes the need for sustainable practices, electrification, and innovation to create quieter, cleaner environments. Aiming for improved urban living, it advocates for better design and energy solutions.
Noise pollution from garbage collection disrupts daily life in Surfers Paradise, preventing residents from enjoying their environments. The article critiques the massive waste management systems that create unnecessary noise and chaos, advocating for smaller bins and more efficient waste solutions, taking inspiration from cities like Amsterdam and Taipei for better management practices.
Surfers Paradise is vibrant yet noisy. While the atmosphere attracts fun-seekers, the cult of the internal combustion engine is unnecessarily dominant in an area so walkable and appealing for residents and visitors. Bring on the future with quieter, electric alternatives on the road and the river.
Pollution is stopping me from opening the windows of my airy apartment at the Gold Coast. But it’s not the kind that requires an air filter. It’s noise. The noise we humans make is incredible. It’s also contributing directly and indirectly to that other pollution which is mostly invisible — CO2. This is the first article in the 'Loud in the City’ series of Surfers Paradise 'Tall Stories'. It unravels the complex tangle of noise in this small city of tall buildings. By finding out what really can be done differently, perhaps we can find ways for residents of high density living everywhere to get fresh air and a better night’s sleep.
Since the arrival of TC Alfred, the Gold Coast's beaches have drastically altered due to persistent storms and climate change. Despite ongoing efforts in coastal management and engineering, such as sand replenishment, challenges remain as sand erosion worsens. The delicate balance of maintaining the ideal beach image faces scrutiny, urging a reconsideration of expectations alongside increasing threats from future severe storms and rising sea levels.
Trees are fast-disappearing from Gold Coast streets and parks, leaving gaps in arbours of natives and avenues of Norfolks. In the wake of Tropical Cyclone Alfred clean-up crews have been efficiently cutting down, chopping up and macerating trees that blew down in the storms. It’s obvious that most of these can’t be saved. A felled … Continue reading Uprooted trees and the art of rescue
While trees can affect power lines, they are not the only factor contributing to power outages. Trees provide numerous environmental benefits in resilient subtropical cities. Fragile power infrastructure needs urgent re-thinking to avoid overheated unlivable cities amid climate change.
On eve of the ShapingSEQ 2023 Update, this article reprises a presentation I made 17 years ago, following the first Subtropical Cities Conference in Brisbane. The 2006 presentation proposed two scenarios to describe what SEQ would be like in 2050 depending on whether or not we took climate-based landscape and lifestyle as our cue in the policy environment. Hot and paved, or transformed and green.
Dr. Rosemary Kennedy was honored as a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects during a recent ceremony in Brisbane. Reflecting on her unconventional career, she emphasized the importance of integrating climatic design principles into urban planning and promoting societal well-being through architecture. She passionately advocates for creating environments that prioritize trees and sustainability.
We need to stop avoiding the problem and start envisaging what will matter to us when we are older to drive a paradigm shift in the way residential aged care is provided in Australia. This design-led workshop re-imagined aged cared design in the post-pandemic era.
The article discusses the complexities and inconsistencies in the terminology surrounding humanitarian shelter. It highlights a new framework developed by Dr. Liz Brogden and the author, which organizes 347 terms into eight categories to assist built environment professionals in understanding and engaging with humanitarian shelter projects effectively.
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