Author: caulhub

Cities across Australia are investing in urban greening to promote healthier and happier communities. But how can we determine the success of these greening initiatives? The CAUL Hub is investigating how monitoring and evaluation can help identify what works and where to make improvements.

A key finding suggests that measuring the success or failure of green spaces isn’t as simple as documenting the number of new trees and plants introduced to an area. Instead, the focus should be on the multifunctional benefits of urban greening, such as the impacts on biodiversity and people’s health.

Read more about the key steps involved in developing monitoring and evaluation plans, including urban greening indicators, in a new CAUL Hub factsheet.

Image: A green wall in Fitzroy, Victoria. Photo by Judy Bush

Have you ever wondered how the liveability of your neighbourhood compares to other parts of Australia? A new digital platform is helping people visualise liveability across 21 of Australia’s largest cities.

The Australian Urban Observatory is the culmination of more than eight years of research findings by the Healthy Liveable Cities Group at RMIT University. It maps liveability indicators of walkability, social infrastructure, public transport, food, alcohol, employment, public open space and housing, as well as a new overall Liveability Index for Local Government Areas, suburbs and neighbourhoods.

The Observatory was launched earlier this month with a panel featuring CAUL-Hub researchers Dr Melanie Davern and Professor Billie Giles-Corti, along with Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Infrastructure Victoria CEO Michel Masson, Mitchell Shire Council CEO Mary Agostino, Mike Day from RobertsDay and RMIT Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research Capability) Professor Swee Mak.

The Observatory can be used by anyone with an interest in liveability including policy makers, planners, developers and the community.

Image: RMIT Professor Billie Giles-Corti, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Infrastructure Victoria CEO Michel Masson, RMIT Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research Capability) Professor Swee Mak, RMIT Dr Melanie Davern. Photo by Matthew Houston

Just as outdoor air pollution can be harmful, indoor air can also contain harmful pollutants. A major source of indoor air pollutants is fragranced consumer products, such as air fresheners and laundry products.

Some chemicals used in these products can pose health risks, even in very small amounts. In fact, one third of Australians are sensitive to these scented products, experiencing health problems such as asthma attacks and migraine headaches.

So, what steps can you take to improve air quality at home? CAUL Hub research found that switching off air fresheners can reduce concentrations of fragrance chemicals by up to 96 per cent within two weeks. Using fragrance-free rather than fragranced laundry detergent can also reduce emissions of potentially hazardous pollutants from dryer vents by up to 99 per cent.

Read more about the hidden hazards in air fresheners and laundry products and how you can reduce your exposure in the Hub’s new air quality factsheets.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Climate change mitigation, resilient built environments and functional green space – these were just some of the key topics explored at the 2019 State of Australian Cities Conference (SOAC 2019).

As part of the conference, the CAUL Hub led a special two-part session titled ‘Improving our understanding of clean, healthy urban environments’.

Deputy CAUL Hub Leader Associate Professor Joe Hurley and Dr Bryan Boruff chaired the session and discussed the impacts of urban development on tree cover in Melbourne and Perth, respectively.

Dr Judy Bush explored the voices of urban green space managers, what they say, what processes they work through, and the implications this has for urban greening.

Dr Chayn Sun spoke about fine-grained heat data and how it can be used to map lower temperature routes for cyclists and pedestrians.

Finally, Dr Natasha Pauli shared research about the social and ecological values of native verge gardens. Read more about the conference and topics from other CAUL researchers here.

Image: Dr Bryan Boruff presenting at SOAC

For thousands of years, Indigenous knowledge systems have formed and shaped Australia’s environment. To make cities better for people and biodiversity we need two-way sharing between Indigenous experts and non-Indigenous researchers and practitioners.

The CAUL Hub was proud to launch the Three-Category Approach Toolkit at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Melbourne in November. Created by Indigenous researchers, communicators and designers, the Toolkit supports cross-cultural work through a workbook and workshop. It guides non-Indigenous researchers and practitioners through three categories: communicate, collaborate and co-design.

Mandy Nicholson, Wurundjeri-willam (Wurundjeri-baluk patriline) artist and Traditional Custodian of Melbourne and surrounds, gave an Acknowledgement of Country and spoke of her hopes for the Toolkit in supporting greater Indigenous participation.

The Hub is also hosting a series of practical workshops in Canberra, Wollongong, Perth and a second workshop in Melbourne. To read more about the Three-Category Approach and to register your interest in a workshop, click here.