Intensifying Melbourne

Cities are often said to be the engines of the global economy in an age of rapid urbanization. Car-dependent cities - particularly those that characterize North America and Australasia - are largely cities of suburban sprawl, freeways, shopping malls and poor public transport. They are also cities of great opportunity for significant reductions in carbon emissions through transit-oriented intensification within existing suburbs combined with improvements to transit services and shifts to active modes of transport. Such development,however, depends on a multi-scalar understanding that links the shaping of built form and public space at an urban design scale to larger scales of metropolitan structure and urban flows. This research project is an investigation of how such urban design and transport opportunities might be developed in Melbourne. We seek to show how transit-related problems and opportunities at different scales interconnect to form synergies and alliances both between projects and between scales. Through a series of design research studies we explore scenarios for the transformation of suburban railway stations, tram corridors, private shopping malls, university campuses and post-industrial zones. The analysis is undertaken within a theoretical framework of self-organization, emergence, complexity, adaptation and assemblage. Design research at every scale is argued to be a necessary link in the process of unlocking capacities for urban transformation

Methods and Measures for Analyzing Complex Street Networks and Urban Form

Complex systems have been widely studied by social and natural scientists in terms of their dynamics and their structure. Scholars of cities and urban planning have incorporated complexity theories from qualitative and quantitative perspectives. From a structural standpoint, the urban form may be characterized by the morphological complexity of its circulation networks - particularly their density, resilience, centrality, and connectedness. This dissertation unpacks theories of nonlinearity and complex systems, then develops a framework for assessing the complexity of urban form and street networks. It introduces a new tool, OSMnx, to collect street network and other urban form data for anywhere in the world, then analyze and visualize them. Finally, it presents a large empirical study of 27,000 street networks, examining their metric and topological complexity relevant to urban design, transportation research, and the human experience of the built environment.Comment: PhD thesis (2017), City and Regional Planning, UC Berkele

Global Risks 2015, 10th Edition.

The 2015 edition of the Global Risks report completes a decade of highlighting the most significant long-term risks worldwide, drawing on the perspectives of experts and global decision-makers. Over that time, analysis has moved from risk identification to thinking through risk interconnections and the potentially cascading effects that result. Taking this effort one step further, this year's report underscores potential causes as well as solutions to global risks. Not only do we set out a view on 28 global risks in the report's traditional categories (economic, environmental, societal, geopolitical and technological) but also we consider the drivers of those risks in the form of 13 trends. In addition, we have selected initiatives for addressing significant challenges, which we hope will inspire collaboration among business, government and civil society communitie

The UK's global gas challenge

A UKERC Research Report exploring the UK's global gas challenge. This report takes an interdisciplinary perspective, which marries energy security insights from politics and international relations, with detailed empirical understanding from energy studies and perspectives from economic geography that emphasise the spatial distribution of actors, networks and resource flows that comprise the global gas industry. Natural gas production in the UK peaked in 2000, and in 2004 it became a net importer. A decade later and the UK now imports about half of the natural gas that it consumes. The central thesis of the project on which this report is based is that as the UK’s gas import dependence has grown, it has effectively been ‘globalising’ its gas security; consequently UK consumers are increasingly exposed to events in global gas markets. - See more at: http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/publications/the-uk-s-global-gas-challenge.html#sthash.wEP831Zn.dpu

GDP and City Population in the Development Performance of City Structures

A city structure is defined as an evolutionary process determined by its network of functional activities; relationships; capital and knowledge flows which influence its growth and density as it transitions through a series of development stages. The purpose of this research paper is to present the major findings of GDP and City population key drivers in city structure development and provide an evaluative framework and tools. This research focuses on the evolution and development performance of city structures. The evaluative framework (trajectory analysis and compositional aspects of city structure population) and tools (e.g. velocity and economic resilience) are used to examine city structure development performance where GDP and city population synergise and potentiate effects. A fundamental premise for this research is that cities undergo various transitional phases of development and develop at different rates of growth. Ideally a city aspires to remain functionally viable, resilient and dynamic as part of its evolution. City structures are impacted by events (macro/global and country/city) and structural changes. This continuum of city development is nurtured through a dynamic range of forces, influences and a host of networked activities and interactions. The paper aims to provide insights into the development performance of city structure phenomena and suggests how it can be used to better inform stakeholders? decisions and direct structural change on the development of cities

Rethinking the Cape Town Property Developer: Understanding the local developer's perspective of the City of Cape Town Municipality and comparing this perspective to local Transit-Orientated Development policy constructs of the developer

Purpose – This dissertation investigated the degree to which the City of Cape Town understands a ‘notional' Cape Town property developer within the Transit-Orientated Development (“TOD”) context. This dissertation is not meant to draw a distinction between a right or wrong model of a local property developer, but to investigate what a richer model would look like using alternative economic perspectives that capture the multiplicity of reality and possible TOD policy implications. Design – A literature review was undertaken to understand institutional and behavioural economic frameworks, how each framework relates to the property market, and how to use the frameworks to assist in defining a developer. Further research was conducted to consider the property development process from the perspective of the Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) framework. The property developer as an actor within the property market was then deconstructed. Alternative approaches to local government involvement in the development industry and the developer's perspective on TOD was also explored. A qualitative, semi-structured localist interview was conducted with nine major developers operating in Cape Town. They were selected because they are likely to participate in catalytic TOD-type projects. The interview aimed to understand their world view and how their lived experience relates to the City of Cape Town municipality. Findings – There is a ‘definition gap' between how the City of Cape Town has defined a developer and the findings of this dissertation. Policy implies a developer has perfect decision-making qualities pursuing maximum profits, whereas this dissertation found that developers tend to be focussed on risk reduction and exhibit satisficing and loss-averse behaviour. There are also those who prefer to build and hold a portfolio of rental properties which are not defined in policy. This type of developer possesses a different outlook and investment behaviour than the one defined in the TOD Strategic Framework. The City of Cape Town does not appreciate its positioning within and its influence on local property market dynamics, as it relates to the ‘rules of the game'. Practical Implications – Without understanding these distinctions, developers may not necessarily, predictably and readily respond to any TOD incentives and levers as set out in the Framework, resulting in policy perpetuating the very spatial inequalities and status quo the City of Cape Town aims to redress