Media
The Urban Transformations Research Centre has partnered with multiple publications to inform on and highlight news, research, and areas of concern for the Centre and Western Sydney going forward.
| If you’ve got a dark roof, you’re spending almost $700 extra a year to keep your house cool26 March 2024 Professor Sebastian Pfautsch writes in The Conversation about the ongoing and compounding issue in Australia of dark roofs in new housing estates in the hottest areas around Sydney and Melbourne. Dark roofs, combined with minimal tree cover, hold heat rather than reflect it. The cost is not just felt in the discomfort and health impacts of the urban heat island created but there is a quantifiable impact on the cost of cooling your home driving up electricity bills. |
| Tackling Housing Market Recession with Prefab Construction25 March 2024 Ehsan Noroozinejad features in this issue of "Built Environment Economist" by Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, He takes a deep dive into how Prefab & Modular Housing is the game-changer Australia needs to solve its housing crisis. With insights on policy reforms and sustainability, it's time to rethink construction. Discover why Prefab is our future. |
| Synthetic Turf making it too hot to play18 March 2024 Professor Sebastian Pfautsch was interviewed on 702 ABC Sydney to discuss the use of synthetic turf instead of grass for sports playing fields and the issue of hot weather making the surface too hot to play on. |
| Australia’s housing crisis: bolstering community and individual resilience with meaningful structural reform13 March 2024 The Policymaker published a piece by Dr Ehsan Noroozinejad, Urban Transformations Research Centre, titled ‘Australia’s housing crisis: bolstering community and individual resilience with meaningful structural reform’. |
| Integrating immersive technologies into heritage infrastructure preservation13 March 2024 Infrastructure Magazine published a piece co-authored by Dr Ehsan Noroozinejad, Urban Transformations Research Centre, and Dr Aso Haji Rasouli, School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, titled ‘Integrating immersive technologies into heritage infrastructure preservation’. |
| 7News Orange interviews Professor Sebastian Pfautsch regarding urban heat issues in Bathurst22 Feb 2024 Sebastian Pfautsch interviews on 7News Orange regarding urban heat issues in Bathurst. Watch at 06.29 for the full story. |
| We're going to need to branch out if we want to take the temperature down17 Feb 2024 Sebastian Pfautsch is featured in the Western Advocate regarding his upcoming visit in Bathurst on Thursday 22nd February. He will meet with council staff and speak about how Bathurst can benefit from becoming a member of the international project "Tree Cities of the World". Along with his council meeting, Sebastian will also present a talk for the general public. This will be a great opportunity to hear and discuss some ideas for making Bathurst a more liveable summer city. |
| A prefab building revolution can help resolve both the climate and housing crises12 Feb 2024 In continuing coverage, Triple U FM is joined by Dr Parisa Ziaesaeidi, School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, to discuss the article published by Dr Ziaesaeidi and Dr Ehsan Noroozinejad, Urban Transformation Research Centre, in The Conversation titled, 'A prefab building revolution can help resolve both the climate and housing crises'. |
| People with disability 'bear the brunt' of extreme heat. Experts tell us what will help1 Feb 2024Sebastian Pfautsch features in the ABC Online article on the impact of extreme heat and its effects on communities, especially those with a disability. "Air temperature influences our thermal comfort, but surface temperature makes a huge difference in safety, accessibility, and its contribution to the overall warming of our cities, towns and neighbourhoods. It's very important because [urban] planning decisions can impact on the thermal comfort of persons with disabilities.” |
| Renewable projects are getting built faster – but there’s even more need for speed31 Jan 2024 Dr Tom Longden, Senior Researcher at the UTRC, published an article with the Conversation on the ambitious renewable energy targets set for 2023. The article draws on the study ‘Waiting to generate: An analysis of onshore wind and solar PV project development lead-times in Australia’ by Lachlan Caplin and Tom Longden. It’s the first Australian study to assess how long it takes to get renewable projects planned, approved, built, and commissioned. |
