• ARC DECRA Fellow and Lecturer in Urbanism, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney
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The ‘world’s mayor’ – how Michael Bloomberg uses philanthropy to change the way cities are run

The increasing influence of Bloomberg Philanthropies on cash-strapped city governments raises questions about the reliability of philanthropy over the long term – and its democratic legitimacy.
A smart light pole in the UK can also recognise faces and numberplates and detect speeding. Nazlika/Wikimedia Commons

Smart street furniture in Australia: a public service or surveillance and advertising tool?

Smart street furniture can do a lot of things at once. Some of these functions offer the public clear benefits, but the data collection and surveillance capabilities raise a number of concerns.
This shed has been illegally converted into housing. Two prams and three mattresses are visible. Informal Accommodation and Vulnerable Households, author provided courtesy of Fairfield City Council

Informal and illegal housing on the rise as our cities fail to offer affordable places to live

With Australian city rents too high for low-income earners, increasing numbers are forced to share houses or rooms or to live in options like ‘beds in sheds’ and other illegal dwellings.

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