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SDG 11

Challenges and Prospect of Maintaining Rongga: an Ethnographic Report
21 October 2005
University of Sydney

Arka, I Wayan

Changes in the ‘ecology of languages’ after the independence of Indonesia have resulted in changes in the social, cultural and economic settings. These changes in turn have affected the well-being of indigenous languages and cultures right across the Indonesian archipelago. This has particularly been the case in the last thirty years under the harsh campaign of Indonesianisation through the rhetoric of pembangunan (development) in the New Order era of Soeharto’s regime. Smaller indigenous languages such as Rongga, a minority language on the island of Flores, are particularly vulnerable.
How Warumungu people express new concepts
14 January 2010
University of Sydney

Simpson, Jane

This article describes strategies used by Warumungu speakers to create new words and ways of expressing new concepts, in the context of multilingual society in which speakers of Indigenous Australian languages view language as a property. The strategies include borrowing, onomatopoeia, compounding, derivation, extension of existing words, including polysemous extensions such as actual/potential and container/contained
Architecture Studio Archive: A case study in the comprehensive digital capture and repository of student design work as an aid to teaching, research and accreditation
18 May 2010
University of Sydney

Anderson, Ross;Arndell, Michael;Christensen, Sten

The ‘Architecture Studio Archive’ pilot sought to form a comprehensive digital archive of the diverse student work conducted in the first year of the Bachelor of Design in Architecture Degree at the University of Sydney. The design studio is the primary vehicle for teaching architectural design. It is a locus for creative activity, with students producing diverse works in analogue and digital media (sketches, final hand and CAD drawings, conceptual and scale models and written work). Following assessment, they either take their work home or abandon it to potential damage in the studio. There is generally little record of its existence for future reference. This project promised the retention of this material and the production of a powerful, searchable digital archive in the Sydney eScholarship Repository using the open access digital management system DSpace for long-term storage and dissemination of the material. The intention was to establish procedures and protocols for digital archiving practices suitable to creative work. This article documents the project as a case study from its inception, through the development of archival procedures and protocols, to loading of the work by students, and its subsequent use as a resource for teaching, research, accreditation and promotion.
A disease in search of a cause: a study of self-citation and press release pronouncement in the factoid of wind farms causing “vibroacoustic disease”.
18 May 2012
University of Sydney

Chapman, Simon;St.George, Alexis

Background In recent years, claims have proliferated that wind turbines cause a large variety of diseases. Two of these, “Wind Turbine Syndrome” (WTS) and “Vibroacoustic disease” (VAD) are frequently mentioned. Seventeen reviews of the evidence for wind turbines causing harm have concluded the evidence to be poor yet some regulatory authorities are now referencing health concerns as part of the rationale for set-back guidelines from residences, greatly reducing siting opportunities. Methods and Findings Google returns 158,000 hits for WTS and 298,000 for VAD. We conducted a search for all papers and citations on WTS or VAD, and searched for evidence for any association between wind turbine exposure and VAD. No papers on WTS were found in indexed journals. Thirty five papers on VAD were found, none reporting on an association between VAD and wind turbines. Of the 35 papers on VAD, 34 had a first author from a single Portuguese research group. Seventy four per cent of citations to these papers were self-citations by the group. Median self-citation rates in science are around 7%. Two unpublished case reports presented at conferences were found alleging that VAD was “irrefutably demonstrated” to be caused by wind turbines. Conclusions VAD has received virtually no scientific recognition beyond the group who invented the term. The claim that wind turbines cause VAD is a factoid that has gone “viral” in cyberspace and may be contributing to nocebo effects among those living near turbines.
Aboriginal Professionals: Work, Class, Culture
26 November 2012
University of Sydney

Lahn, Julie

This paper considers the growth of Aboriginal professionals. While the predominant focus in Australian scholarship remains contexts of Aboriginal disadvantage, there is a steadily increasing number of Indigenous professionals in Australia among whom many reside in urban locales. The paper suggests that research involving Aboriginal professionals is needed to contribute to understanding occupational aspirations and social mobility as envisaged among Aboriginal people, in addition to providing a more complete picture of Aboriginal engagements with work. The paper also provides some initial reflection on recent public discussions among Indigenous people concerning notions of an emerging Aboriginal ‘middle class’. The variety of perspectives in relation to this idea and their implications within narratives of Aboriginal identity highlight the importance of research that seeks to theorise the place of culture in individual and intergenerational social mobility.
Conditionality, Recognition and Indigenous Housing Policy in Australia
03 December 2012
University of Sydney

Habibis, Daphne;Memmott, Paul;Phillips, Rhonda;Moran, Mark

This paper draws on ideas of recognition and the intercultural as a way of examining the impact of welfare conditionality on Indigenous housing policy in Australia. The increased application of welfare conditionality has occurred in tandem with „mainstreaming‟ of housing management and provision, and regulation of Indigenous Community Organisations. (ICOs). These developments raise policy and practice questions about the effectiveness of such approaches in achieving desired housing outcomes because of questions about their alignment with Indigenous norms and values. The paper argues that the embedded nature of individuals in their social and cultural locations requires the development of policy paradigms that are adapted to these realities. The idea of a recognition space extends the idea of conditionality to one involving moral relationships of duty and care between the individual, Indigenous formal and informal governance structures and the state and its agents. This can be used to build a framework for the development of flexible and adaptive housing policies that are culturally respectful and address the differences in housing values between tenants and housing agencies.
Spatio-temporal differences in the history of health and noise complaints about Australian wind farms: evidence for the psychogenic, “communicated disease” hypothesis.
14 March 2013
University of Sydney

Chapman, Simon;St.George, Alexis;Waller, Karen;Cakic, Vince

Background and objectives With often florid allegations about health problems arising from wind turbine exposure now widespread in parts of rural Australia and on the internet, nocebo effects potentially confound any future investigation of turbine health impact. Historical audits of health complaints across periods when such claims were rare are therefore important. We test 4 hypotheses relevant to psychogenic explanations of the variable timing and distribution of health and noise complaints about wind farms in Australia. Setting All (n=51) Australian wind farms (with 1634 turbines) operating from 1993–2012 . Methods Records of complaints about noise or health obtained from wind farm companies regarding residents living near 51 Australian wind farms, expressed as proportions of estimated populations residing within 5km of wind farms, and corroborated with complaints in submissions to 3 government public enquiries and news media records and court affidavits . Results There are large spatio-temporal variations in wind farm noise and health complaints.33/51(64.7%) of Australian wind farms including 17/34(50%) with turbine size >1MW have never been subject to noise or health complaints. These 33 farms have some 21,592 residents within 5km of their turbines and have operated complaint-free for a cumulative total of 267 years. Western Australia and Tasmania Have seen no complaints. Only 131 individuals across Australia representing approximately 1 in 250 residents living within 5km of wind farms appear to have ever complained, with 94(72%) of these being residents near 6 wind farms which have been targeted by anti wind farm groups . About 1 in 87 (126/10901) of those living near turbines >1MW have ever complained. The large majority 104/131(79%) of health and noise complaints commenced after 2009 when anti wind farm groups began to add health concerns to their wider opposition. In the preceding years, health or noise complaints were rare despite large and small turbined wind farms having operated for many years. Conclusions In view of scientific consensus that the evidence for wind turbine noise and infrasound causing health problems is poor, the reported spatio-temporal variations in complaints are consistent with psychogenic hypotheses that health problems arising are “communicated diseases” with nocebo effects likely to play an important role in the aetiology of complaints.
How the factoid of wind turbines causing “vibroacoustic disease” came to be “irrefutably demonstrated”.
23 May 2013
University of Sydney

