
JCU street sketching in Townsville: An approach to drawing on location and recording what you see
Disclaimer: This is the first of a series of very delayed posts. A lot has been happening in the past few months, hence my silence. I definitely have to get better in sharing things here in ‘real time’, or at last as close to ‘real’ as possible.
Since I was a kid I always loved sketching and I was fortunate enough to be able to make that also part of my work. On 7th September, I organised a sketching workshop led by Richard Briggs. Read more…
Urban growth, heat islands, humidity, climate change: the costs multiply in tropical cities

Taha Chaiechi, James Cook University and Silvia Tavares, James Cook University
Some 60% of the planet’s expected urban area by 2030 is yet to be built. This forecast highlights how rapidly the world’s people are becoming urban. Cities now occupy about 2% of the world’s land area, but are home to about 55% of the world’s people and generate more than 70% of global GDP, plus the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
So what does this mean for people who live in the tropical zones, where 40% of the world’s population lives? On current trends, this figure will rise to 50% by 2050. With tropical economies growing some 20% faster than the rest of the world, the result is a swift expansion of tropical cities. Read more…
Building a climate-proof future
This article was originally published on 28th June on JCU’s Brighter website.
As climate change continues to wreak its path through tropical communities, architects and urban planners are combatting the potentially disastrous effects with innovative design solutions.
Dr. Silvia Tavares “designs cities with an eye on the climate”. A leading urban designer and senior lecturer at James Cook University, Dr. Tavares has a passion for creating places that foster connection and wellbeing, while being sustainable for the future. Read more…
City temperatures and city economics, a hidden relationship between sun and wind and profits
Silvia Tavares, James Cook University and Taha Chaiechi, James Cook University
Urban design undoubtedly influences the urban economy. A simple thing like designing an area to make it more walkable can boost local business profits. This can also increase real estate value, create more and better jobs and generate stronger local economies.
Street temperatures also determine their walkability. With climate change bringing longer and more frequent heatwaves, street temperatures will become even higher than at present. This will reduce walkability and, in turn, local business profitability. Read more…

Science at the Shine Dome
I am extremely honoured to have been nominated by James Cook University to attend the Science at the Shine Dome hosted by the Australian Academy of Sciences. Read more…

UTC 3.0 Report: James Cook University – Urban Liveability in Tropical Australia Through Urban Diaries and Community Engagement
The final report of our Urban Thinkers Campus, hosted by James Cook University in Australia with full support from Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP), Planz Town Planning, Milford Planning, Cairns Regional Council and Townsville City Council is now available at the World Urban Campaign website. Read more…
Cities can grow without wrecking reefs and oceans. Here’s how

Karine Dupré, Author provided
Silvia Tavares, James Cook University and Karine Dupré, Griffith University
“What happens if the water temperature rises by a few degrees?” is the 2018 International Year of the Reef leading question. While the ocean is the focus, urbanisation is the main reason for the rising temperatures and water pollution. Yet it receives little attention in this discussion.
In turn, rising temperatures increase downpours and urban floods, adding to the pressures on urban infrastructure. Read more…
Thinkers in the Tropical Shade: Empowering Lessons for Livable Places

Last June, Chuck Wolfe, David Sellars and I published an article on Planetizen about the fundamental relationships at the heart of urban public health and livability, particularly in tropical Australia. In this article we discuss the importance of context, the relevance of the UN-Habitat New Urban Agenda, the Urban Thinkers Campuses recently hosted by JCU (Understanding Cairns and Townsville through the urban diary tool), place-based urban planning and design and the lessons learned so far.
Presentation at the IPWEAQ 2018 Conference
A few weeks ago, on the 19th April, I presented a 3-part project I have been working on at the IPWEAQ 2018 Conference (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia North Queensland Branch), here in Cairns. Read more…

Urban Thinkers Campus – Cairns and Townsville, Australia
James Cook University‘s College of Science and Engineering and College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences, through myself and David Sellars, with the full support of Nikki Huddy from Planz, have been organising an Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) framed around the topic of urban planning and design and public health. The UTC entitled ‘Urban Health and Livability in Tropical Australia through urban diaries and community engagement’ will take place on the 8th June in Cairns and 15th June in Townsville, and they are both day-long events (see preliminary schedule here). Read more…

Urban Thinkers Campus in Cairns and Townsville
I am very pleased to share the news that our proposal to host two Urban Thinkers Campus in support of the New Urban Agenda at JCU this year – one in Cairns (8th June) and one in Townsville (15th June) – has been approved. Read more…
TUDLab Opening Day – 20th October 2017
This is a very exciting week at JCU. A week where our Tropical Urbanism and Design Lab (TUDLab) will come to life. Read more…

Committing to a sustainable urban future in the Tropics
This post was originally published on JCU’s Brighter, and is available here.
Growing populations in tropical cities will face many challenges in the coming decades. Rethinking the way we build, manage and live in cities could be the way to cultivate sustainable development. JCU’s Dr Silvia Tavares is exploring what roles expanding cities and regional towns will play in the future.

Melbourne, Victoria
It has been over a month now since we were in Melbourne. I am skeptical of city rankings and have heard a lot about areas of Melbourne that are not that nice, but the city did leave some good impressions. Read more…