National Library of Singapore: Four Conversations
I am very honoured to join the National Library Singapore as part of the panel that will discuss ‘How can urban design for public spaces be reinvented against the backdrop of a pandemic and how will it affect the community?’ Read more…
Book recommendation: ‘101 Things I Learned in Urban Design School’, by Matthew Frederick
101 Things I Learned in Urban Design School by Matthew Frederick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Very useful and straight to the point advice about urban design. Read more…
Urban Design and Town Planning in response to COVID-19
I have recently started a new project which looks into adopting Human Factors and Ergonomic & Sociotechnical Systems (HFE & STS) methods to assist in the exploration and description of COVID-19 lockdown impacts on public spaces in Australia. Read more…
Urban climate awareness and urgency to adapt: An international overview
I have had the honour of being part of a research team led by Professor Sanda Lenzholzer and Professor Robert Brown. In this research we investigated the awareness of typical urban climate phenomena and sense of urgency to adapt through expert interviews in several countries worldwide. Read more…
7 principles of building better cities, by Peter Calthorpe
I am preparing a ‘Planning Theory and Governance’ course at USC, and as a warm up for my students I shared this TEDTalk by Peter Calthorpe. Read more…
Upcoming Webinar: Creating accessible and inclusive public spaces with/for resilient communities
I am very honoured to share that tomorrow I will participate in the seminar series ‘2020: A Year without Public Space under the COVID-19 Pandemic’.
Nick Stevens and I will be part of the panel and we will present and discuss a project we have been working on.
Public Health and Well-being in Public Open Spaces through Climate Responsive Urban Planning and Design
Following a Urban Thinkers Campus organised at James Cook University in 2018 by David Sellars and I, we organised a Special Issue for the Journal of Public Space entitled Public Health and Well-being in Public Open Spaces through Climate Responsive Urban Planning and Design. Read more…
Suburbanites walk perpendicular. Urbanites walk parallel.
Suburban land is organized by purpose, and suburban experience consequently tends to be selective, single-variable, and destination-centric. One travels to or among destinations, with each answering to one goal. The journey between is generally not designed to have experiential value. This is why, when suburbanites shop at a strip mall, they often walk only between car and front door. If using more than one store, they often return to their car, drive a short distance, and repeat the direct line of engagement to the next destination. Urban experience is continuous, oblique, and incidental. It is all-at-once rather than one-at-a-time. Although one may move through an urban setting with a destination in mind, the journey to it will be rich, varied, and engaging.
Cities will endure, but urban design must adapt to coronavirus risks and fears
Silvia Tavares, Author provided
Silvia Tavares, University of the Sunshine Coast and Nicholas Stevens, University of the Sunshine Coast
The long-term impacts of coronavirus on our cities are difficult to predict, but one thing is certain: cities won’t die. Diseases have been hugely influential in shaping our cities, history shows. Cities represent continuity regardless of crises – they endure, adapt and grow. Read more…
Sensing Cities: Smart Thermal Comfort for Climate Adaptation
Quite unexpectedly, last week I was interviewed by Channel 7 (Cairns) and WINNEWS. The interviews aired on the 26th November. Read more…