| Why hot Australian cities keep laying dark heat-absorbing asphalt, and not pale 'cool roads'24 Jan 2024 Sebastian Pfautsch features in the ABC article on what he would change first to cool Australian cities in summer. "If I had a magic wand, I would make the road surfaces lighter in colour," he says. About a third of any outer suburb is thermally dense black asphalt that can reach 75 degrees Celsius. But despite paler or "cool" roads being proposed and trialled in Australia for the past decade, they haven't been rolled out anywhere at scale, the article investigates. |
| A state government has acted on growing calls to ban popular dark-coloured roof home design trend22 Jan 2024 Dark coloured roofs, an incredibly popular home design trend is facing extinction as authorities and major industry players across the country respond to growing calls for a ban. Sebastian Pfautsch is quoted in the news article on the NSW Government's decision to delay new building standards aimed at slashing thermal energy use by 20 per cent. "The government is knowingly leaving the people of Western Sydney vulnerable to heat.” |
| A prefab building revolution can help resolve both the climate and housing crises12 Jan 2024 Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher at the UTRC and Dr. Parisa Ziaesaeidi, an Associate Lecturer in Architecture at WSU and UTRC Member have authored an article in The Conversation. The article explores how prefab building technology, particularly using sustainable materials like timber, can revolutionize the Australian housing sector. By focusing on offsite module production and on-site assembly, this method promises to deliver affordable housing rapidly while significantly reducing environmental impacts. |
| Sydney kids, no matter where they live, must have trees to climb7 Jan 2024 As Sydney moves to higher density living – and we need to – there must be a focus on green spaces. While more of us live in apartments and townhouses, we must make sure there are appropriate options for generations of screen-focused kids to spend time outside, even in a warming climate. Play equipment and dark-coloured floors can become so hot that they cause burns, warns Sebastian Pfautsch, professor of urban management and planning at Western Sydney University. Pfautsch, who has written on the impact of climate change on outdoor play spaces, offers this reassurance: “Surface temperatures were significantly reduced in the shade and never reached burn threshold temperatures.” |
| Blacktown joins with university for local heat study5 Jan 2024 Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch spoke to Inside Local Government on the upcoming comprehensive study of urban heat monitoring of Blacktown. Many areas of Western Sydney are experiencing rapid development and this combined with geographic conditions often produce summer temperatures of between 10 to 15 degrees higher than areas closer to the coast, it said. Sebastian who is leading the study for Council said similar studies in other areas of Western Sydney had shown far more extreme heat than measurements from the Bureau of Meteorology. “The data can be used by Council to scientifically inform and prioritise strategies to tackle rising urban heat". |
| Sydney’s leafy suburbs are no longer where you think2 Jan 2024 Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch features in the Sydney Morning Herald regarding the state government’s recently released mapping of tree coverage across NSW. In the past five years, four of the five suburbs west of Parramatta had the greatest proportional increase in tree coverage. The gains in the west align with the state government’s targeted investment in greening programs in areas most affected by the heat. The Berejiklian government announced plans in 2018 to plant five million trees. One million have been planted. But they were the easy ones, said Sebastian. “Now you need to find space for four million more trees, and you can’t just plant trees everywhere.” |
| Dr Vanita Yadav was a keynote speaker at the recent International Conference on Entrepreneurship and SME Development in the Philippines27 Dec 2023 The University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries spearheaded the 1st International Conference on Entrepreneurship and SME Development on November 28-29, 2023 at UP Diliman, Quezon City. Themed “Resilience and Relentlessness–Bouncing back and leaping forward,” the conference was a hub of |
| BBC Radio 4 Interview with Thomas Longden regarding Summer bushfires in Australia26 Dec 2023 Senior Research Fellow Thomas Longden spoke to BBC Radio 4 regarding Summer bushfire in Australia and the increasing heat in Western Sydney. |
