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Urban planning has become an increasingly digital practice in the last three decades and was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions around the digitization of planning processes have focused on the platforms planners use, and the barriers to their use. Such literature does not adequately explain the variability in the use of planning-specific technologies among planning authorities with the same resources and time. We explore the degree to which workplace and professional culture influence the use of digital technologies in planning practice in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States of America. To study cultural attitudes, a mixture of interview data from 29 planners and document analysis from professional organizations were used. The study found cultural factors play a role in determining the diffusion of technology in planning practice. Our analysis demonstrates points of convergence and divergence across all three geographies of practice, with stark differences in the way that technology is discussed and espoused, as well as a broader lack of clear principles to guide the profession through digital transitions across scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online participatory planning processes are cheaper, easier, and may reach a broader audience than in-person techniques. However, they are also vulnerable to disruption from automated social bots. This research introduces a bespoke planning-oriented social bot, Urbanist Uma, to explore if and how social bots contribute to echo chambers that may influence planning processes. After four years on Twitter, Urbanist Uma had almost 250 followers and her Tweets had been viewed tens of thousands of times. The high level of homophily in Uma's network demonstrates the need for planners to recognize both the opportunity and risk of the digital public sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become an integral component of urban planning practice in the last 30 years. The applications, utility and fit of specific technologies within planning practice have been widely discussed, however the use of ICTs by planning practitioners beyond individual case studies is unknown. This paper explores the results of an online survey of Australian and UK planners and comparatively benchmarks the types and extent of use of ICTs in planning practice, and the factors inhibiting or enabling the use of different ICTs. The paper concludes with reflections on the relationship between ICTs and urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world's population is aging at a rapid rate, yet many local built and social environments are not well suited to support older adults. Australia exemplifies the demographic–environmental disconnect because it is one of the world's most suburban nations and has one of the proportionally largest baby boom generations. In this research we examined the relationship between built and social environments with respect to older adult vulnerability in Greater Melbourne (Australia). We found that neighborhoods with lower levels of built environment support also had lower levels of social infrastructure. The spatial imbalance across the region was most pronounced when considering the spatial distribution of older adults aged 85 years and older. Our analysis of policymaker interviews revealed a marked disconnect between the scale and scope of the challenges of suburban aging and the state and local government response. Limitations of the study included the operationalization of built environment and social infrastructure variables. Age-friendly planning and design cannot be limited to the "easier stuff" such as communication and information, social participation, and respect and inclusion. Suburban built environments require more effort and investment in transportation, housing, and outdoor spaces and buildings to support the physical and mental wellbeing of older adults aging in place. Walkable suburban neighborhoods with high levels of accessible social infrastructure will help build community connections and encourage older adult physical activity and social engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns for the ongoing and increasing degradation of the natural environment worldwide have increased the impetus for action, and development of governance arrangements to support natural resource management. Despite this, several issues around governance still remain as challenges to the success of natural resource management. This study reports the findings of a systematic literature review of 240 papers to better understand how governance challenges manifest spatially, and how they change over time. Also the paper identifies key priority areas for strategic governance reform. This paper reveals that the capacity of natural resource management governance systems internationally is most limited by factors that limit connectivity and collaboration between stakeholders in decision-making processes, and the alignment of vision and objectives across institutions. The paper also reveals clear spatial disparities and temporal changes in the number of studies and governance challenges identified in natural resource management in developing and developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades cities and urban planning have become increasingly digitised, complex and data rich. Despite this, the planning theory literature has largely ignored the role and impact of information and communication technologies in shaping planning's ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies. This article explores empirical studies and three major planning paradigms, to explore the changing role and influence of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on planning theory and practice. Based on this, the paper argues that ICTs are driving a shift towards a more interactive, intelligent, self-organising, and interconnected planning paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the benefits of play and discovery in cities have been widely discussed, the impact of augmented reality games, such as Pokémon Go, induced urban discovery on different demographics and their impact on perceptions of public spaces is yet to be studied. This paper examines the perceptions and usage of public spaces by different demographics of augmented reality gamers. The study finds that there are several statistically significant differences between the experiences of men and women, and players of different ages playing Pokémon Go in public spaces in Australia, particularly in their mobility, sense of marginalization and sense of place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planners and designers have spent the last 50 years trying to activate unused public spaces, create walkable cities and encourage sociability through urban design.Pokémon Gohas succeeded, almost overnight, to entice people of all demographics into the streets of cities around the world. In fact, many previously underutilized public spaces have suddenly become hot spots for all demographics, playingPokémon Goand other similar augmented reality games (ARGs). While anecdotally it seems that ARGs activate public spaces, increase community interactions and facilitate exploration of urban spaces, little study has been done on the influence of ARGs on sense of place, or the way in which these games are influencing player engagement with the public spaces they are playing within. This paper reports the findings of a survey of 994 Australian players. The paper explores whether ARGs affect user needs being met in public spaces, and the implications of these findings for urban practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governance continues to be a challenge in the management and conservation of natural resources. It is difficult to strategically address governance challenges without understanding the dynamics, capacities, and knowledge application of institutions within such governance systems. This article examines the use of Governance Systems Analysis (GSA) to compare, evaluate, and benchmark governance arrangements for regional natural resource management (NRM) planning. It is applied in two Australian regional NRM case studies in Cape York and the Wet Tropics. Our analysis of governance arrangements for NRM planning in the two regions finds that while they are structurally and functionally similar, they have different capacities for decision making about planning. The article concludes with a discussion of the usefulness and implications of using the GSA as an evaluative framework to analyze governance in regional NRM planning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex intersecting social, economic and environmental dilemmas in Australia's Cape York Peninsula present a number of challenges for planners seeking to develop and implement land use and natural resource management (NRM) plans. There have been five different attempts at land use and NRM planning in Cape York Peninsula over the last 20 years. These processes have (to greater or lesser extents) failed to deliver community-owned and government-supported plans to guide development and/or the management of the region's natural resources. The region is remote, sparsely populated, and home to a significant Indigenous population. Much of the contestation within the region surrounds the access, use and ownership of the region's internationally valuable natural resources. This paper reviews, from the literature, the relevancy and applicability of criteria for best practice planning and governance. A range of identified best practice governance and planning principles are applied to assess the governance arrangements for planning in the Peninsula. The paper finds that decision-making arrangements for land use and NRM planning in the Peninsula are still in their infancy and are inadequate to support effective outcomes. The paper concludes that broader attention to best practice principles in governance for planning is needed to improve planning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increased importance of adaptation debates in global climate negotiations, pressure to achieve biodiversity, food and water security through managed landscape-scale adaptation will likely increase across the globe over the coming decade. In parallel, emerging market-based, terrestrial greenhouse gas abatement programs present a real opportunity to secure such adaptation to climate change through enhanced landscape resilience. Australia has an opportunity to take advantage of such programs through regional planning aspects of its governance arrangements for NRM. This paper explores necessary reforms to Australia's regional NRM planning systems to ensure that they will be better able to direct the nation's emerging GGA programs to secure enhanced landscape adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilising the case study of the Gold Coast, Australia, this paper aims to discuss city identity and the role of branding in the formation of the city image and explore whether residents and tourists perceive identity of a city differently. The paper views place identity from the perspective of modern practices of place marketing and branding, rather than experiential self-identity. City identity forms the context from which planning policies, plans and decisions are made, making it a significant area of theory in the planning discipline. However, if the perception of this identity by outsiders is inaccurate, attracting investment and residents will be challenging. The inherent multifaceted nature of city or place identity further emphasises the need for those planning the multiplicity of communities, suburbs, cities, regions and states to understand the context of those who live within such places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]