Urban innovations for closing the fiscal gap

Director of Hames Sharley, Darren Bilsborough explores biophilic urbanism as a way of increasing quality of life without increasing tax.

Part One: Transparency in Population Growth Data

Information and data relating to population growth do exist, but perhaps it is not as widely distributed or as fully understood as it could be. Here we discuss how increased transparency could make a difference.

6 ways biophilia can improve economic prosperity

Based on his paper titled The Biophilic City: Can it Improve Economic Prosperity, here, Darren Bilsborough summarises his paper into six key areas: biodiversity, climate change, urban farming, cooler cities, bio-sequestration and health and productivity.

Celebrating NAIDOC Week through design

NAIDOC Week is a week for Australia to come together to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year, it runs from the 9^th to the 15^th of July and can be observed through a number of activities and events across the country.

Part Two: Shifts in Population Growth

Alarmingly, by 2022, Australians who have reached retirement age are predicted to outnumber children. There is also a current population shift of people from all around Australia moving to Melbourne and Sydney, leaving other cities to dwindle. What do these trends mean for our future?

Part Three: Incentivising and Controlling Population Growth

The population debate is one of equal opportunity. While some Australian states and cities boom and expand rapidly, others progress at a slower rate or even decline. So, do our policymakers and society as a whole need to look carefully at putting measures in place to evenly distribute the population across the country?

Naming rights (and wrongs)…

The Walt Disney Company made Australian headlines this month when it picked up the naming rights for The Etihad Stadium. But such naming rights are by no means a new thing; similar deals have been taking place for more than a century…

Measuring the value of biophilia

An increasing importance of investing in people has resulted in a reawakening of the philosophy of biophilia and the importance of biophilic design.

What is Constructuring?

Fusing the worlds of construction and manufacturing is a process known as constructuring.

Google to run the waterfront of Toronto

Sidewalk Labs will help transform Toronto into a smart city, using sensors to monitor a variety of interactions in order to collect data that will create efficiencies for the city.

Inspiring Research and Philanthropy through Art at the Perkins

Five Western Australian artists express their support for medical research by decorating lab coats for the Harry Perkins Institute.

The Amazon Tax

News has broken that Amazon will no longer allow Australian shoppers access to its US website.

What Australia can learn from Asian retail, and vice versa

There is obviously a considerable difference in how Asian and Australian retail developments are shaped by the culture within which they sit, along with, at times, some surprising similarities. David McCarroll investigates…

Why cultural diversity is vital in design

Cultural diversity is a critical consideration in the design sector. As our industry looks inward in an attempt to close the diversity gap, we recognise a number of advantages that a more multicultural workforce provides in enabling communities to flourish.

Digital era calls for new style of placemaking

Today, people are increasingly communicating online rather than face-to-face, replacing social spaces with social networks. So, what does this mean for physical communities? Are they diminishing in value?

Laying the tracks for great Transit Oriented Developments

For today’s developers, urban planners and governments, development around transit areas requires extremely careful planning. Here we explore the key principles that will allow projects to truly serve and support their surrounding communities.

A view from inside Adelaide’s Rundle Mall Plaza

Managing Director, Caillin Howard met with BrandSA this month to discuss the latest developments on one of Hames Sharley’s most exciting current projects; Adelaide’s Rundle Mall Plaza.

How to sustain Australia’s rural-urban communities; a case study part 1

Serpentine Jarrahdale have a predicted population growth of 1.5 million people in 20 years. Hames Sharley has assisted in creating a strategy and vision together with the Shire and the community.

International Cultural Diversity Day

Held annually on the 21^st of May, the first International Cultural Diversity Day took place in 2003 as a result of the United Nations adopting the Universal Declaration for Cultural Diversity.

Mitigating the potential threats of Artificial Intelligence on our cities

It’s predicted that robots and Artificial Intelligence will play a large part in our lives by 2025, but as anyone who’s seen a Terminator movie knows, these are exactly the kinds of technology prone to misuse or mishap. Here we investigate a report highlighting the potential use of Artificial Intelligence for malicious means.

Staging a comeback

Building infrastructure for global events can make or break a city – so what’s the best strategy for using these structures once the show’s over?

When design comes naturally

Architects and designers can learn a lot from Mother Nature – Peter Schwerzel looks at biomimetics and how taking cues from the world around us can produce outstanding results.

A future family day at their local library

In recent years we’ve found great benefits in using 3D printers and virtual reality hardware, but it’s our investment in a time machine that’s really allowed us to experience what life is like for communities in the future.

Here we follow the Mancio family as they set out for a day at their local library…

It’s a shore thing

Approximately 85% of our population live within 50km of the ocean and our climate has facilitated a deeply embedded culture of life at the water’s edge. Therefore it is natural that our nation has become leaders in the field of waterfront urban design. But what are the factors that make a truly great waterfront? We present ten key considerations when for planning the perfect place at the water’s edge.