Conference

The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. SOAC 5 was held in Melbourne and hosted by the University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology and Latrobe University as well as the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Grattan Institute, the Victorian State Government and the City of Melbourne.

Three plenary panels brought researchers from across the country to address ‘big issues’: place-based disadvantage, the design and form of Australian cities, and metropolitan governance. Over 175 papers, in 46 themed sessions, cover topics ranging from planning and governance for environmental sustainability, to housing affordability and adequacy in the context of an ageing population. Healthy communities, better public transport, high quality open space, participatory planning, and issues affecting the peri-urban fringe are also strong sub-themes within this conference. All published papers have been subject to a peer reviewing process.

Papers from all past and subsequent SOAC conferences can be found at the State of Australian Cities Conferences Collection on APO.

Conference paper

Environmental imaginaries: climate change as an object of urban governance


This paper interrogates metropolitan strategies completed so far – SEQ (Queensland 2009); Adelaide (SA 2010); Perth (WA 2010) and Sydney (NSW 2010) – to identify how each treats the issue of climate change, and whether – and, if so, how – climate change is imagined as a social issue, rather than as a purely environmental...
Conference paper

The rise and fall of public housing in Australia


This paper examines the history of public housing policy in Australia and how this has changed since the establishment of the Commonwealth Housing Commission.
Conference paper

Understandings of social mix and community opposition to social housing constructed under the nation building economic stimulus plan


The purpose of this paper is to neither provide a comprehensive review of academic writings on social mix nor to provide a detailed discussion of such policies in Australia, as this is done elsewhere. Rather, while providing an overview of the perceived benefits of such polices at a broad level, here social mix is repositioned...
Conference paper

Investigating private motorised travel and vehicle fleet efficiency: using new data and methods to reveal socio-spatial patterns in Brisbane.


This paper investigates the spatial patterns of vehicle energy consumption on urban areas through an analysis of vehicle travel and efficiency of the vehicle fleet in Brisbane.
Conference paper

A regional health and wellbeing implementation strategy for Melbourne's north and west metropolitan region: harnessing the capability of the regional management forum.


This paper outlines efforts throughout 2011 by the Victorian Department of Health’s North and West Metropolitan Region to implement a Regional Health and Wellbeing Implementation Strategy. The Strategy provides regional expression to the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2011-2015 (Department of Health, 2011a), and the many opportunities identified within it.