This document presents the outcomes of an architectural design studio that set out to explore the potential of elevated rail as a method for level-crossing removal in Melbourne rail corridors. The studio used a design-research approach to explore options for elevated rail along the Frankston line. The students began by analysing existing conditions along the...

Victoria's 30-year Infrastructure Strategy is not, and was never intended to be, an integrated land use and transport strategy. Instead it lists a pipeline of projects to meet Victoria’s short-, medium- and long-term infrastructure needs and priorities. It also calls for a congestion tax to ease the pressure on roads. It is still not clear...

Community playgroups have significant social and economic benefits not just for children but also for their parents, particularly mothers, finds this report. Relationships Matter: The Social and Economic Benefits of Community Playgroups, funded by Playgroup Australia and undertaken by RMIT University’s Centre for Urban Research (CUR), identifies the benefits playgroups afford parents across the social...

Selandra Rise is a new housing development located in Melbourne’s south-east growth corridor, where residents have bought land and built new houses over a period of several years. This research project aimed to discover how design and planning of a new residential community could improve the health and wellbeing of residents. Developed through a VicHealth...

This report presents outcomes from a three-year mixed method evaluation of the Department of Health and Human Services’ low-carbon housing in Horsham, Victoria. The aim of the project was to conduct a multi-year evaluation of four new two-bedroom, single-storey, sustainably designed units with a National House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating of 8.9 stars (Catalyst...