| Inland From Bondi Beach, ʻHeat Islandsʼ Make Australiaʼs Summer Deadlier20 Dec 2023 Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch features in the New York Times, along with research by Thomas Longden. The article addresses the 'heat islands' present in Western Sydney due to rapid urban development. The so-called heat islands are due to densely built and populated neighbourhoods that trap heat and magnify the effects of a warming planet. “What we’re doing is putting hundreds of thousands of people into the area where we can expect extreme heat stress to increase,” he said. “It’s a very daunting situation.” Thomas Longden research is also cited in the article - 'Heat-related mortality in Australia, some experts believe, has been dramatically underreported. Fatalities are typically accompanied by one of three complications — heatstroke, heart attack or kidney failure, ailments that get recorded as the cause on death certificates.' |
| When the heat hits, inland waters look inviting. Here’s how we can help people swim safely at natural swimming spots14 Dec 2023 Our Co-Director Nicky Morrison published an article in The Conversation with co-author Ian Wright - 'When the heat hits, inland waters look inviting. Here's how we can help people swim safely at natural swimming spots'. The piece draws on the recently published report 'Places to Swim'. |
| How work, a cricket game, and even just sitting at home can be catastrophic during a heatwave11 Dec 2023 Thomas Longden our Senior Research Fellow features in the ABC article ‘How extreme heatwaves affect the human body’. His research on ‘Measuring temperature-related mortality using endogenously determined thresholds’, found deaths from heatwaves increase when the average heatwave temperature is more than 7C hotter than the average temperatures in that location over the past month. |
| Aussie captures 'terrifying' sound in high-rise apartment: 'Get the hell out'7 Dec 2023 Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad, our Senior Researcher, features in a recent interview with Yahoo News. Dr. Naroozinejad shared his expert perspective on the wind-induced vibrations causing alarming creaking noises in skyscrapers across Australia. Notably experienced in one of the tallest skyscrapers in Melbourne's CBD, this phenomenon has raised concerns among residents and onlookers. Dr. Noroozinejad clarified that creaking and swaying are common in tall structures. |
| The 200 small white cans taking Sydney’s temperature 3 million times6 Dec 2023 Sebastian Pfautsch features in the Sydney Morning Herald as 200 temperature gauges will be installed across the city to collect 3 million measurements to determine the impact of heat. The City of Sydney and Western Sydney University will work together on the project with Sebastian as Lead Researcher for WSU. “Without a refined understanding of the urban microclimate, its hotspots and cool zones, workers and local populations are left defenceless when extreme heat strikes. The question is not if the city centre will ever see 45 degrees, but rather how well the city is prepared to care for its people when the mercury hits new records.” |
| Early Bushfire Detection Systems: Their Vital Role for All Levels of Government6 Dec 2023 As summer heats up in Australia, the threat of bushfires becomes increasingly prevalent, posing significant challenges to local governments, authorities, and policymakers. 'Early Bushfire Detection Systems: Their Vital Role for All Levels of Government' is a joint effort by Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher at UTRC, and Dr. Aso Hajirasouli, a Lecturer at WSU and a valued member of the UTRC team. |
| How one Sydney council is trying to cool down a suburb this summer27 Nov 2023 Sebastian Pfautsch our Co-Lead on People-Centred Sustainable Precinct Design spoke to 9 News on his work with Cumberland Council to cool down public spaces. In summer, surface temperatures in large dark spaces like car parks can reach 75C, heating up the whole neighbourhood. "If you have a car park that would be completely blackened, and unshaded, you'll probably find surface temperatures of around 70-75 degrees Celsius.” |
| Australia's Journey to Net Zero in the Construction Sector20 Nov 2023 Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad our Senior Researcher at the UTRC has published his latest article in Construction Engineering Australia. The article delves into the heart of sustainable development in the Australian building and construction sector. This comprehensive piece explores the journey towards net zero emissions, highlighting the pivotal role of civil engineers, architects, contractors, and policymakers in this transformative process. |
