By - jim ideas observations and handy shortcuts
Don’t put air-conditioning in the car – control the temperature of the road instead….!
It’s fun, but also interesting and entertaining to look at what the futurists and planners had in mind for the future of transport development back in the late 50’s.
How to uncover issues in your economy to inform Economic Development policy, using economy.id
To develop successful Economic Development strategies, you need to know about your local economy. You need to know its strengths, and weaknesses. You need to know where it fits in the overall competitive...
Google glasses provide a view of the Digital Economy
NBN Co and the Federal Government have been raving on for a while about the Digital Economy in their “Digital Economy strategy”.
A unique idea to ease parking issues
The ever-increasing reliance on motor vehicles for personal transport is a challenge for most council areas. Extra traffic creates higher road wear, and congestion leads to increased potential for accidents and...
Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome – and one of the world’s worst cars.
Much has been written about the celebrated architect, engineer, designer, author, free-thinker and futurist, Buckminster Fuller. But what will probably interest .id insight readers most is the role he played in...
The house of the future - the house they almost couldn't demolish!
The late 1950’s was a period of unbridled optimism and consumerism, as new products poured onto the market almost daily. The pace of change was relentless and it seemed that people were always looking for the...
Where is the best place to put the .id links on your website?
Local governments subscribe to .id tools for their own use, and also to provide the information to their communities, local businesses, investors and potential residents. In doing so, they provide links from...
Through the lens of the City of Sydney
Back in 1991, the boundaries of the City of Sydney only included the Sydney CBD and Ultimo/Pyrmont. The residential population of the city then was 7,000 and its working population was around 190,000. Twenty...
Transport planning – Melbourne to Sydney in 45 minutes – by train…
If the prototype VACTRAIN being developed in China becomes a reality, aeroplane speeds (or more) in train travel may become commonplace, making possible travel from Melbourne to Sydney in less than an hour, or...
Affordable, desirable housing….How about a caravan?
Would 10 million people in Australia live in a caravan park? That’s right, about 50% of the total population. If so, we’d certainly need more caravan parks.
Why do we need all this space?
Australian houses are getting bigger. In fact, despite falling average household size during the same period, the average Australian new home is over 40% bigger than those built just 25 years ago. This problem...
How do you conduct a census without a written language?
The Inca Census and the Quipu …
Modern Day Planning – in 1966?
Modern day urban planners face the challenges of a growing population, catering for families, singles and ageing residents, increased numbers of tourists and much more. They need to establish areas for...
Cairns uses economy.id to help diversify their economy
Back in September 2009, it was revealed that Far North Queensland had the highest unemployment rate in the country. The Cairns Regional Council decided to act and immediately established an Economic Development...
Is your City ready for Electric Cars?
Earlier this month, Ford (USA) released a list of what it considers to be the 25 “most prepared” cities in the USA for electric vehicles. How would your city stack up?
You want progress and development? How about this for 20 years of rapid development.
Shanghai, China has experienced a growth rate that makes your head spin. Between the 1990 and 2000 Censuses the total population increased by 3.396 million or 25.5% to 16.738 million. At the end of 2009 it was...
Case study – City of Unley Section 30 review
One of the problems in conducting a Section 30 review in older, established areas is the need to recognise and preserve the areas that define the character of the city, while still allowing for development of...
