The federal Coalition's latest promise to spend up big on transport infrastructure and reform housing policy in cities looks more like electoral desperation than good sense
Tw3 provides a brief commentary on stories bearing on the delights and discontents of urbanism in the news over the week ending 12 November 2017
Interesting, useful, sometimes provocative and occasionally amusing links for anyone interested in cities
Shoebox apartments, trailer parks, regional dormitories, cycling, gender balance, India, dull Sydney, level crossings, heritage, infrastructure, road pricing, neighbours, and more
More diversity seems to be a “no-brainer” to most urban policy-makers and it's mostly a very good thing, but insisting on it at every scale misunderstands what big cities are about
Requiring new developments to have more 2 & 3 bedroom apartments is questionable policy - it may impact affordability; it's unnecessary; and it probably won’t work anyway
It's not certain Sydney even has a serious "empty homes" problem much less one driven by tax incentives. There are simpler and more plausible explanations for unoccupied dwellings
Including cars, safety and cycling, Skyrail, dogbox apartments, improving the media, Minister for Cities, value capture, National Infrastructure Plan, value of open space, RMIT's Design Hub
A recent court decision highlights the inability of local and state governments to deal effectively with the problems of parking in inner suburban areas where density is increasing
Including the cost of infrastructure, what to do about traffic congestion, long commutes, car share, speeding fines, the growth of cycling, car parking, "dog box" apartments, and more