| Crafting The Future With Wood: Net Zero Achievements Through Modular Timber Structures15 Nov 2023 Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad our Senior Researcher at the UTRC and Dr. Parisa Ziaesaeidi, have recently contributed to the prestigious Green Review. Their latest editorial offers groundbreaking insights into sustainable urban development. This editorial highlights how timber, with its natural resilience and lower carbon footprint, is shaping Australia's architectural landscape. It addresses the challenges and innovative responses within the industry, paving the way for a sustainable, net-zero future. |
| Green technology wins big at Innovation Australia2 Nov 2023 “King of Coolth” Sebastian Pfautsch’s SIMPaCT project, short for Smart Irrigation Management for Parks and Cool Towns, won People’s Choice award at an awards event this week to celebrate innovation in technology. The Western Sydney University-based project aims to change how recreational spaces are used by using 250 IoT (internet of things) devices and two artificial intelligence algorithms to combat urban heating in Sydney’s Bicentennial Park. |
| Smart irrigator SIMPaCT wins People’s Choice Award2 Nov 2023 SIMPaCT has won the prestigious People’s Choice and Excellence in Govtech Prooject, Product or Service’ awards at the InnovationAUS 2023 Awards for Excellence for its innovative techniques to cool the microclimate. UTRC’s Leadership team Sebastian Pfautsch is the Leader of the SIMPaCT project and Nicky Morrison is a member of the scalability working group. SIMPaCT is a collaboration between 11 entities, including Western Sydney University, the University of Technology Sydney and NSW government partners, among others. It offers a smart irrigation management system for parks and towns using a range of Internet of Things sensors combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning to effectively cool the surrounding microclimate. Its sensors hoover up data including soil moisture levels and air temperature to maximise air cooling and minimise water use to encourage the process of evapo-transpirative cooling, which leads to lower air temperatures. Its technology is currently in use at Sydney’s 40 hectare Bicentennial Park within the Sydney Olympic Park. |
| A Duel of Dual Crises: Charting Governance Priorities1 Nov 2023 Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad, our Senior Researcher at the UTRC, has penned a thought-provoking editorial for Energy Magazine titled ‘A Duel of Dual Crises: Charting Governance Priorities’. The article delves deep into the intertwined challenges of the housing and climate crises, especially within the Australian context. |
| Meet the defenders of Sydney’s green heartbeat30 Oct 2023 UTRC's Co-Lead on People-Centred Sustainable Precinct Design, Sebastian Pfautsch, features in the Sydney Morning Herald discussing the importance of trees as a natural defence against the heat. “Transpiration from trees is actually the best air conditioning system we have for urban spaces; you just have to provide sufficient water to make it work". |
| Is synthetic turf on Australian sports fields worth the environmental risk?30 Oct 2023 Sebastian Pfautsch, features in The Guardian on the use of synthetic turf on Australian sports fields. He notes the environmental impacts vs natural grass, including contributing to concerns about heat island effects. Unlike natural turf, which stays cool in the sun, artificial grass heats up quickly because it absorbs more solar radiation. “It’s a material that, like polished metal slides, can cause severe burn injuries". |
| Some parts of Australia on track for extreme summer heat30 Oct 2023 Sebastian Pfautsch is interviewed on Sky News regarding the concerns of urban heat, specifially in Western Sydney. Watch the full video here. |
| IoT tech helping to keep this Sydney park cool24 Oct 2023 InnovationAus reported on the Smart Irrigation Management for Parks and Cool Towns (SIMPaCT) project which is a collaboration between Western Sydney University, the University of Technology Sydney, NSW government partners, and others. SIMPaCT is a finalist in the GovTech and Industry 4.0 categories of the InnovationAus 2023 Awards for Excellence. Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch is the SIMPact Lead and is featured in the article. |
| Sydney locals are fighting to save a green space from rezoning in Harrington Park23 Oct 2023 Residents in Harrington Park have raised concerns about the rezoning of a green corner to make space for new homes. Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch, is interviewed. |
