Agree! I hate to see our rear lane commonly used as a dumping ground for rubbish (by both residents and businesses). As more secondary residences are added, hopefully more care for these spaces. And more planting!
The Theft And Return Of Australian Indigenous Land 1788 To 2013
More about it here: brilliantmaps.com/indigenou...
Entries open: 2025 ArchitectureAu Award for Social Impact: Entries are now open for the 2025 ArchitectureAu Award for Social Impact, a program that recognises the profoundly transformative impact that built works can have on the communities that occupy them.
If you love to take a break with simple and calming gameplay, nothing better than #MonumentValley - a new release this week! Beautiful kinetic cityscapes inspired by Escher. Low pressure tasks. Real life could be more like this!
When I see research results like these here my conviction to teach people a basic gut feeling of data grows stronger. Folks think that one in five people are transgender?! That’s soooo off. People think that 40% have served in the military?! That’s one of the reasons I share so many charts and maps.
Those things can help … but when the UHI is up to 13 degrees, can’t rely on design alone. We need better planning!
“By 2060, you could have four months of consecutive day after day at or above 35C” - millions living in unbearable heat.
Urban design can mitigate this but we need to stop the continued sprawl of the city into bush/farmland. And climate change.
Y”know, the root causes …
#urbandesign #planning
Design of new Orchard Hills Station
I like this new type of relaxed civicness - open, light, welcoming
Image of First Building at new Western Sydney Aerotropolis
A design collab of Hassell and Djinjama - continuing our work on the new Wianamatta / Aerotropolis including the precinct master plan and Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.
More #Metro coming for #Sydney!
The design of the new airport line stations was guided by Dharug Country narratives and knowledge, of “carved earth connected to big sky”.
Smaller station footprints, careful material selection and detailing will reduce impact on site and natural systems.
Here are perspectives of the actual new metro stations currently under construction in western Sydney to serve the new airport.
They have considered scale, publicness & economy - always good to see well designed new #publicsydney
architectureau.com/articles/has...?
Historic map of Sydney’s tram network
My city Sydney also had a huge tram network, often described as the second largest in the Commonwealth, after London. All lost in the 1960s. However over the last 20 years, we have slowly been reintroducing light rail - soon 4 lines and a lot of pressure for more.
One of the stronger arguments for right-sized housing
Any person who has looked at the housing ‘quality’ internationally for even 5 minutes would laugh uproariously at the idea that Sydney and Melbourne are awash with high quality over-designed housing. Public housing in Europe leaves Australian market housing for dead in the quality stakes.
Better cities = more compact and walkable neighbourhoods, better placed housing density (near transport, jobs and public amenity), great streets and parks that reduce the need for separate back yards, etc
Good design = making better use of limited space, flexibility of spaces day to day (eg a living space can become a guest bedroom) and over time (eg empty nester homes can be easily subdivided), climate-responsive design, 3-dimensional generosity not just big floor area, etc
Of course they don’t need to be so big - but until we value good design (as this installation by NGV / Breathe Architecture demonstrates) and make better cities, most people will want larger homes.
And to justify low quality housing on the basis of having a good neighbourhood is an unfortunate step
Spending some worktime in Parramatta which is looking a bit like a kids play mat slowing being populated … new Metro station, light rail, museum, civic spine. Hoping local business, heritage, a bit of roughness can remain. #urbanregeneration #parramatta
The obvious message here is that we need to design our neighbourhoods better to accommodate smaller and more diverse housing … this author’s small apartment works because it’s close to transport, parks, work, shops, family. #housing #cities #urbandesign #neighbourhoods
Your 'bonus moment of doom' for today: The 6th great extinction.
“Now, sometimes it rains in the dry season, and sometimes it's dry in the wet season. It means the trees are fruiting at the wrong time, which upsets the chimpanzees, and also the insects and the birds.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Hassell is now a B Corp - part of a network of like-minded, purpose-driven businesses, deepening our commitment to better social and environmental outcomes. This is a big, important step for us … and I am excited about the positive change we can make! #bcorp
www.hassellstudio.com/news-event/h...
People riding in a bike-lane
“Every $1,300 New York invested in building bike-lanes in 2015 provided benefits equivalent to 1 additional year of life at full health over the lifetime of all city residents, according to a new economic assessment.”
Bike-lanes are a sound public health investment.
www.reuters.com/article/busi...
The one and only … a great choice!