The Texas Medical Centre concentrates more than 15 hospitals and a range of medicine-related institutions in 1,000 acres. It’s a powerful example of the benefits of agglomeration and specialisation

A Councillor’s proposal to ban smoking in public places could effectively make the city centre an unwelcome place for a significant proportion of the population

International study specialist, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), released its 2012 World University Rankings this week. Four Australian universities are in the top 50: ANU (24), Melbourne (36), Sydney (39) and Queensland (46).

Federal MP Andrew Leigh has a vivid metaphor for describing inequality in Australia. He asks us to imagine a ladder in which each rung represents $1 million of household wealth. Then: The typical Australian household is halfway to the first rung A household in the top 1% is at least 5 rungs from the ground [...]

We’re used to seeing lots of claims that suburban sprawl is a key cause of the obesity epidemic afflicting the nation’s children and youth. Here’s a new study that contradicts the received wisdom. While it would be premature to regard it as definitive, it suggests the relationship between sprawl and physical activity might be more [...]

I’ve argued before (e.g. here and here) that designing physical environments to encourage or force higher activity levels is neither an effective nor an efficient way to tackle serious health issues like obesity and diabetes. Here’s a surprising ripple in this debate. The EarlyBirds project in the UK has been monitoring insulin resistance in a randomly selected [...]

The City of Darebin in Melbourne is looking at the possibility of imposing a higher property rate – up to four times the standard commercial rate – on franchised fast food restaurants in the municipality. According to the local paper: A report by council officers into a campaign against Type 2 diabetes found planning controls [...]

A much-anticipated report on the link between the physical environment and public health was released publicly at the end of May. The report, Inquiry into Environmental Design and Public Health, was written by the Environmental Planning and Assessment Committee of the Victorian Legislative council. It followed a year-long inquiry with public submissions and public hearings. [...]

I’ve always felt there’s something dubious about the “food deserts” hypothesis that’s so captured Michelle Obama’s imagination. Now a story in the New York Times suggests my instinct might be close to the mark. Food deserts are places that have good access to fast food outlets selling high-fat, high-sugar junk food, but poor access to [...]

According to La Trobe University economist, Professor Harry Clarke, there’s a “bone-headed argument making the rounds” that reducing the number of liquor stores in a neighbourhood will reduce domestic violence. The bone-headed argument comes from Michael Livingston, a research fellow at the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Livingston studied [...]