| Reality check, as Country Garden sells down a barely started Australia project23 Oct 2023 Four years after Chinese property giant Country Garden launched a $2 billion development of 3,600 homes an hour's drive southwest of Sydney, the outer suburban site remains a sparse field with fewer than 50 houses under construction. “They promise you, in the brochure, this fancy landscape where trees are everywhere and flowers are growing and lakes are great to walk around. It’s going to be years until it looks like that, decades". Sebastian Pfautsch, Associate Professor of the UTRC. |
| The debate on how to create sustainable homes continues20 Oct 2023 Nicky Morrison, co-director of the URTC engaged four leaders in discussions around finding solutions to achieving sustainable homes, just ahead of the release of the revised NSW Sustainable Buildings SEPP. Thomas Fehon, project director, Stockland; Vanessa Pearson, chief executive, Diversified Property Group; Shay Singh, senior manager, Green Building Council Australia; and Mary O’Neill, BASIX team leader, NSW Department Planning and Environment. Tom Longden, UTRC Senior Research Fellow, summarised this discussion by suggesting how we have many of the building blocks for constructing a sustainable home, but often do not put these building blocks together. |
| 2023 JMI Policy Challenge Grant Winners Announced19 Oct 2023 The James Martin Institute for Public Policy has announced the 2023 winners of its prestigious Policy Challenge Grants. JMI will help to support the research teams to tackle critical policy challenges and develop practical policy solutions that will foster a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future. Congratulations to Urban Transformations Research Centre’s Thomas Longden who will lead the successful project “EV-ready apartments”. The project team, including UTRC Directors Nicky Morrison and Greg Morrison along with Western Sydney University colleagues Ali Hellany and Anna Leditschke will seek to identify the technical and policy obstacles and solutions to boost the installation of electric vehicle chargers in apartments in NSW. |
| How Singapore is cooling down its citizens as the planet warms17 Oct 2023 Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch, is interviewed on ABC Radio National regarding urban heat issues in Singapore and the novel ways that government and researchers are cooling down cities as temperatures rise due to climate change and global warming. |
| Could new ‘narrative’ CVs transform research culture?13 Oct 2023 Dr Maria Rashidi, UTRC's Senior Research Fellow was interviewed in Team Science, a podcast series by Nature Careers in partnership with Nature Index and sponsored by Western Sydney University. Maria spoke about Australia's road and bridge network and the pilot study with Transport New South Wales into the feasibility of using drones for bridge inspection. |
| UTRC Director Greg Morrison Named in Top 2% of Global Authors4 Oct 2023 Our UTRC Director Greg Morrison has been named in the top 2% of the Annual Stanford Citation Analysis in the Environmental Sciences category. Each year, Stanford Citation Analysis identifies the top 2% of researchers globally, based on citations. Citations aside, Greg is best known for his action-oriented, demonstration approach to research which has been applied to his infrastructure and building projects. He is most proud of his two Living Lab Projects, one in Sweden - HSB Living Lab, and one in Perth – Legacy Living Lab. The basis for Legacy Living Lab is circular economy, and the highlight of the project was the finished 250m2 building for which Greg and the team were able to achieve a circularity of 68% using commercially available products. Greg also contributed to a series of peer reviewed articles on moving towards a circular economy through an understanding of embodied energy and carbon in buildings – “it was the basis of a lot of the thinking behind the Legacy Living Lab”. |
| Cumberland City Unveils Green Carpark to Fight Urban Heat3 Oct 2023 Council is revolutionising urban parking by developing a green prototype carpark, making it the first of its kind in Cumberland. Associate Professor in Urban Planning and Management at Western Sydney University, Dr Sebastian Pfautsch said improving the design of new and existing car parks is essential. "Western Sydney is naturally hotter than the east and we have to take every chance we can to make our suburbs cooler, and this project hits the bullseye. This project will provide shading over a very hot carpark and the transpiration cooling from the vines will help lower the air temperature," said Dr Pfautsch. |