Chapman, Simon;St.George, Alexis

Objective In recent years, claims have proliferated in cyberspace that wind turbines cause a large variety of symptoms and diseases. One of these, “vibroacoustic disease” (VAD) is frequently mentioned. Seventeen reviews of the evidence for wind turbines causing harm have concluded the evidence to be poor yet regulatory authorities are now referencing health concerns as part of the rationale for set-back guidelines from residences, greatly reducing siting opportunities. The aim of this study is to examine the quality of the evidence on how VAD came to be associated with wind turbine exposure by wind farm opponents. Methods Searches of the web (Google advanced) and major research databases for papers on VAD and wind turbines. Self-citation analysis of research papers on VAD. Results Google returned 24,700 hits for VAD and wind turbines. Thirty five research papers on VAD were found, none reporting any association between VAD and wind turbines. Of the 35 papers, 34 had a first author from a single Portuguese research group. Seventy four per cent of citations to these papers were self-citations by the group. Median self-citation rates in science are around 7%. Two unpublished case reports presented at conferences were found asserting that VAD was “irrefutably demonstrated” to be caused by wind turbines. The quality of these reports was abject. Conclusions VAD has received virtually no scientific recognition beyond the group who coined and promoted the concept. There is no evidence of even rudimentary quality that vibroacoustic disease is associated with or caused by wind turbines. Implications The claim that wind turbines cause VAD is a factoid that has gone “viral” in cyberspace and may be contributing to nocebo effects among those living near turbines.
Testimony, Treaty and Decolonising Indigenous History from Images
02 January 2014
University of Sydney

O'Brien, Karen

This paper examines Indigenous painting and art narrative of the far western desert as decolonising method. Indigenous experiences offered in images are studied for their value as Indigenous knowledges alongside a framework of epistemological racism that is re-evaluated here as an outcome of the European Enlightenment. In presenting Indigenous lived realities, knowledge and worldviews, it takes a focus on what is, rather than what is not and explores some potential methods of recording the I and not the Other. In observing this way of knowing the past the paper focuses on ways of differentiating Indigenous histories from Eurocentric understandings of the past.
Factoid Forensics: Have “more than 40” Australian families abandoned their homes because of wind farm noise?
07 February 2014
University of Sydney

Chapman, Simon

Background Anti wind farm activists repeatedly claim that families said to be adversely affected by noise from wind turbines “abandon” their homes. In Australia, a claim of “more than 40 families” has been made by a prominent anti wind farm activist. Methods Six sources (parliamentary submissions, media reports, an anti wind farm website, wind industry sources, correspondence with known anti wind farm activists, and with three politicians opposed to wind farms) were used to find evidence of home “abandonments”. Results Claims about 12 Australian households permanently (n=10) or periodically (n=2) leaving their homes were found. However, no house appears to have been permanently “abandoned” without sale, as the expression implies. These 12 cases need contextualizing against considerations that several of those involved were either dedicated activists against wind farms from times sometimes pre-dating their construction, were engaged in protracted negotiations for home purchase with wind companies, had pre-existing health problems, grievances with the wind company over employment or had left the area for unrelated reasons of employment elsewhere. Conclusions The statement that “more than 40” houses have been “abandoned” because of wind turbines in Australia is a factoid promoted by wind farm opponents for dramatic, rhetorical impact. Other considerations are often involved in abandonment unrelated to the claims made about wind farm noise.
An investigation of the association between socio-demographic factors, dog-exercise requirements, and the amount of walking dogs receive
17 July 2014
University of Sydney

Degeling, C;Burton, L;McCormack, G

Risk factors associated with canine obesity include the amount of walking a dog receives. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between canine exercise requirements, socio-demographic factors, and dog-walking behaviors in winter in Calgary. Dog owners, from a cross-sectional study which included a random sample of adults, were asked their household income, domicile type, gender, age, education level, number and breed(s) of dog(s) owned, and frequency and time spent dog-walking in a usual week. Canine exercise requirements were found to be significantly (P < 0.05) positively associated with the minutes pet dogs were walked, as was the owner being a female. Moreover, dog walking frequency, but not minutes of dog walking, was significantly associated with residing in attached housing (i.e., apartments). Different types of dogs have different exercise requirements to maintain optimal health. Understanding the role of socio-demographic factors and dog-related characteristics such as exercise requirements on dog-walking behaviors is essential for helping veterinarians and owners develop effective strategies to prevent and manage canine obesity. Furthermore, encouraging regular dog-walking has the potential to improve the health of pet dogs, and that of their owners.
An Agrarian Imaginary in Urban Life: Cultivating Virtues and Vices Through a Conflicted History.
28 January 2015
University of Sydney

Mayes, C

This paper explores the influence and use of agrarian thought on collective understandings of food practices as sources of ethical and communal value in urban contexts. A primary proponent of agrarian thought that this paper engages is Paul Thompson and his exceptional book, The Agrarian Vision. Thompson aims to use agrarian ideals of agriculture and communal life to rethink current issues of sustainability and environmental ethics. However, Thompson perceives the current cultural mood as hostile to agrarian virtue. There are two related claims of this paper. The first argues that contrary to Thompson’s perception of hostility, agrarian thought is popularly and commercially mobilized among urban populations. To establish this claim I extend Charles Taylor’s notion of a social imaginary and suggest that urban agriculture can be theorized as an agrarian imaginary. Entwined with the first claim is the second, that proponents selectively use agrarian history to overemphasis a narrative of virtue while ignoring or marginalizing historical practices of agrarian violence, exclusion and dispossession. I do not discount or deny the significance of agrarian virtue. By situating agrarian thought within a clearer virtue ethics framework and acknowledging potential manifestation of agrarian vice, I suggest that the idea of agrarian virtue is strengthened. Keywords: Agrarian, Social imaginary, Urban agriculture, Virtue, Vice, Charles Taylor
Musical and linguistic perspectives on Aboriginal song
12 April 2015
University of Sydney

