Can RMIT keep spinning the Design Hub story?

Posted: February 29, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

RMIT says it’s replacing all 16,000 discs on the outer facade of the Design Hub to “go solar”. Very commendable but RMIT has a history of spinning this project and seems intent on playing on

Can RMIT keep spinning the Design Hub story?

Do residents think more public open space is a fair price for Skyrail?

Posted: February 25, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Andrews Government is selling Skyrail on the 11 MCGs worth of public open space it will create but the hostile reaction of locals suggests that’s not enough of a benefit to compensate for the cost

Do residents think more public open space is a fair price for Skyrail?

Is Melbourne really about to get an international-style metro?

Posted: February 24, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Victoria’s Premier reckons the planned new Melbourne Metro tunnel will create a metro system to rival the world’s best. Wrong; a name doesn’t endow a system with magical metro qualities

Is Melbourne really about to get an international-style metro?

Is the Australian Infrastructure Plan on the money?

Posted: February 23, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Infrastructure Australia’s new Plan contributes to the policy debate. Good. What we need most of all though is selection of good projects and concerted action to improve the nation’s infrastructure

Is the Australian Infrastructure Plan on the money?

Is value capture the silver bullet for funding infrastructure?

Posted: February 22, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Value capture is fashionable but it’s complex and politically difficult. Although it should have a place in funding infrastructure, it’s not a silver bullet; it’s contribution is likely to be modest

Is value capture the silver bullet for funding infrastructure?

Will simply building more public transport seriously suppress car use?

Posted: February 18, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Prime Minister’s enthusiasm for cities is welcome. Now he needs to come to grips with the painful reality of how ineffectual most of the fashionable urban policy prescriptions are

Will simply building more public transport seriously suppress car use?

Is it a problem there’s no Minister for Cities anymore?

Posted: February 17, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t need a Minister for Cities; his decision to take direct control of the portfolio is personal. It is very likely, as he says, an improvement on current arrangements

Is it a problem there’s no Minister for Cities anymore?

Should public transport be free for school students?

Posted: February 16, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Making public transport free for school students sounds good but it would be expensive; it would be inequitable; and it wouldn’t shift many students out of cars and into buses, trains and trams

Should public transport be free for school students?

Is the NSW one metre cycling law a good idea?

Posted: February 15, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

NSW’s new law requiring motorists to leave a minimum distance when overtaking cyclists is a welcome initiative but it’s only the first step in much-needed change to protect vulnerable road users

Is the NSW one metre cycling law a good idea?

Surely the media can do better than this?

Posted: February 11, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The relentlessly negative way the mainstream media presented the Andrews Governmen’s planned ‘sky train’ highlights the immense power it has to shape the way policy is made

Surely the media can do better than this?

“Dogboxes”: does what goes on outside new apartments matter?

Posted: February 9, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Residents can work out for themselves if their apartment is big enough, light enough, or has enough storage. Where they really need help from government is with problems coming from outside their walls

“Dogboxes”: does what goes on outside new apartments matter?

Is the future of this train line up in the air?

Posted: February 8, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Victorian Government wants to elevate 8 km of existing suburban rail line in Melbourne in order to eliminate nine level crossings. The rationale sound good at first glance but needs to be substantiated

Is the future of this train line up in the air?

Is cycling on roads getting safer or more dangerous?

Posted: February 4, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The probability of getting killed while cycling on the road in Australia is declining in “real” terms i.e relative to the increase in the numbers of cyclists. Serious injuries though seem to be more of a problem

Is cycling on roads getting safer or more dangerous?

Will ever-bigger fines stop trucks smashing into rail bridges?

Posted: February 3, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Trucks always seem to be hitting overhead rail bridges causing disruption and endangering other road users. But ever-bigger fines aren’t likely to do much to address the problem

Will ever bigger fines stop trucks from smashing into rail bridges?

Will politicians ever do anything about cars in our cities?

Posted: February 1, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Politicians like to give the impression they’re taking action to prepare Australia’s capital cities for growth but it’s mostly rhetoric; they continue to avoid taking serious action to address the role of cars

Will politicians ever do anything about cars in our cities?