| Managing Structural Health in the Digital Era1 Oct 2023 Senior Researcher, Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad, has authored an insightful editorial for Build Australia Magazine: "Managing Structural Health in the Digital Era". Dr. Noroozinejad delves into the revolutionary convergence of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and Digital Twins (DT) and their transformative impact on Australia's construction landscape. |
| With El Niño declared, the danger of a hot summer looms for Australia's southern cities21 Sep 2023 Urban Transformations Research Centres’ Dr Thomas Longden spoke to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on the looming danger of summer with El Niño just declared. Dr Longden said key to the discussion about the danger posed by heatwaves was people's access to affordable energy and homes equipped to cope with high temperatures. |
| Spring Heat Sparks Warning18 Sep 2023 As reported in The Sun Herald and the Sydney Morning Herald our senior researcher Thomas Longden said short sharp heatwaves, like the one Sydney is experiencing, are the most dangerous because the body struggles to acclimatise and people are less likely to change their behaviours to stay cool when the weather shifts suddenly. His work has found about 2 per cent of deaths in Australia each year are heat-related. |
| Bureau of Meteorology declares El Nino has arrived in Australia20 Sep 2023 The Daily Telegraph reported that an El Nino has been declared for the first time in Australia in seven years, with the hot and dry weather conditions that have prevailed over the past week set to dominate for the rest of 2023. Urban Transformations Research Centre’s Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch was quoted saying there was no national or international definition about what constituted a heatwave, and this was “a big problem” with the impacts of extreme heat events affecting communities right now. |
| Turf war: fake grass is growing in popularity in Australia, despite concerns about its impact10 Sep 2023 The Guardian reported that environmental groups say the allure of evergreen synthetic turf contrasts to its microplastic pollution levels and heat absorption. Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch, School of Social Sciences and Urban Transformations Research Centre, is quoted, “It’s a material that, like polished metal slides, can cause severe burn injuries". His research has shown that synthetic turf in playgrounds can heat up to temperatures greater than 80C, even when the ambient temperature is less than 30C. |
| Enhacing Infrastructure Monitoring in Australia: Exploring Drone-Based Autonomous Inspection Using AI31 Aug 2023 Our Senior Researcher Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad, has been invited to be a contributing author to the September edition of the esteemed Infrastructure Magazine. The magazine serves as a nexus for professionals ranging from asset owners and statutory bodies to consulting engineers and first-tier contractors, the publication addresses pressing issues in the infrastructure industry. This month's focus is on the role of artificial intelligence(AI) and novel technologies in enhancing resilience metrics, particularly targeting Australian infrastructure. Ehsan brings to the table his extensive research on implementing artificial intelligence and drone-based inspection methods for structural health monitoring (SHM) as part of a broader vision for net-zero resilient infrastructure in Australia. |
| 'No way to escape the heat': Push for havens to stop Australia's 'silent killer'28 Aug 2023 Seeking refuge from a bushfire, Elisha Rosevear found herself frantically trying to shield her children from an even greater natural hazard. Our Senior Research Fellow Dr Tom Longden says heatwaves are a “silent killer”; they are responsible for about 2 per cent of deaths in Australia, but that toll goes largely unnoticed. Heatwaves are also set to get more frequent and more intense with climate change. “Other jurisdictions are ahead of us,” he says. “They see future heatwaves as being very different heatwaves to what they have experienced in the past. We’re more complacent, perhaps because we expect summer to be hot.” |
| City of Sydney move to ban gas in new buildings fuels debate25 Aug 2023 There's fresh debate over banning gas after the City of Sydney council voted to begin the process of making all new homes and businesses gas free. Dr Tom Longden features on ABC News and says Sydney’s gas ban would not apply to existing connections. Watch the full video here. |