Marett, Allan;Barwick, Linda

This article serves as an introduction to the special issue 'Studies in Aboriginal Song' edited by Marett and Barwick. Since 1984, numerous collections of essays dedicated entirely or partly to Aboriginal song and dance appeared. Each of these represented a response to particular stimuli. Much of the work presented in the present volume, Studies in Aboriginal Song: A Special Issue of Australian Aboriginal Studies, resulted from research projects that focus on endangered language and music and involved either collaborative work between linguists and musicologist, or work by scholars with training in both disciplines. Faced as we are with the ongoing and escalating loss of so many of Australia’s Indigenous languages and performance traditions, there is some evidence that studies of Aboriginal song are increasing. And yet too little is being done too late by too few. In musicology in particular, the discipline has failed adequately to respond to the cultural tragedy that is unfolding before our eyes as manifold traditions of Australia’s Indigenous heritage are lost to future generations of Aboriginal peoples and to the national heritage. Major initiatives, such as the various endangered language programs mentioned in our essay, and the National Recording Project for Indigenous Performance in Australia, are attempting to find solutions that will empower Indigenous peoples in their struggle to maintain their threatened languages and traditions in the face of the enormous forces arrayed against them. But so much remains to be done, not least in training young persons, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, with the disciplinary and practical skills to meet this challenge.
What is it like to be a doctor in immigration detention centres?
09 June 2015
University of Sydney

Chan, A;Kerridge, I

I am often asked questions about my work as a general practitioner in the Christmas Island and Nauru immigration detention centres. Are the conditions as bad as they say? Is the health care adequate? Are they genuine refugees? What are the people like? I often don’t know what to say, and wonder whether my answers are ever sufficient. Words often seem inadequate to describe what I saw, or the ways in which my experience continues to impact upon me. Are the conditions bad? Absolutely. Imagine tents at a grungy music festival, but without the festivity and enclosed by wire. Imagine a world that has a 500m radius and is characterized by bleakness and oppressive humidity. And then imagine living there, for months on end, with no purpose or direction, unable to leave and not being told if you ever will. Is the health care adequate? Definitely not. But arguably this is impossible to provide in such remote and underdeveloped centres, where the primary purpose is not health but segregation and isolation. Are they genuine refugees? I have no idea because I never asked, and as a doctor who sat beside Ahmed, or Leila, or Antony I didn’t really need to know. So what are “they” like? And what is it like to be their doctor? As a practitioner working in a detention centre you see many shocking departures from the ordinary – men with their lips sewn closed with thread from a blanket, women drinking from bottles of shampoo, children with weeping sores and no shoes, people hurting themselves to express their pain. In each case you try and do what you can to treat both the physical consequences of living in harsh environments and the mental anguish caused by losing hope.
Policies on pets for healthy cities: A conceptual framework.
18 March 2016
University of Sydney

Rock, M;Adams, C;Degeling, C;Massolo, A;McCormack, G

Drawing on the One Health concept, and integrating a dual focus on public policy and practices of caring from the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, we outline a conceptual framework to help guide the development and assessment of local governments' policies on pets. This framework emphasizes well-being in human populations, while recognizing that these outcomes relate to the well-being of non-human animals. Five intersecting spheres of activity, each associated with local governments' jurisdiction over pets, are presented: (i) preventing threats and nuisances from pets, (ii) meeting pets' emotional and physical needs, (iii) procuring pets ethically, (iv) providing pets with veterinary services and (v) licensing and identifying pets. This conceptual framework acknowledges the tenets of previous health promotion frameworks, including overlapping and intersecting influences. At the same time, this framework proposes to advance our understanding of health promotion and, more broadly, population health by underscoring interdependence between people and pets as well as the dynamism of urbanized ecologies. Key words: Health promotion, animal welfare, environmental policy, urban health
A retrospective study of admission trends of koalas to a rehabilitation facility over 30 years
04 April 2016
University of Sydney

Griffith, J. E.;Dhand, Navneet K.;Krockenberger, M. B.;Higgins, D. P.

To identify threats to the survival of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in coastal New South Wales, Australia, we compared 3,781 admission records of koalas, admitted between 1 January 1975 and 31 December 2004 to a koala rehabilitation facility on the midnorthern coast of New South Wales, against local wild population demographics, with the use of multinomial logistic regression and chi-square analyses. Trauma, the most frequent reason for admission, affected young and male animals more frequently than other groups. Seasonal differences in the probability of males presenting as trauma cases suggest behavioral factors as an important risk factor for this group. An increasing probability of koalas presenting as a result of motor vehicle accident since 1985 strongly supports the enhanced action of local authorities to pursue traffic-calming strategies if urban koala populations are to be maintained in this area. Koalas with clinical signs of chlamydiosis made up the second most frequent admission group, and these animals were more likely to be aged. This study highlights the potential usefulness of wildlife rehabilitation centers in detailing threats to local wildlife populations, provided record keeping is efficient and focused, and the role of such studies in providing evidence for focusing threat-mitigation efforts. Continual community engagement by koala researchers is important to ensure that maximum benefit is obtained from activities of special interest groups. Keywords: Koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, New South Wales, threats, wildlife rehabilitation
Demographics and husbandry of pet cats living in Sydney, Australia: results of cross-sectional survey of pet ownership
02 May 2016
University of Sydney

Toribio, Jenny-Ann L. M. L.;Norris, J. M.;White, J. D.;Dhand, Navneet K.;Hamilton, S. A.;Malik, R

Our aim was to collect baseline data on the age, gender, breed, reproductive status and husbandry (housing, diet, vaccination, veterinary attention) of pet cats living in Sydney. Accordingly, a cross-sectional survey of 2768 households was conducted using a postal questionnaire. The 2006 Sydney residential phone book was used as the sampling frame. Non-responders were re-mailed the questionnaire on two further occasions, two and four weeks after the first postings. Completed questionnaires were received from 884 households. No pets were kept by 387 (43.8%) respondents. Dogs and cats were owned by 295 (33.4%) and 198 (22.5%) of households, respectively, with 7.8% of households having both cat(s) and dog(s). Fish and birds were the next most popular pets. Of the 198 cat-owning households, 54.0% kept only cat(s), while 46.5% kept cats with other pets. The distribution of cat ownership across Sydney was non-uniform. Each cat-owning household kept 1.3 cats on average, with the majority keeping one (75.8% households) or two (18.7%). For the 260 cats, the mean age was 7.1 years, the median 6 years, with a range of 3 months to 22 years. There were significantly more female (143; 55%) than male cats (117; 45%). Only 7 cats (2.7%) were sexually entire, and these were all ≤ 6-years. Crossbred cats outnumbered pedigree cats by a ratio of 3.3:1. The Burmese was the most common breed, followed by the Persian. The median age of pedigree cats (5.5 years) was significantly lower than for domestic crossbred cats (7.0 years). Most cats were housed both indoors and outdoors (72.6%), with 19.7% being restricted to indoors and/or “pet park enclosures”. Pedigree cats were significantly more likely than crossbreds to be housed indoors. Most cat owners fed their cats a combination of commercial dry and canned food (38.1%), although fresh meat was popular also and either fed alone (1.6%) or in combination with dry food (14.4%), tinned food (1.6%) or canned and dry food (25.8%). A diet consisting of dry food alone was fed to cats in 13.4% of households. Ninety percent of cats had been vaccinated at least once, while 72.2% received a vaccination in the last three years. Older cats were less likely to have been vaccinated recently than younger cats. Only 5.8% of cats had never visited a veterinarian. For the 243 cats that had received veterinary attention, the average number of years since the last visit was 1.5. Keywords: cat, age, breed, gender, population, cross-sectional study, survey, Australia
Exploring the Relationship between Perceived Acceptability and Referendum Voting Support for Alternative Road Pricing Schemes
06 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.

