People

In the next one hundred years, cities will rapidly grow in size and complexity with soaring population growth. Melbourne’s population is predicted to reach 7 million in 2050 contributing to a total of 35.9 million nationally. Now, more than ever, there is a need to assess the long term needs, performance and social acceptance of the sustainable urbanisation process before the projects get built. In order to ensure value creation and social acceptance, projects must be planned and developed by aligning the needs of the wider community proactively.

• Advancing new home sustainability through demand-side empowerment: investigating home buyer decision-making

  This research will provide a unique understanding of how the new home volume builders' operate as a market, acting effectively as a demand-side stakeholder, changing the concept of who is the empowered consumer in the new housing sector.

• Bull Street Terraces

  Bull Street Terraces by Crosby Architects is a medium density development in the Victorian town of Castlemaine. It has been designed to achieve the Living Building Challenge certification.

• Co-seeding the future

  How can co-creating community green spaces with children enhance wellbeing and generate custodianship?

• Green Lemons? Energy efficiency disclosure and house prices

  This research provides a comprehensive analysis of property transactions in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) that demonstrates people are paying a premium for more energy efficient homes. This research found that energy efficiency ratings (EER) are reflected in house sale prices and rental transactions, suggesting a premium is associated with an upgrade in start ratings.

• Living Shorelines: Innovative Design Topologies for Coastal Landscapes

  This project challenges current ‘adaptation measures’ and planning strategies for sea-level rise, inundation and coastal erosion. The site of focus is the Bellarine Peninsula, stretching from Point Henry East of Geelong to Port Arlington, In Victoria, Australia.

• Living Well – Apartments, Comfort and Resilience in Climate Change

  Everyone has the right to live well, living in a place that is safe and comfortable. As we move into the uncertainty of climate change the increase in weather extremes, especially heat in Melbourne, is expected to have significant negative impacts on comfort for existing apartments. For these homes to be able to stay comfortable, without significant cooling energy, will be a challenge.

• Place Week Melbourne

  Place Week is a week‐long series of activities that support and celebrate the work of those seeking to transform our public spaces into places where communities can come together.

• Placemaking Sandbox

  Placemaking Sandbox is a collaborative project focused on the theory and practice of placemaking. The project aims to build capacity, test theory, experiment with processes and identify methods to evaluate placemaking decisions in order to create vibrant, citizen engaged, public spaces and ultimately, better cities.

• Plant Life Balance Meta-analysis and App Process

  For over 50 years research has demonstrated that plants deliver benefits for urban citizens by reducing air pollution and supporting well-being. As cities in Australia increase their density it is important to understand how plants can benefit people in denser spaces, such as apartments.

• Quantifying indoor airbourne particle exposure through monitoring and modelling

  The design of the present study emerged from i) the increased concern related to air pollution events and associated health impacts due to extreme weather conditions (e.g. thunderstorm particulates and bush fire smoke); and ii) the influence of buildings on its occupants during the air pollution event are not well characterized for the Australian context.

• Regenerative development in action

  Regenerative development creates the capacity within a system for it to be vital, viable and able to constructively adapt to change. Critical to this is the engagement of people. This series of five short videos made by award winning videographer Alexander Melck demonstrates regenerative development in action in design, business and education.

• Restorative Yarra

  Contestation in cities is a stubborn and complex problem that both reflects and impacts upon planning and on the lives of those in neighbourhoods.

• Running Wild

  Running Wild was conducted in collaboration with Polyglot Theatre and Mahogany Rise Primary school to reveal social and ecological narratives of ‘place’. The project culminated in a collaborative and interactive art installation and performance in the children’s local reserve and examined how ecological values and stewardship can be communicated through art and science.

• Seacombe West – Australia’s First Regenerative Community

  Seacombe West, located to the southern edge on Lake Wellington, Gippsland Lakes system, aspires to become a Regenerative Community for all of the future stakeholders of the area.

• Smart Villages

  Construction of affordable housing and related infrastructure for ‘Smart Villages’ Communities in Assam, India

• Smart Villages Assam Workshop 1

  Cross-cultural analysis and capacity building in construction management practices focusing on housing and infrastructure sectors in Assam and Australia – An initiative of ‘Smart Villages” research

• The Living Pavilion

  The Living Pavilion is a collaboration between the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, Thrive Research Hub, The Living Stage, AILA Vic and The University of Melbourne’s New Student Precinct. It will be a temporary event space for CLIMARTE’s ‘ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2019’ festival (23rd April - 19th May 2019).

• The Living Stage (Lorne)

  The Living Stage is a recyclable, biodegradable, edible and biodiverse installation and performance space. Part theatre, part garden and part growing demonstration, the work features a portable plant-lined stage amongst a corridor of suspended botanical sculptures.

• Urban green space and sense of place

  There is increasing recognition of the substantial role of urban green space in placemaking for cities. Green spaces provide the physical locations for community participation, social cohesion and neighbourhood exchanges.