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Cities Research Institute Newsletter
Issue 1 - April 2022
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| A Message from the Director |
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Dear Colleagues
As I write this we are just over three weeks away from the Federal Election and I suspect I’m not the only one who alternates between being intrigued and profoundly disappointed at the substance and quality of debate around plans for the future put forward by the major parties. Spending promises are made on a daily basis, many for considerable sums, sometimes with little background information on the logic or evidence behind them.
While I could be accused of naiveté in expecting something different, this comes at a time when academics are increasingly expected to demonstrate the wider policy or social impact beyond the academy of our research. As a broad principle, this is one I have always been comfortable with. But it should never be used to exclude support for research where impacts cannot be attributed and measured, or which simply expands our understanding and appreciation of something. Nor should it see researchers being discouraged from proposing ‘risky’ research that might not lead to anticipated outcomes. So, while the principle is both sound and one we embrace in the CRI, we need to keep working on how to apply it sensibly in practice. In the meantime, I shall cling to my naïve hope that our political leaders are equally willing to subject their promises to similar degrees of scrutiny before they are implemented.
Virtually all of the research carried out by members of the CRI, including work done in collaboration with industry and government partners and with academic colleagues from other universities, is designed to help make our cities and their surroundings better places. This includes work on understanding the full range of benefits that flow from providing high-quality social housing to testing which plants survive and thrive on buildings in cities. It includes the impacts of e-scooters on the behaviour of inner-city shoppers and diners as well as new ways of remediating landfill sites, and it covers how we might monitor the in-house thermal comfort of older people and how to use new manufactured timber products in building design and construction. In this newsletter, you can read more about what research we are doing and planning.
Finally, many of us with an interest in cities have long called for a thoughtful debate about the case for a national settlement strategy. Without suggesting that Federal ministers get involved in local planning decisions, recent demographic trends and migration patterns have shown that the national interest would be well-served by large scale infrastructure investment decisions being made on the basis of transparent criteria and robust evidence of impact. This might see all our cities following a clear path to becoming better places in the future.
Regards
Paul Burton
Director, Cities Research Institute
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| Research Highlights |
Elsevier's World's Top Scientists 2022
Prof Hong Guan has been recognised in the world's top 2% of scientists based on citations (Elsevier BV, Stanford University, 2022). Prof Rodney Stewart and Prof Dong-Sheng Jeng are also listed in the Civil Engineering category.
CRI Researcher heading to Finland
Dr Abraham Leung has been awarded a University of Jyväskylä Visiting Fellow Grant. This will fund Abraham's travel to Finland to further Griffith's research collaborations on aviation, carbon emissions and electric aircraft with Dr Stefan Baumeister, one of Europe's leading figures in the field. Stefan was himself a visitor to Griffith University's Aviation Program and the Cities Research Institute in 2019, hosted by Prof Tim Ryley at the Nathan campus. It's been a productive collaboration thus far with Stefan, Abraham and Tim having already published their early research findings in the Journal of Transport Geography and Case Studies on Transport Policy.
CRI collaborates with Tweed Shire Council
A new Griffith University and Tweed Shire Council partnership is set to support emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander town planners.
Aspiring First Nations town planners can apply to take part in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Town Planner Development Program, which offers financial and cultural support, and the opportunity to work as a planner throughout their degree.
Professor Paul Burton said it was important to have more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining the planning profession and progressing to leadership roles.
“The insights that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can provide and the values they bring to urban and regional planning are incredibly important,” Professor Burton said.
“With more than 60,000 years of knowledge and experience of managing the Australian landscape, it is essential we encourage and support more First Nations planners to join the profession, especially if we want to be better placed to plan for more sustainable and resilient communities.”
The program will support one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student enrolled in the Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus, with a scholarship that supports tuition fees.
For up to four years during their studies, they will also receive paid employment for the equivalent of one day a week with the Tweed Shire Council’s Planning and Regulation Division, based in Murwillumbah.
Find out more on this exciting opportunity here.
