Using the post-war suburb of Watson as a case study, the research analyses the characteristics of Canberra’s “ex-govie” suburbs, where redevelopment pressures are intensifying. Four design scenarios were developed using a real urban section in Watson to test how Bluefield housing principles could be applied to Canberra’s context.

Apartment living is often regarded as unsuitable for Australian families with children. However, this perception may reflect the spatial limitations of typical apartment design rather than an inherent incompatibility between families and higher-density housing.

This paper looks at the contribution of cemeteries and death spaces to the city and the living and the future of our death planning in Canberra. To understand the contribution of cemeteries to the living, case studies of the size, location, and age of cemeteries in Canberra, Sydney, Edinburgh, Oslo, and Washington are mapped and compared.

Traditionally, throughout white Australian history, the built environment has been used as a tool for colonisation. From the first colonials on Australian soil to modern day Australia, the built environment has been expanding its territory, resulting in the continued displacement, and forced assimilation of First Nations people in Western cultures.

Canberra’s future urban design framework will need to respond to several challenges, including a rapidly growing population with limited land, providing affordable housing options to all households, promoting more sustainable practices, and enhancing amenity and choice for residents. This report investigates the role of shared living in Canberra’s urban design mix as a response to these challenges, focussing on opportunities and challenges.

This research investigates the Tocumwal Housing sites of O’Connor, Canberra, to explore the possibilities for accommodating Canberra’s growing population within its existing inner suburbs in a manner that retains their unique character underlying principles.