stakeholders as a pre-condition for gaining support from politicians. This paper explores the key influences and the extent to which particular road pricing schemes are acceptable to the community at large, and how this translates into support if a scheme were subject to a vote in a referendum. Using data collected in Sydney in 2012 from a sample of car users, we estimate a recursive simultaneous bivariate probit model that recognises the endogeneity effect of scheme acceptability on voting plans. We find that there is a very strong link between voting intentions and scheme acceptability, and provide a series of direct elasticity estimates of the influence that the cost elements of road pricing reform schemes have on the joint probability of accepting and voting for a scheme.
Complementing Distance based Charges with Discounted Registration Fees in the Reform of Road User Charges: the Impact for Motorists and Government Revenue
06 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Mulley, Corinne

The call for a congestion charge is getting louder and more frequent in many countries as major metropolitan areas experience increasing levels of road congestion. This is often accompanied by a recognition that governments need to find new sources of revenue to maintain existing road networks and to invest in new transport infrastructure. Although reform of road pricing is almost certain to occur at some time in the future in a number of countries, a key challenge is in selling the idea to the community of road users as well as a whole raft of interest groups that influence the views of society and politicians. Simply announcing a need for a congestion charge (often misleadingly called a tax) does little to progress the reform agenda. What is required is a carefully structured demonstration of what might be done to progressively introduce adjustments in road user charges that are seen as reducing the costs to motorists while ensuring no loss of revenue to government. In this paper we show, in the context of Sydney (Australia), that this can be achieved by the reform of registration fees in the presence of a distance-based charging regime that can deliver financial gains to motorists, with prospects of revenue growth to the State Treasury.
What Type of Road Pricing Scheme might appeal to Politicians? Viewpoints on the Challenge in gaining the citizen and public servant vote by staging reform
06 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Bliemer, Michiel C. J.

The greatest hurdle facing road pricing reform is political commitment. With rare exception, efforts to introduce significant reform in road pricing, aimed at raising sufficient revenue to ensure that road investment and ongoing maintenance is secured, without an additional impost to users above current outlays, while at the same time reducing traffic congestion, has fallen largely on politically non-supportive ears. The big challenge is to convince politicians (and their advisers) that it is possible to reform road pricing so that users are made better off (at least the great majority) in terms of time spent travelling and monies outlaid, and that government secures growing levels of revenue, but with at least some funds being used to improve public transport and the existing road network. This paper identifies the major issues that make much of the academic research into road pricing somewhat limited in terms of achieving real change. Staging reform is an appealing way forward, but ensuring the order and timing of events to secure progress is the big challenge. We offer some suggestions, including some ideas on new language designed to increase the level of buy in, and recognise that progress through action will require compromises in respect of an ‘ideal’ economically efficient pricing reform agenda.
Referendum Voting in Road Pricing Reform: A Review of the Evidence
06 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Li, Zheng

Voting support for congestion charging has a very recent history with, until now, only two congestion charging schemes approved by a majority in referendum voting (Stockholm and Milan). This paper presents a review of referendum voting behaviour in road pricing reform, in which a number of key factors that influence voters’ behaviour are identified including voter expectations, awareness of what road pricing reform means, familiarity with the road pricing debate, perceived fairness, environmental concerns, car dependence, and the value of a trial. The two most important reasons that the majority of congestion charging proposals were voted against in referenda in jurisdictions such as Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK are uncertainty associated with the effectiveness of congestion charging and the lack of information on congestion charging. Based on two successful congestion charging referenda and ideas from research studies, this paper proposes a two-step approach to address the barriers to the successful implementation of congestion charging in a package of transport reform initiatives.
Congestion Charging and Car Use: A Review of Stated Preference and Opinion Studies
06 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Li, Zheng

This paper reviews 17 published congestion pricing studies with a focus on the dimensions of the stated preference or opinion survey, especially the type of charging regime and the structure of the charge. The effectiveness and acceptability of different charging regimes, as well as behavioural responses such as changes in departure time, car use, mode, residential and work location, are synthesised, and used to provide insights to enrich our understanding of the potential role that specific road pricing schemes might play in influencing behavioural change.
Multimodal pricing and optimal design of urban public transport: the interplay between traffic congestion and bus crowding
06 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Tirachini, Alejandro;Rose, John M

The interplay between congestion and crowding externalities in the design of urban bus systems is identified and analysed. A multimodal social welfare maximisation model with spatially disaggregated demand is developed, in which users choose between travelling by bus, car or walking in a transport corridor. Optimisation variables are bus fare, congestion toll, bus frequency, bus size, fare collection system, bus boarding policy and the number of seats inside buses. We find that optimal bus frequency results from a trade‐off between the level of congestion inside buses, i.e., passengers’ crowding, and the level of congestion outside buses, i.e., the effect of frequency on slowing down both buses and cars in mixed‐traffic roads. A numerical application shows that optimal frequency is quite sensitive to the assumptions on crowding costs, impact of buses on traffic congestion, and overall congestion level. If crowding matters to users, buses should have as many seats as possible, up to a minimum area that must be left free of seats. If for any other reason planners decide to have buses with fewer seats than optimal (e.g., to increase bus capacity), frequency should be increased to compensate for the discomfort imposed on public transport users. Finally, the consideration of crowding externalities (on both seating and standing) imposes a sizeable increase in the optimal bus fare, and consequently, a reduction of the optimal bus subsidy.
Crowding in public transport systems: effects on users, operation and implications for the estimation of demand
07 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Rose, John M.;Tirachini, Alejandro

The effects of high passenger density at bus stops, at rail stations, inside buses and trains are diverse. This paper examines the multiple dimensions of passenger crowding related to public transport demand, supply and operations, including effects on operating speed, waiting time, travel time reliability, passengers’ wellbeing, valuation of waiting and invehicle time savings, route and bus choice, and optimal levels of frequency, vehicle size and fare. Secondly, crowding externalities are estimated for rail and bus services in Sydney, in order to show the impact of crowding on the estimated value of in‐vehicle time savings and demand prediction. Using Multinomial Logit (MNL) and Error Components models, we show that alternative assumptions concerning the threshold load factor that triggers a crowding externality effect do have an influence on the value of travel time (VTTS) for low occupancy levels (all passengers sitting); however, for high occupancy levels, alternative crowding models estimate similar VTTS. Importantly, if demand for a public transport service is estimated without explicit consideration of crowding as a source of disutility for passengers, demand will be overestimated if the service is designed to have a number of standees beyond a threshold, as analytically shown using a MNL choice model.
The role of perceived acceptability of alternatives in identifying and assessing choice set processing strategies in stated choice settings: The case of road pricing reform
07 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Ho, Chinh