Design and Delivery of Climate Change and Water Short Courses for participants from Pacific, South Asia and Southeast Asia regions
Assoc Prof Michael Howes helped secure a $467,162 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Water Partnership, Design and Delivery of Climate Change and Water Short Courses for participants from Pacific, South Asia and Southeast Asia regions. Partners: Alluvium International; Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney; University of Newcastle; Asia Disaster Preparedness Centre, Griffin NRM; and Talanoa Consulting. Project leaders: Wade Hadwen, Helen Johnson, Kerryn Devenny, Browyn Powell, Simon Tilleard, Tarika Gulati, Senaka Basnayake, Marita Manley, Kate Duggan. Delivery leaders: Anthony Kiem, Michael Howes, Tony Weber, Jeremy Kohiltz, Juliet Willets, Harry Virashsawmy, David Winfield, Esther Onyango, Chris Fleming, Jim Binney.
New Short Courses on offer
The Griffith University Systems Modelling Group is introducing a pilot delivery of a new professional development course. This course aims to teach techniques and methodologies used in the modelling of complex systems over different spatial and temporal scales. Such systems contain high levels of uncertainty and therefore are difficult to understand. The course modules will provide modelling strategies and present some applications from the field of complex systems modelling. Find out more here.
The En-ROADS Interactive Climate Simulation Game
The Systems Modelling Group also held recently, an interactive game, jointly supported by the Cities Research Institute and the Climate Action Beacon.
The En-ROADS Interactive Climate Simulation Game is a highly interactive, role-playing game that engages a wide range of participants in exploring key technology and policy solutions for addressing climate change. It uses the cutting-edge simulation model En-ROADS, created by Climate Interactive and MIT Sloan.
The game was conducted as a simulated emergency summit organised by the United Nations that convened global stakeholders to establish a concrete plan that limits warming to Paris Agreement goals. Participants proposed climate solutions such as energy efficiency, carbon pricing, fossil fuel taxes, reducing deforestation, and carbon dioxide removal.
The Griffith University Systems Modelling Group is intending to organise more interactive events throughout the year. This is a great professional development and team building game, not to mention exploring all the issues and outcomes from decisions made throughout the game. Please contact Dr Oz Sahin to run one of these workshops for your organisation.
Sea Cities
Novel Offshore Fish Farm Design
Prof Joerg Baumeister has been successful gaining funding from the Blue Economy CRC for the conceptual development of a novel offshore fish farm. The researcher aims to identify the offshore/energetic sites in Australia and New Zealand for fish pens and establish the design and functional criteria for fish pen design and system. Professor Baumeister explains, "Fish farming is increasing but the currently used nearshore production sites are falling short. Structural design requirements for nearshore and offshore aquaculture structures differ due to the harsher offshore environment. Therefore, the research question is: How to develop new design solutions for novel offshore fish farms?" The project will run for two years and includes industry partners Tassal and Huon.
Construction innovation
Professors Cheryl Desha and Hong Guan were featured in Engineers Australia Create magazine recently. Cheryl discusses her work in helping to make cities more resilient to the impacts of climate change and encourages a holistic approach to how cities integrate with rural and small townships; "they are all intricately connected. For me as an environmental engineer, to ensure that our communities are safe, we have to ensure safe planetary conditions,” she explained. “I think this will be an ongoing tension going forward. We must harness opportunities in disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery — known as PPRR — to ‘build back better’ and adapt our infrastructure to changing conditions.”
Professor Hong Guan had input into and is conducting research in the new Nathan N79 building, for which Cheryl is the end-user coordinator. Hong and her team have installed sensors into the building which measure the building's energy, water and structural performance. Hong’s work focuses on the structural engineering details of a city’s infrastructure, “Our focus is mainly on how to improve the integrity, safety, and the robustness of buildings and civil infrastructure like bridges,” she said. “You look at the city as an organic whole, because you want the whole city to be well-managed and functional.” Read more on this important research and work in Engineers Australia Create.
Transport
Dr Abraham Leung and one of the transport team's top PhD candidate's Madison Bland, have just published a new article in The Conversation (TC) on how e-scooters can help people get around during fuel price shocks. Read here
Dr Kelly Bertoloccini weighs in on the SEQ City Deal and its lack of funding for new regional transport options. Read more in this ABC News article
CRI Deputy Director, Matthew Burke, speaks to The Fifith Estate on the current state of transport funding. Read article here
Paul Burton, Matthew Burke and Madison Bland are members of a Think Tank supporting the City of Gold Coast in the preparation of their 2041 Transport strategy, and Paul Burton is also a member of the Steering Committee for this process.
Water and waste
NiCE Research
Under the $2 million ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy (NiCE), researchers from Cities Research Institute (CRI) are investigating the economic feasibility and practicality of converting human urine to fertiliser as well as any potential health risks and the public response.
