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I’ve just learned about ‘solutions journalism’ and see this as powerful process of engaging or initiating a public discussion. I first saw the term this morning on World Crunch which is running a series on Solutions Journalism that tackles one urgent issue each month, with articles from around the world that focus on innovative solutions. […]
March 9, 2013
I’ve just been reminded, by Luke J, of the remarkable writings of Ivan Illich. I recall reading some of this work in the 80s as it was embraced by progressive thinkers, educators and activists. As I revisit it – Tools for Conviviality – the commentary about professions and institutions still seems relevant and resonant. I’d […]
February 27, 2013
The implications of a world derived more from cultural invention that from a pre-formed ‘nature’ have barely begun to be explored, let along accepted, at the level of cartographic practice. I have settled into reading James Corner’s essay in Mappings, edited by Denis Cosgrove (1999). Corner examines the ‘agency of mapping’, discussing ‘the exploratory inventiveness […]
April 29, 2012
I’ve had my head down in my studies of late with a couple of projects addressing urban challenges and change. I continue to feel my way through this massive field of urban studies, recently commenting to a colleague when we participated in a forum on the digital economy that I am not studying planning to […]
September 29, 2011
After my recent attendance at the Open Government Data Conference, I’ve been looking at some mash-ups and data hacks. One that I am finding particularly useful is Suburban Trends created by Alejandro Metke and Michael Henderson. This mash-up combines publicly available online resources of the Australia Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Criminology, the NSW […]
March 4, 2011
Reincarnated McMansion boldly proposed to audit, dismantle and rebuild a single McMansion dwelling. The building materials used in the unsustainable large home will be reused to build two or three best practice, zero emission smaller green homes. The project team is comprised of Mathieu Gallois, Peter Smith, Dr Naomi Stead, Jason Veale, Tone Wheeler, Jane […]
March 4, 2011
The Garnaut Climate Change Review has found that without mitigation, and in the absence of negative feedback from climate change, global emissions will double between 2005 and 2030. Globally, cities are responsible for up to 75% of the world’s greenhouse emissions and this has provoked a range of responses including large scale city retrofitting to […]
March 4, 2011
The Portable Park concept is one of several in Andrew Maynard Architect’s folio of ideas driven projects and propositions: others are the suburb eating robot CV08 (2008) which rehabilitates degraded suburban areas, a new flag pole for the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra (2010) that gives the Aboriginal flag more visibility and prominence in the […]
March 4, 2011
Two scenes from Q-Garland. Click on images to view enlargement. Images: Courtesy of Donovan Hill and Wilson Architects Presented at the Ideas Festival in 2009, Q-Garland by architects Donovan Hill and Hamilton Wilson posited diverse scenarios for public space. The images both posed and responded to questions about alternatives for the spaces of the cultural […]
March 4, 2011
Photo by Nick Caldwell, on Flickr Creative Commons Licence In January 2011, Brisbane experienced its worst flooding since 1974. After many weeks of heavy rain, the sodden city’s brown river broke its banks on 11 January. In the natural disaster context, there’s much talk about climate change, weather variation, disaster mitigation and land use/urban planning […]
placeblog 
November 15, 2013
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