In designing choice experiments, it is common to present a number of alternatives to a respondent and have them choose the most preferred alternative. However, respondents may ignore one or more alternatives which they deem unacceptable for various reasons. This possibility aligns with the idea of the ‘consideration set’ which influences the choice of an alternative given the choice set of interest. This paper uses an endogenous choice set model to investigate the influence that contextual effects and socioeconomic characteristics play in explaining variations in the choice sets considered by respondents when they reveal their preferences.
Crowding in Public Transport: A Review of Objective and Subjective Measures
07 July 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Li, Zheng

Crowding in public transport is becoming a growing concern as demand grows at a rate that is outstripping available capacity. To capture the user benefits associated with reduced crowding from improved public transport, it is necessary to identify the relevant dimensions of crowding that are meaningful measures of what crowding means to travellers. There are a number of objective and subjective measures of crowding promoted in the literature, with some objective measures being used as the basis of a standard of acceptable levels of practice. There is a disconnection between objective measures and subjective measures, the latter representing what matters to users. We illustrate the difference in a comparison of monitored crowding levels using crowding measures defined by the rail operator/authority in Sydney and Melbourne, and the level of crowding experienced by rail passengers from two recent surveys, to reveal the significant gap between objective and subjective measures of crowding.
A workplace choice model accounting for spatial competition and agglomeration effects
11 July 2016
University of Sydney

Ho, Chinh Q;Hensher, David A.

This paper develops a new model of workplace choice for the Sydney Greater Metropolitan Area (SGMA) and describes the way in which this model is integrated into a general modelling framework of MetroScan, an improved version of the Transportation and Environment Strategy Impact Simulator Transportation (TRESIS). The developed model accounts for spatial competition of alternative workplaces via accessibility variables measured to attractions of both the same and different types. The new model also has two new refinements. First, a much finer geographical level is used for modelling worker's choice of workplace given the location of firms and the distribution of jobs. Second, an employment agglomeration effect is incorporated by the inclusion of jobs in the industry class relevant to the worker and two accessibility measures. Modelling analysis on data collected from a survey conducted in Sydney in 2013 identifies highly significant spatial competition and employment agglomeration effects explaining workplace choice. The application of this model to analyse policy relating to the redistribution or growth of jobs within a general framework of MetroScan is discussed.
Vehicle value of travel time savings: Evidence from a group based modelling approach
11 July 2016
University of Sydney

Ho, Chinh Q;Mulley, Corinne;Shiftan, Yoram;Hensher, David A.

The value of travel time savings (VTTS) accounts for a majority of the total user benefits in economic appraisal of transport investments. This means that having an accurate estimate of VTTS for different segments of travel continues to retain currency, despite there being a rich literature on estimates of VTTS for different travel modes, travel purposes, income groups, life cycles, and distance bands. In contrast, there is a dearth of research and evidence on vehicle VTTS, although joint travel by car is an important segment of travel. This paper fills this gap by developing a group-based modelling approach to quantify the vehicle VTTS and compares this with the VTTS for a driver with and without a passenger. An online survey was conducted in Sydney in 2014 and the data used to obtain a number of new empirical estimates of vehicle and driver VTTS. The new evidence questions the validity of various assumptions adopted in current practice for valuing the time savings of car passengers and multiple occupant cars.
Accommodating Perceptual Conditioning in the Valuation of Expected Travel Time Savings for Cars and Public Transport
12 July 2016
University of Sydney

Li, Zheng;Hensher, David A.;Rose, John M

Travel time variability (i.e., random variations in travel time) leads to a travel time distribution for a repeated trip from a fixed origin to destination (e.g., from home to work). To represent travel time variability, a series of possible travel times per alternative (departure time, route or mode) are often used in stated choice experiments. In the traditional models, the probabilities associated with different travel scenarios (e.g., arriving early, on time and late) shown in the experiments are directly used as weights. However, evidence from psychology suggests that the shown probabilities may be transformed (underweighted or overweighted) by respondents. To account for this transformation of probabilities, this study incorporates perceptual conditioning through a non-linear probability weighting function into a utility maximisation framework, within which the empirical estimate of the value of expected travel time savings is estimated. The key advantage of this framework is that the estimated willingness to pay value can be directly linked to the source of utility (i.e., the probability distribution of travel time), while taking into account the perceptual transformation of probabilities.
Understanding Buy in for Risky Prospects: Incorporating Degree of Belief into the ex ante Assessment of Support for Alternative Road Pricing Schemes
03 August 2016
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.;Rose, John M;Collins, Andrew T

This paper investigates support for road pricing reform within a referendum voting choice model. Central to this is how to identify believable ex-ante support for specific road pricing schemes. Our approach is centred on a referendum voting choice model for alternative road pricing schemes, with information that accounts for the degree of belief of the extent to which such schemes will make voters better or worse off. We find accounting for belief in the benefits results in sizeable reductions in the sensitivity to the levels of the charge, but quite small impacts on the sensitivity to revenue allocation.
Fuel poverty increases risk of mould contamination, regardless of adult risk perception & ventilation in social housing properties
27 September 2016
University of Sydney

Sharpe, Richard A.;Thornton, Christopher R.;Nikolaou, Vasilis;Osborne, Nicholas J.

INTRODUCTION: Fuel poverty affects 2.4 million UK homes leading to poor hygrothermal conditions and risk of mould and house dust mite contaminations, which in turn increases risk of asthma exacerbation. For the first time we assess how fuel poverty, occupants' risk perception and use of mechanical ventilation mediate the risk of mould contamination in social housing. METHODS: Postal questionnaires were sent to 3867 social housing properties to collect adult risk perception, and demographic and environmental information on occupants. Participant details were linked to data pertaining to the individual properties. Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and confidence intervals while allowing for clustering of individuals coming from the same housing estate. We used Structured Equation Modelling and Goodness of Fit analysis in mediation analyses to examine the role of fuel poverty, risk perception, use of ventilation and energy efficiency. RESULTS: Eighteen percent of our target social housing populations (671 households) were included into our study. High risk perception (score of 8-10) was associated with reduced risk of mould contamination in the bedrooms of children (OR 0.5 95% CI; 0.3-0.9) and adults (OR 0.4 95% CI; 0.3-0.7). High risk perception of living with inadequate heating and ventilation reduced the risk of mould contamination (OR 0.5 95% CI; 0.3-0.8 and OR 0.5 95% CI; 0.3-0.7, respectively). Participants living with inadequate heating and not heating due to the cost of fuel had an increased risk of mould contamination (OR 3.4 95% CI; 2.0-5.8 and OR 2.2 95% CI; 1.5-3.2, respectively). Increased risk perception and use of extractor fans did not mediate the association between fuel poverty behaviours and increased risk of mould contamination. DISCUSSION: Fuel poverty behaviours increased the risk of mould contamination, which corresponds with existing literature. For the first time we used mediation analysis to assess how this association maybe modified by occupant behaviours. Increased risk perception and use of extractor fans did not modify the association between fuel poverty and mould contamination. This suggests that fuel poor populations may not benefit from energy efficiency interventions due to ineffective heating and ventilation practices of those occupants residing participating households. Our findings may be modified by a complex interaction between occupant behaviours and the built environment. We found that participant age, occupancy, SES, pets, drying washing indoors, geographic location, architectural design/age of the property, levels of insulation and type of heating regulated risk of mould contamination. CONCLUSION: Fuel poverty behaviours affected around a third of participating households and represent a risk factor for increased exposures to damp and mouldy conditions, regardless of adult risk perception, heating and ventilation practices. This requires multidisciplinary approach to assess the complex interaction between occupant behaviours, risk perception, the built environment and the effective use of heating and ventilation practices. STUDY IMPLICATIONS: Our findings have implications for housing policies and future housing interventions. Effective communication strategies focusing on awareness and perception of risk may help address indoor air quality issues. This must be supported by improved household energy efficiency with the provision of more effective heating and ventilation strategies, specifically to help alleviate those suffering from fuel poverty.
Where Internal and International Migration Intersect: Mobility and the Formation of Multi-Ethnic Communities in the Riau Islands Transit Zone
29 November 2016
University of Sydney