Led by Chief Investigator Associate Professor Cara Beal, the NiCE team at Griffith will play a key role in the four year project through three major research foci:
- Health-based Risk Assessment: Assessing the microbiological and chemical health risks –led by NiCE Chief Investigator Professor Anne Roiko (CRI , School PAM).
- Whole-of-system Economics: the economic feasibility of urine-sourced fertiliser including logistics—storage and movement of urine/fertiliser; integration with existing plumbing and know-how; effectiveness of new fertiliser compared to market standard. (led by NiCE CI A/ Prof Sayed Iftekhar, ARI, Griffith Business School).
- Social and Regulatory Acceptance: How to positively engage both public and regulatory authorities around the safety and efficacy of the nutrient extraction technology and fertiliser application (led by A/Prof Cara Beal, CRI , Griffith Business School PAM ).
Read more on this wee project here and in this ABC News article.
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| Media |
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| Reaching out beyond the academy |
Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) Queensland 2021 Awards for Excellence
Griffith Alumnus and member of our new Planning Program Industry Reference Group, Madison Ruygrok, received a commendation in Young Planner of the Year category.
Civity consultancy, co-founded by Griffith Alumnus Liam Morris was part of the team that received a Wendy Chadwick Encouragement Award for their project ENVI Micro Urban Village.
Planning PhD alumni and CRI adjunct Dr Chris Boulton's dissertation entitled "Is there a better approach to providing urban greenspace?" supervised by Aysin Dedekorkut-Howes and Catherine Pickering of Griffith University and Jason Byrne of University of Tasmania received the Parks and Leisure Australia National Research Award. Chris won the state and national Parks and Leisure Australia research awards two years in a row after her 2020 win for her paper "Factors Shaping Urban Greenspace Provision: A Systematic Review of the Literature" published in Landscape and Urban Planning. This paper is currently a highly cited paper in top 1% of the academic field of Social Sciences in Essential Science Indicators Schema in Web of Science.
Urban and Environmental planning alumnus Alana Plummer was nominated for the Planning Institute of Australia’s Outstanding Woman in Planning Award (Qld). (21 February 2022)
Dr Aysin Dedekorkut-Howes has been appointed as the Chair of Gold Coast Waterways Authority Science and Innovation Advisory Committee in December 2021. Aysin was also nominated for the Planning Institute of Australia’s Outstanding Woman in Planning Award (Qld). (21 February 2022)
Professor Paul Burton presented at and helped facilitate a major strategic planning exercise for Moreton Bay Regional Council as part of the development of their Growth Management Strategy.
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Events
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Flourish! Interdiscplinary solutions for a thriving planet
Griffith University will be hosting Flourish! Interdisciplinary Solutions for a Thriving Planet. The event – consisting of a two day symposium and accompanying professional development workshop – aims to bringing together interdisciplinary early and mid-career researchers to build skills, connections and knowledge to address planetary health issues. The Symposium will be held on the 6th-7th June at the South Bank campus of Griffith University. It will be highly interactive and aimed at addressing key barriers to interdisciplinary research. Any interdisciplinary early or mid-career researchers with a broad interest in planetary health are invited to submit an expression of interest.
Flourish! is a Theo Murphy Initiative supported by the Australian Academy of Sciences. Further information and expressions of interest are available here.
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New Books and Publications
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Morgan, E. A., Osborne, N., & Mackey, B. (2022). Evaluating planning without plans: Principles, criteria and indicators for effective forest landscape approaches. Land Use Policy, 115, 106031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106031
Vieira da Silva, G; Hamilton, D.; Strauss, D.; Murray, T; Tomlinson, R. 2022. Sediment pathways and morphodynamic response to a multi-purpose artificial reef – new insights. Coastal Engineering. 171, 104027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2021.104027
Miranda, I.M.; Toldo Jr.; E.E.; Klein, A.H.F.; Vieira da Silva, G.; Strauss, D., 2022. Sediment Budget of a cuspate shoreline and its influence on spit development - Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil. Geo-Marine Letters 42:4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-021-00724-5
Ali, S. Liu, B. and Su. J. (2022, forthcoming). A risk-taking perspective of corporate governance: Does corporate governance have a differential effect on downside and upside risk? Journal ofBusiness Finance and Accounting officially accepted for publication (Impact factor: 2.473 and Scimago JR, Q1).