| Why are there calls to ban gas in new buildings in NSW? What will it mean for households?22 Aug 2023 There's fresh debate over banning gas after the City of Sydney council this week voted to begin the process of making all new homes and businesses gas free. Similar measures are in place in the Waverley and Parramatta councils, as well as in Victoria and the ACT. Our Senior Research Fellow Tom Longden tells the ABC that “banning gas connections in new builds sends a message that councils see electrification to be the future of decarbonisation.” |
| As swings and slides get hot enough to burn, demand shade for kids14 Aug 2023 Playgrounds are vulnerable to overheating for two key reasons. They’re often made of materials that retain a lot of heat, and they lack shade. The research of Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch features in the Washington Post opinion on increasingly unplayable playgrounds due to climate change. “Between 2019 and 2021, researchers at Western Sydney University in Australia — a country that has a lot of experience with intense heat and ultraviolet exposure — visited playgrounds to measure the surface temperatures of flooring material and play equipment. Many of their measurements were taken on extremely hot days, but on an 86-degree day, rubber mulch and artificial turf reached 167 degrees Fahrenheit, proof that even on tolerable days, playgrounds can get dangerously hot.” |
| Universities aren’t too small to lead the climate crisis fight02 Aug 2023 |
| Planting the urban jungle01 Aug 2023 |
| Roundtable: Climate-proofing our homes and communities31 Jul 2023 |
| Global boiling: Sydney hasn’t done enough to prepare for lethal heat28 Jul 2023 |
| Daily temperatures around Sydney can vary by 10 degrees: How does your suburb compare?24 Jul 2023 |
 | Is Australia ready for summer's inevitable heatwaves?21 Jul 2023 |
| The environmental impacts of artificial turf worth considering before rolling it out in your backyard5 Jul 2023 |
| Increasing Resilience to the Health Impacts of a Changing Climate27 Jun 2023 Our Director Nicky Morrison contributed to the various Workshops involved in creating the Western Sydney Health Alliance's new resource 'Increasing resilience to the health impacts of a changing climate: A local council resource for the Parks Councils'. The resource created drew reference to WSU’s ‘Increasing Resilience to Climate Change (IRCC) Project: Review of Local Council Strategies for Climate, Health, and Wellbeing in the Western Sydney Region’ Report. |
| Synthetic turf fields 'lack standards', but no moratorium as chief scientist recommends more research20 Jun 2023 Sebastian Pfautsch our Co-Lead on People-Centred Sustainable Precinct Design, is mentioned in the ABC Online concerning the underlying problem of urban planning and installation of synthetic turf fields for recreation. He is particularly concerned about the increased heat generated by artificial turf after measuring temperatures of more than 80 degrees Celsius at surface level. "It really goes back to urban planning principles — where we densify or expand our cities but we're not at the same time providing the necessary green space for recreation and recreational activities for these growing populations.” "I can just foresee that during warmer days, and then the hot summers that you get out west, those facilities can't be used." |
| Being No. 1 demonstrates the strong impact of our research which delivers on the SDGs, our primary objective5 Jun 2023 Western Sydney University has, for two years in a row, been named Number 1 in the world in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. The university was recognised across multiple SDG categories at the heart of the Urban Transformations Research Centre. Our mission centres on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and working with our key partners on:
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| It’s hot, and your local river looks enticing. But is too germy for swimming?30 Jan 2023 Our director Nicky Morrisson has published an article in The Conversation investigating the benefits and barriers associated with opening up waterways for recreation. "Unfortunately, it can be hard to find out if a waterway in Australia is safe for recreation. By contrast, a comprehensive system in Aotearoa-New Zealand, called Can I Swim Here? provides timely water quality information for 800 beach, river and lake sites". |
| Bold actions drive bold changes in Western Sydney16 Jan 2023 Our director, Nicky Morrison prepared an article alongside Benjamin Muir for The Fifth Estate discussing contributions from leading thinkers in industry, government, and academia to the Centre’s plans for 2023 and beyond. “Communities are calling for bold action on climate change and greater leadership. As we start the New Year, let’s make sure we strengthen our resolution and respond.” |