Lyons, Lenore;Ford, Michele

While migration studies scholars have paid considerable attention to internal migration within Indonesia, as well as to international labour migration flows from Indonesia, they have rarely considered the intersections between these two processes. This paper addresses the gap through a close analysis of migration flows in one of Indonesia’s key transit areas – the Riau Islands. We argue that in the borderlands the processes of internal and international migration are mutually constitutive. The Riau Islands’ status as a transit zone for international labour migrants and as a destination for internal migrants determines its demographic profile and policies of migration control. Bordering practices are strongly influenced by the fact that not everyone who comes to the Riau Islands has the intention of moving on, and not all international migrants returning to the islands intend to go home. Our analysis demonstrates that internal migration cannot be understood as a solely national phenomenon, and that international migration cannot only be explained by push and pull factors in sending and receiving destinations. These complexities necessitate research and policy responses that take into account the unique character of the transit provinces, and the role that their geographical location plays in the formation of multi-ethnic communities and the management of migration.
Household Air Pollution intervention implications: findings from qualitative studies and a field trial of clean cookstoves in two rural villages in India
20 March 2017
University of Sydney

Alam, Ashraful;Tawale, Nanda;Patel, Archana;Dibley, Michael;Jadhao, Sunil;Raynes-Greenow, Camille

Exposure to household air pollution is estimated to be the 3rd largest contributor to the global burden of disease and the largest contributor in South Asia. Unacceptability of improved cook stoves by the intended user has been identified as a crucial factor hindering uptake and sustained use. We conducted a qualitative study to understand the socio-cultural factors that influence acceptance of improved cookstoves and conducted a systematic field trial in two rural villages in Maharashtra, India. The qualitative study used semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. We included women primarily responsible for household cooking, their husbands, senior women in their households, and community health workers. We also conducted kitchen observations. The results indicated low awareness and knowledge of the health risks associated with traditional cookstove use although high prevalence of household air pollution (HAP) exposure symptoms among all groups. Women were resigned to using traditional cookstoves although they did not like them. The field trial findings were dominated by responses concerned with convenience and health advantages. We identify important issues to be considered when introducing an improved cookstove programme that will increase acceptability and potentially sustained used of improved cookstoves.
Mutable spaces and unseen places: A study of access, communication and spatial control in households at Early Iron Age (EIA) Zagora on Andros
25 July 2017
University of Sydney

Mann, Kristen Patricia

This paper explores household spatiality using excavated household data from the Early Iron Age settlement of Zagora on Andros, in Greece. The site has extensive household remains, undisturbed by subsequent occupation, with clear evidence of an intensification of spatial arrangements during the final phase of occupation. As such, the Zagora material is well-suited to nuanced investigations of space and human behaviour. The principles of convex spatial analysis (access analysis) are employed as a first step in examining spatial arrangements and control in the context of human behaviour. Emphasis is placed on the value of access analysis as a visual (rather than quantitative) tool for exploring the use and perception of space from partially preserved household remains. This research queries how identified patterns of access and communication might have shaped the experience and social perception of household space. It examines the degree of control over sight, movement and the level of interaction between household inhabitants and the larger community. It then considers how other spatial attributes such as access to natural light, and the configuration of floor areas, hearths and other built features can help us further explore the functional and social implications of spatial arrangements. This analysis allows for the patterns, characteristics and attributes of different spatial systems to be readily and visually assessed. Most importantly, the approach is provisional not prescriptive, and does not prioritise one spatial interpretation over others
Economic considerations of patients and caregivers in choosing a dialysis modality
30 January 2018
University of Sydney

Walker, Rachael C;Howard, Kirsten;Tong, Allison;Palmer, Suetonia C;Marshall, Mark R;Morton, Rachael L

Introduction Broader adoption of home dialysis could lead to considerable cost savings for health services. Globally, however, uptake remains low. The aim of this study was to describe patient and caregiver perspectives of the economic considerations that influence dialysis modality choice, and elicit policy-relevant recommendations. Methods Semistructured interviews with predialysis or dialysis patients and their caregivers, at three hospitals in New Zealand. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically. Findings 43 patients and 9 caregivers (total n = 52) participated. The three themes related to economic considerations were: (i) productivity losses associated with changes in employment; (ii) the need for personal subsidization of home dialysis expenses; and (iii) the role of socio-economic disadvantage as a barrier to home dialysis. Patients weighed the flexibility of home dialysis which allowed them to remain employed, against time required for training and out-of-pocket costs. Patients saw the lack of reimbursement of home dialysis costs as unjust and suggested that reimbursement would incentivize home dialysis uptake. Social disadvantage was a barrier to home dialysis as patients’ housing was often unsuitable; they could not afford the additional treatment costs. Home hemodialysis was considered to have the highest out-of-pocket costs and was sometimes avoided for this reason. Discussion Our data suggests that economic considerations underpin the choices patients make about dialysis treatments, however these are rarely reported. To promote home dialysis, strategies to improve employment retention and housing, and to minimize out-of-pocket costs, need to be addressed directly by healthcare providers and payers.
Validating and improving CT ventilation imaging by correlating with ventilation 4D-PET/CT using 68Ga-labeled nanoparticles.
23 March 2018
University of Sydney