Atif, M., Liu, B., Nadarajah, S., (2022, forthcoming), ESG disclosure and cash holdings: Firm life-cycle perspective, Business Strategy and the Environment, impact factor: 10.302 and Scimago JR, Q1).
Chiang, L-Y., Earl, G. Liu, B., Reid, S., and Roca, E. (2021, forthcoming). Risk Analysis in social housing delivery: A public-private partnerships approach, is accepted for publication by ABDC A Journal, Australian Journal of Public Administration officially accepted for publication (impact factor, 1.800 and Scimago JR, Q2).
Morawakage, P. S., Earl, G., Liu, B., Roca, E., & Omura, A. (2022). Housing Risk and Returns in Submarkets with Spatial Dependence and Heterogeneity. The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 1-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11146-021-09877-7
Howes, M. 2021. “National Sustainability Planning: Australian National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development.” In R, Brinkmann (ed). The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan: Switzerland. Chapter 83: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38948-2_86-1
Zarifsanayei, A, Antolinez, J., Etemad-Shahidi, A., Cartwright, N., Strauss, D., Lemos, G., (2022) Uncertainties in the projected patterns of wave-driven longshore sediment transport along a non-straight coastline, Frontiers in Marine Science, 9:832193. [https://doi:%2010.3389/fmars.2022.832193]https://doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.832193
Zarifsanayei, A, Antolinez, J., Etemad-Shahidi, A., Cartwright, N., Strauss, D. (2022) A multi-model ensemble to investigate uncertainty in the estimation of wave-driven longshore sediment transport patterns along a non-straight coastline, Coastal Engineering,104080, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2022.104080
Koosheh, A., Etemad-Shahidi, A., Cartwright, Tomlinson, R., and van Gent, M. (2022). Experimental study of Wave overtopping at rubble mound seawalls. Coastal Engineering, 104062, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2021.104062
Al-Ogaili, M., Etemad-Shahidi, A., Cartwright, N., Sigurdarson, S. (2022). The stability of berm breakwaters, state of art and sensitivity analysis, Coastal Engineering, 104059 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2021.104059
Burton, P. and A. Dedekorkut-Howes. 2021. Banana-benders and Cockroaches: Cross-border planning for Gold Coast-Tweed Heads. In Twin Cities Across Five Continents: Interactions and Tensions on Urban Borders. Ekaterina Mikhailova and John Garrard (eds.) London and New York, Routledge. pp. 48-62.
Dominic Ong Published a book in the Springer Cities Research Series, of which Professor Paul Burton is the Series Editor on ‘Sustainable Pipe Jacking Technology in the Urban Environment’ https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-9372-4
Dominic Ong – Supported by a CRI Equipment Grant Scheme 2021, Dominic’s team published a paper ‘A strategic review on enhanced DEM simulation and advanced 3-D particle printing techniques to improve pipe-jacking force prediction’ in Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology journal, Impact Factor is 5.915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2022.104415
Dominic Ong ‘Effects of binder types and other significant variables on the unconfined compressive strength of chemical-stabilized clayey soil using gene-expression programming’ in Neural Computing and Applications journal, Impact Factor 5.606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-022-06931-0
Hong Guan, Chan T and Li JC (2022), Recent Advances in Structural Health Monitoring Research in Australia, Nova Science Publishers. (In press)
Nguyen AV, Gunalan S, Keerthan P, Guan H, Aghdamy S (2022). Structural behaviour and design of roll-formed aluminium lipped channel beams subjected to combined bending and shear, Thin-Walled Structures. (In press)
Zhao ZD, Liu YL, Li Y, Guan H, Yang Z, Ren PQ, Xiao YZ (2022). Experimental and numerical investigation of dynamic progressive collapse of reinforced concrete beam-column assemblies under a middle-column removal scenario, Structures, 38:979-992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2022.02.050
Hamishebahar Y, Guan H, So S, Jo JH (2022). A comprehensive review of deep learning-based crack detection approaches, Applied Sciences, 12(3), 1374. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031374
Lyu CH, Gilbert BP, Guan H, Karampour H, Gunalan S (2022). Finite element modelling of the progressive collapse of post-and-beam mass timber building substructures under edge and corner column removal scenarios, Journal of Building Engineering, 49:104012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104012
Nguyen AV, Gunalan S, Keerthan P, Guan H, Aghdamy S (2022). Experimental investigation of roll-formed aluminium lipped channel beams subjected to combined bending and web crippling, Thin-Walled Structures, 171:108804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2021.108804
Sharry T, Guan H, Nguyen A, Oh EYN, Nam H, (2022). Latest Advances in Finite Element Modelling and Model Updating of Cable-Stayed Bridges, Infrastructures, 7(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures7010008
Guo XK, Yang Z, Li Y, Guan H, Lu XZ, Diao MZ (2021). Progressive collapse of flat plate substructures initiated by upward and downward punching shear failures of interior slab-column joints, Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/%28ASCE%29ST.1943-541X.0003241
Zhang, J., Zhang, F., Gou, Z., & Liu, J. (2022). Urban Climate Assessment of macroclimate and microclimate effects on outdoor thermal comfort via artificial neural network models. Urban Climate, 42(January), 101134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2022.101134.