| Are you living in a food desert? These maps suggest it can make a big difference to your health13 Jan 2023
Our director, Nicky Morrison has published an article with Gregory Paine in The Conversation concerning the availability, accessibility, and distribution of healthy food in Western Sydney, using a major LGA as a model. “The term ‘healthy food desert’ describes an area where food shops are available, but only a limited number – or none at all – sell fresh and nutritious food. Our recent research looks at whether food deserts might exist in a major local government area in Western Sydney. We mapped locations of outlets providing food – both healthy and unhealthy food – and of local levels of disadvantage and health problems. Our initial results are disturbing.” |
| UTRC Director Features in Future-MakersDecember 2022 “Living Lab'' Showcases Sustainable Neighbourhood looks at the Penrith Sustainable Innovation Community (PSIC), a new precinct developed by Stockland and Western. Nicky Morrison, director of the Urban Transformations Research Centre, commented that PSIC would act as a testbed to trial new solutions to real-world challenges. PSIC will contribute to multiple SDGs, helping maintain Western's number-one position globally for its social, ecological, and economic impact. |
| Fast-Tracking Green CitiesDecember 2022 Replacing concrete with turf between light rail tracks has added the equivalent of two football fields’ worth of green space to the middle of Parramatta. Design of the ‘Green Track’ was a result of research from Western Sydney University. Project lead Associate Professor Sebastian Pfautsch, says that replacing hard surfaces such as concrete and bitumen with grasses and groundcover offered a rare opportunity to green and cool Parramatta City, where land is in high demand. |
| WSU’s new Urban Transformations Research Centre8 Nov 2022 Our director, Nicky Morrison, published an article in The Fifth Estate corresponding to the launch of the Urban Transformations Research Centre, briefly outlining the Centre’s goals, approaches and methodologies. “The university launched its newest research centre at a time when our community is calling out for accelerated action on climate change and demanding greater leadership and greater collaboration across all sectors. We have heard. And we are responding to this call. The urgency is greater than ever. Time is ripe to make impact at scale and right here in Western Sydney.” |
| Half of Western Sydney foodbowl land may have been lost to development in just 10 years21 Sep 2022 Our director, Professor Nicky Morrison, published an article alongside Associate Professor Awais Piracha and Amy Lawton in The Conversation about the gradual loss of Western Sydney agriculture to development over the past decade, her research with Amy into this phenomenon, and moreover — what we can do about it. “Our study quantifies the loss of land categorised as agricultural or primary production in Western Sydney over time. Based on ABS data for land use by mesh blocks (the smallest geographic areas defined by the ABS), we estimate Western Sydney lost 9% of its primary production land from 2016 to 2021. The worst-affected council areas over this period, The Hills Shire, Blacktown, Camden, and Campbelltown, lost 43%, 39%, 26% and 19% respectively.” |
| Under-resourced and undermined: as floods hit south-west Sydney, our research shows councils aren’t prepared8 Mar 2022 Our director, Nicky Morrison, published an article alongside Senior Research Fellow Patrick Harris in The Conversation about the impact of extensive flooding in Sydney’s South-West and their research into whether local councils are adequately prepared to face these challenges. “Western Sydney councils are currently dealing with back-to-back disasters in a continual crisis management cycle. At the same time, they’re tasked with pushing forward the NSW government’s housing and infrastructure development targets, which includes building almost 185,000 houses between 2016 and 2036. Coupled with a lack of staff and funding, do they really have the capacity to cope with all this?” |
| Planning, Politics and Power1 Mar 2020 Professor Nicky Morrison joined other “Voices of Leadership” in this publication that features staff and friends of Western Sydney University demonstrating the University’s ongoing commitment to collectively theorise and problem-solve the region’s most pressing challenges. In this essay Nicky unpacks the thorny issue of Planning, Politics and Power. Read the article here. |