Kipritidis, J;Siva, S;Hofman, M;Callahan, J;Hicks, R;Keall, P

PURPOSE: CT ventilation imaging is a novel functional lung imaging modality based on deformable image registration. The authors present the first validation study of CT ventilation using positron emission tomography with (68)Ga-labeled nanoparticles (PET-Galligas). The authors quantify this agreement for different CT ventilation metrics and PET reconstruction parameters. METHODS: PET-Galligas ventilation scans were acquired for 12 lung cancer patients using a four-dimensional (4D) PET/CT scanner. CT ventilation images were then produced by applying B-spline deformable image registration between the respiratory correlated phases of the 4D-CT. The authors test four ventilation metrics, two existing and two modified. The two existing metrics model mechanical ventilation (alveolar air-flow) based on Hounsfield unit (HU) change (VHU) or Jacobian determinant of deformation (VJac). The two modified metrics incorporate a voxel-wise tissue-density scaling (ρVHU and ρVJac) and were hypothesized to better model the physiological ventilation. In order to assess the impact of PET image quality, comparisons were performed using both standard and respiratory-gated PET images with the former exhibiting better signal. Different median filtering kernels (σm = 0 or 3 mm) were also applied to all images. As in previous studies, similarity metrics included the Spearman correlation coefficient r within the segmented lung volumes, and Dice coefficient d20 for the (0 - 20)th functional percentile volumes. RESULTS: The best agreement between CT and PET ventilation was obtained comparing standard PET images to the density-scaled HU metric (ρVHU) with σm = 3 mm. This leads to correlation values in the ranges 0.22 ≤ r ≤ 0.76 and 0.38 ≤ d20 ≤ 0.68, with r = 0.42 ± 0.16 and d20 = 0.52 ± 0.09 averaged over the 12 patients. Compared to Jacobian-based metrics, HU-based metrics lead to statistically significant improvements in r and d20 (p < 0.05), with density scaled metrics also showing higher r than for unscaled versions (p < 0.02). r and d20 were also sensitive to image quality, with statistically significant improvements using standard (as opposed to gated) PET images and with application of median filtering. CONCLUSIONS: The use of modified CT ventilation metrics, in conjunction with PET-Galligas and careful application of image filtering has resulted in improved correlation compared to earlier studies using nuclear medicine ventilation. However, CT ventilation and PET-Galligas do not always provide the same functional information. The authors have demonstrated that the agreement can improve for CT ventilation metrics incorporating a tissue density scaling, and also with increasing PET image quality. CT ventilation imaging has clear potential for imaging regional air volume change in the lung, and further development is warranted.
Pavement condition and crashes
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Yokoo, Toshihiro;Levinson, David;Marasteanu, Mihai

Change in weather state (such as the freeze-thaw cycle) leads to distresses in pave- ment materials. It has been hypothesized that poor pavement quality reduces the ability of roads to drain and reduces the ability of vehicles to resist skidding, and is thus associated with more crashes. This paper combines GIS data on crashes with a separate GIS database to test the hypothesis. Poor road quality is associated with more property damage and injury crashes. The interaction of road quality and curves was surprising, indicating that good pavement quality on curves increased the fatal, injury, and property-damage crash rate.
Measures of Speeding from a GPS-based Travel Behavior Survey
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Yokoo, Toshihiro;Levinson, David

Objective: Lacking information about actual driving speed on most roads in the Minneapolis - St. Paul region, we determine car speeds using observations from a GPS-based travel survey. Speed of travel determines the likelihood of, and consequences of, collisions. We identify the road segments where speeding occurs. This paper then analyzes the relationship between road network structure, traveler characteristics, and speed- ing using GPS data collected from 152 individuals over a 7 day period as part of the Minneapolis - St. Paul Travel Behavior Inventory. Methods: To investigate the relationship, we employed an algorithm and process to match the GPS data with GIS databases accurately (1). Comparing actual travel speed from GPS data with posted speed limits, we measure where and when speeding occurs, and by whom. We posit that road network structure and demographics shape the decision to speed. Results: Speeding is widespread in both high speed limit zones (e.g. 60 mph (97 km/h)) and low speed limit zones (less than 25 mph (40 km/h)); in contrast, speeding is less common in the 30 - 35 mph (48-56 km/h) zones. The results suggest driving patterns depend on the road type. We also find that when there are many intersections on the road, the average link speed (and speeding) drops. Long links are conducive to speeding. Younger drivers, and more educated drivers also speed more, and speeding is higher in the evening. Conclusions: Road design and network structure affects the likelihood of speeding. Use of increasingly available GPS data allows more systematic empirical analysis of designs and topologies that are conducive to road safety.
WALKING AND TALKING: THE EFFECT OF SMARTPHONE USE AND GROUP CONVERSATION ON PEDESTRIAN SPEED
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Reynolds Walsh, Lexie;Xian, Tingsen;Levinson, David

By testing the walking speed of groups of pedestrians and of phone users, followers of groups and of phone users, and of people uninfluenced by phone users and groups, from different sites it could been seen that groups of people and phone users, and often followers of phone users, walk significantly slower than people uninfluenced by phone. In a narrow path people in groups and phone users not only slow themselves down but also slow the people behind. The rise of the smartphone correlates with a reduction in walking speed.
DOCKLESS IN SYDNEY: THE RISE AND DECLINE OF BIKESHARING IN AUSTRALIA
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Heymes, Capucine;Levinson, David

In mid-2017, dockless, (or stationless) bikesharing appeared on the streets of Sydney. The birth of dockless bikesharing, its evolution as well as its consequences, and use habits are studied with review of policies and field investigations. It is found that bicycle use in Sydney is less than hoped for, vandalism is high, regulations unfavourable, and thus, the conditions for successful bikesharing are not met.
Optimum Stop Spacing for Accessibility
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Wu, Hao;Levinson, David

This paper describes the connection between stop spacing and person-weighted acces- sibility for a transit route. Population distribution is assumed to be uniform along the line, but at each station, demand drops with distance from the station. The study reveals that neither short nor excessive stop spacings are efficient in providing accessi- bility. For the configuration of each transit route, an optimum stop spacing exists that maximizes accessibility. Parameters including transit vehicle acceleration, deceleration, top speed, dwell time, and pedestrian walking speed affect level of accessibility achiev- able, and differ in their effect on accessibility results. The findings provide an anchor of reference both for the planning of future transit systems, and for transit operators to make operational changes to system design parameters that improve accessibility in a cost-effective manner. The study technically justifies the "rule of thumb" in setting different stop spacings for metro, streetcars, and other different transit services. Differ- ent types of transit vary in their ability to provide accessibility, slower moving streetcar (tram) type urban rails are inherently disadvantaged in that respect. Thus the type of transit service to be built should be of particular concern, if the transit is to effectively serve its intended population.
DISPARITY OF ACCESS: VARIATIONS IN TRANSIT SERVICE BY RACE, ETHNICITY, INCOME, AND AUTO AVAILABILITY
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Borowski, Elisa;Ermagun, Alireza;Levinson, David