Cui, Y., Zhu, J., Zhang, F., Shao, Y., Xue Y. (2022). Current status and future development of hybrid PV/T system with PCM module: 4E (Energy, Exergy, Economic and Environmental) Assessments. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 158, 112147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112147.
Marzban, S., Candido, C., Mackey, M., Engelen, L., Zhang, F. & Tjondronegoro, D (2022). A review of research in Activity-Based Working over the last ten years: lessons for the post-COVID workplace. Journal of Facilities Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-08-2021-0081.
Roumi, S., Zhang, F., Stewart, R., Santamouris, M. (2022). Commercial Building Indoor Environmental Quality Models: A Critical Review. Energy and Buildings (accepted).
Ed Morgan recently published an article proposing a framework for evaluating landscape planning in contexts where planning is informal or nascent. The paper, published with his Griffith University co-authors Dr Natalie Osbourne and Prof. Brendan Mackey, appears in Land Use Policy and is available free of charge for a short time from this link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1eZ6CyDvMLypC.
The planning evaluation framework outlined in the paper provides an accessible and practical way to evaluate planning processes where planning is informal or in its early stages, such as in forest communities in the developing country, which are the focus of the Primary Forest project of the Griffith Climate Change Response Program. Despite the lack of formal planning, collaborative decision-making over land use and landscape activities are occurring and evaluating these can help improve choices and develop more formal planning, where appropriate. The framework draws on both the planning theory literature and the data and experience collected in ongoing research. Although developed for forest landscapes, the framework should be widely applicable to planning, including more formal planning. Please contact Dr Ed Morgan for more information.
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HDR Students Highlights
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Study Gold Coast recently profiled CRI’s Majed Abuseif, who has won the People's Choice Award for his Smart Planter Box at the Design Innovation Competition in the United Kingdom. The design competition is open to both concept projects, as well as realised projects by young design and tech professionals worldwide with the aim of facilitating innovation by challenging the traditional set up of an industry or business through a new method, creative solution or strategy.
The Architecture student has been developing his superior green technology concept over the past 2 years and thanked his PhD supervisors Professor Karine Dupre and green infrastructure specialist Dr Ruby Michael, both of Griffith University for their support of the project.
Majed hails from Jordan, a country where water is incredibly precious and is now becoming a more susceptible resource globally as the world increasingly faces extreme environmental challenges. He says the Smart Planter Box uses AI and simulation models and is so efficient that it can reduce average water consumption in the garden by 80% for a typical urban green roof space.
“It will enable green spaces to flourish anywhere in the urbanised world, regardless of environmental conditions through a sophisticated system designed to calculate everything a plant needs to grow and thrive in any environment,” the PhD student said.
The Smart Planter Box can generate energy, as well as being able to harvest, recycle and store water, allowing the creation of green spaces in areas where it was previously impossible.
Majed hopes to start the piloting stage for the Smart Planter Box in the coming months and have the technology in the market by early next year.
*Majed Abuseif grew up in poverty in Jordan before becoming a successful town planner throughout the Middle East and is now undertaking a PhD in Architecture at Griffith University. Listen to his extraordinary journey on the Study Gold Coast podcast here.
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Griffith University Cities Research Institute
p: +61 7 555 27269
e: citiesresinstitute@griffith.edu.au
Nathan Campus - Sir Samuel Griffith Building (N78),level 3, 170 Kessels Rd, Nathan QLD 4111
Gold Coast Campus - Building G51, Bridge Lane, off Edmund Rice Drive, Gold Coast QLD 4222
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