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International migration has changed the demographics and dynamics of Australia's population since European settlement. It continues to be a principal driver in the growth of its cities, including a projected doubling of major city populations by mid‐century. The influence of migrants on metropolitan housing markets—and urban consumption more generally—has been significant, and the socio‐spatial influence of migration in Australia has been the focus of regular geographical research. Less researched is the impact that "importing" half of the nation's population growth each year has on consumption of urban resources and environmental impact, including via housing consumption practices. Evidence has also been lacking on changed consumption behaviours of migrants moving from developing to developed, high‐income societies—a barometer, perhaps, of a future trajectory of consumption within developing societies. The largest cohort of recent immigrants to Australian cities has been from China, and this trend can be expected to continue. This paper focuses on a comparison of urban consumption patterns (with particular focus on housing) among a group of 61 China‐born households prior to their migration to Melbourne post‐1995 and following their settlement in an established middle‐ring suburb of Melbourne (Box Hill). Using ecological footprint as the metric of consumption, results are striking. Not only do China‐born migrants "catch up" to Australian levels of urban consumption but they also surpass it in many cases. Findings are examined in relation to housing and urban context and a range of household sociocultural factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon assessment, forecasting demand for energy, local energy generation, low carbon precincts, precinct information modeling. [Extracted from the article]

A transition to more sustainable cities in Australia will require much greater focus on greyfield redevelopment than previously. With the multiple challenges facing city planning at the beginning of the twenty-first century - accommodating rapid population growth linked to immigration, attempting more intensive urban development, the need for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, and understanding what is required for cities to become more resilient in the face of local and global shocks to their economies and communities - a path of least resistance has seen most recent planning and urban development activity centre on greenfield and brownfield arenas. This paper focuses on the prospects for more sustainable patterns of greyfield redevelopment in Australian cities, with particular reference to Melbourne. Both the Melbourne 2030 and the Melbourne @ 5 million strategies have failed to articulate processes capable of increasing the capacity of existing, ageing, occupied suburban areas - the greyfields - to accommodate projected growth. Grey field redevelopment at precinct (or neighbourhood) scale offers the potential for jointly transitioning urban housing, energy and water systems -and their residential communities-- to a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the three major public housing programmes which have been operating within Melbourne since 1945 within the framework of the theory of the state. The paper also reviews the functions and causes of state intervention and assesses the utility of the theory of the state. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the 21st century, the creation of built environments that are carbon neutral and water sensitive is critical for addressing sustainable urban development challenges. Both require transformative change: Decarbonisation to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and incorporation of green-blue water sensitive solutions to adapt to climate change impacts. Transition pathways in both arenas involve combinations of new technology, innovative urban design, enabling policies and regulations, new processes for planning and managing urban development, and demand-side changes in consumer attitudes and practices for urban living related to energy and water use. In this paper, we present new knowledge, concepts and frameworks developed for application in Australia, as well as internationally, through research by the national Cooperative Research Centres for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL) and Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) between 2012 and 2020. These findings and outputs illustrate common features of the research strategies and initiatives that were central to the activities of the CRCs, and highlight promising directions for collaborative interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research that drives urban sustainability transformations towards carbon neutral and blue-green cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]