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Conference

The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. SOAC 2017 was jointly hosted in Adelaide by the University of South Australia, the University of Adelaide and Flinders University.

Refereed papers at SOAC 2017 were organized across the seven well-established themes of Economy, Environment, Governance, Structure, Movement and Infrastructure, Housing and Social, and Health. There were also three significant plenary panel sessions on Housing Affordability, Urban Resilience and the continuing challenge of achieving more productive relationships between academic researchers and urban policymakers. 

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

Conference paper

A data-driven collaborative-planning approach for developing sustainable medium-density housing in cities


Australia’s cities face significant social, economic and environmental challenges, driven by population growth and rapid urbanisation. The pressure to increase the availability of housing, including a move to a more compact urban form, will lead to greater levels of high-density and medium-density stock. This research is attentive to the lack of medium-density dwellings and associated...
Conference paper

Adaptive reuse and repurposing of industrial buildings to residential dwellings in Auckland City


The conversion of former industrial buildings and identifying heritage as a commodity has become a pervasive trend, especially over the last decade. Adaptive re-use of old industrial buildings is often seen as an alternative to demolition and replacement and as the primary development solution for an existing building when it no longer meets expectations. Auckland...
Conference paper

Towards heat resilience in the built environment: case studies in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide


Thermally uncomfortable outdoor environments can significantly affect liveability of cities. Australia is likely to experience between 0.6 °C and 3.8 °C increase in temperature by the end of the 21st century. In warmer climates, increased demand for indoor air-conditioning results in higher energy demand and greater waste heat production. Anthropogenic heat production in the built...
Conference paper

Are urban development and densification patterns aligned with infrastructure funding allocation? Examining data from Melbourne 1999-2015


Densification of cities and suburbs is a contentious issue for many communities in lower-density settings. Local opposition to densification is often premised on concerns about the inadequacy of existing infrastructure to support growing populations and is strongest and most successful in wealthier neighbourhoods. While the urban consolidation agenda in cities such as Melbourne and Sydney...
Conference paper

Trams and politics in Melbourne: managing complex adaptations


Tram patronage in Melbourne has risen to over 200 million passengers annually, its highest since the peaks of the 1950s. Trams in Melbourne continue to be among the world’s slowest due to traffic congestion, with many routes operating at or above capacity in peak periods. According to Public Transport Victoria (PTV), these problems result from...