This study explores the relationship between transit-based job accessibility and minority races and ethnicities, low- and middle-income households, and carless households at the block group level for the 50 largest by population metropolitan regions in the United States. A log-linear regression model is used to identify inequities in transit-based job accessibility across the US using data collected from the American Community Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Smart Location Database, and the Access Across America database. The intra-metropolitan analyses reveal that accessibility is unevenly distributed across block groups that have different densities of race and levels of income. The differences in accessibility are especially apparent where there are denser pockets with higher percentages of African Americans, Hispanics, low-income households, and zero-car households. The inter-metropolitan analyses show that accessibility is unevenly distributed across metropolitan regions across the US when considering various sociodemographic populations. Different metropolitan regions provide different levels of accessibility for all investigated sociodemographic categories, whether considering racial minorities, levels of income, or car ownership. The results may inform recommendations for equitable transport planning and policy-making.
Accessibility, equity, and the journey to work
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Cui, Boer;Boisjoly, Geneviève;El-Geneidy, Ahmed;Levinson, David

Inequality in transport provision is an area of growing concern among transport professionals, as it results in low-income individuals travelling at lower speeds while covering smaller distances. Accessibility, the ease of reaching destinations, may hold the key in correcting these inequalities through providing a means to evaluate land use and transport interventions. This article examines the relationship between accessibility and commuting duration for low-income individuals, compared to the general population, in three major Canadian metropolitan regions, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver using multilevel mixed effects statistical models for car and public transport commuters separately. Accessibility measures are generated for jobs and workers both at the origin (home) and the destination (place of work) to account for the impact of competing labor and firms. Our models show that the impacts of accessibility on commuting duration are present and stronger for low-income individuals than for the general population, and the differences in impact are more visible for public transport commuters. The results suggest that low-income individuals have more to gain (in terms of reduced commute time) from increased accessibility to low-income jobs at the origin and to workers at the destination. Similarly, they also have more to lose from increased accessibility to low-income workers at the origin and to low- income jobs at the destination, which are proxies for increased competition. Policies targeting improvements in accessibility to jobs, especially low-income ones, by car and public transport while managing the presence of competition can serve to bridge the inequality gap that exists in commuting behavior.
I only get some satisfaction: Introducing satisfaction into measures of accessibility
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Chaloux, Nick;Boisjoly, Geneviève;Grisé, Emily;El-Geneidy, Ahmed;Levinson, David

Improving accessibility is a goal pursued by many metropolitan regions to address a variety of objectives. Accessibility, or the ease of reaching destinations, is traditionally measured using observed travel time and has of yet not accounted for user satisfaction with these travel times. As trip satisfaction is a major component of the underlying psychology of travel, we introduce satisfaction into accessibility measures and demonstrate its viability for future use. To do so, we generate a new satisfaction-based measure of accessibility where the impedance functions are determined from the travel time data of satisfying trips gathered from the 2017/2018 McGill Transport Survey. This satisfaction-based measure is used to calculate accessibility to jobs by four modes (public transport, car, walking, and cycling) in the Montreal metropolitan region, with the results then compared to a standard gravity-based measure of accessibility. We then offer a dissatisfaction index where we combine the ratio between satisfaction-based and gravity-based accessibility measures with mode share data. This index highlights areas with potentially high proportions of dissatisfied commuters and where interventions for each mode could have the highest impacts on the quality of life of a given mode commuter. Such analysis is then combined with a vulnerability index to show the value of this measure in setting priorities for vulnerable groups. The study demonstrates the importance of including satisfaction in accessibility measures and allows for a more nuanced interpretation of the ease of access by researchers, planners, and policy-makers.
A Comparative Analysis of Coordination, Participation, and Training in Post-Disaster Shelter Projects
26 November 2018
University of Sydney

Opdyke, Aaron;Javernick-Will, Amy;Koschmann, Matthew

The delivery of post-disaster shelter assistance continues to be fraught with challenges derived from the coordination of resources, involvement of project stakeholders, and training of households and builders. There is a need to better understand what project elements in the delivery of post-disaster shelter projects most influence resilience and sustainability. To address this need, we examined nineteen post-disaster shelter projects in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. We first characterized coordination, participation, and training employed across the planning, design, and construction phases of shelter projects and then used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to assess the influence of these elements, alone and in combination, on building resilient and sustainable community infrastructure systems. Findings show that early involvement of households in planning efforts, combined with subsequent training, was important in evolving recovery outcomes. Our results point to the importance of: (1) supporting household sheltering processes over delivering hard products; (2) strategically linking project processes across phases; and (3) aligning humanitarian actions with long-term development. Conclusions from this study contribute to theory of sheltering in developing communities and more broadly to theory of recovery processes that link to community resilience and sustainability.
Constructing Authority in Disaster Relief Coordination
26 November 2018
University of Sydney

Koschmann, Matthew;Kopczynski, Jared;Opdyke, Aaron;Javernick-Will, Amy

The purpose of our study is to explore the social construction of authority in disaster relief coordination. We emphasize the ways in which stakeholders draw upon various discursive resources in order to establish or preserve their authority to act within a certain problem domain. We review literature on authority, coordination, communication, and collaborative work to provide a theoretical framework that informs our empirical examples. Next we present a case study of disaster relief coordination in the Philippines following Typhoon Yolanda (known internationally as Haiyan). Our case focuses on home reconstruction in the Cebu province of the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm where most of the homes were destroyed or severely damaged. This case demonstrates organizations do not have authority within this problem domain, but instead construct authority through practice and sensemaking in order to accomplish a variety of individual and collective goals; authority is in a constant state of negotiation as various organizations coordinate with each other (or not) to provide effective disaster relief. We conclude with a discussion about the contributions and implications of our research.
Inter-Organizational Resource Coordination in Post-Disaster Infrastructure Recovery
26 November 2018
University of Sydney

Opdyke, Aaron;Lepropre, Florence;Javernick-Will, Amy;Koschmann, Matthew

Despite significant advances in strengthening post-disaster recovery efforts, misaligned strategy and inefficient resource allocation are far too often the norm for infrastructure reconstruction. To examine the inter-organizational networks that form to coordinate resources for infrastructure reconstruction, we employed social network analysis in 19 communities in the Philippines following Super Typhoon Haiyan, at 6 and 12 months post-disaster. To build these networks, we analysed interview, field observation and documentation data collected from non-governmental organizations, local governments and communities. A survey questionnaire was also administered to organizations working in selected communities to validate networks. Results from network analysis established that information was the most commonly shared resource by organizations, followed by financial, material and human resources. Government agencies had the highest actor centralities; however, qualitative data suggest that these roles were the result of obligatory consultations by international organizations and lacked legitimacy in practice. Findings further demonstrate that networks become more decentralized over time as actors leave and roles become more established, influenced by short-term expatriate contracts and the termination of United Nations supported cluster coordination. Findings could help organizations strengthen humanitarian response efforts by attending to resource allocation and knowledge sharing with other organizations.
Characterizing Post-Disaster Reconstruction Training Methods and Learning Styles
26 November 2018
University of Sydney

Zerio, Alexander;Opdyke, Aaron;Javernick-Will, Amy

Large disasters damage or destroy infrastructure that is then reconstructed through programmes that train community members in construction techniques that reduce future risks. Despite the number of post-disaster reconstruction programmes implemented, there is a dearth of research on education and training in post-disaster contexts. To address this gap, we applied a mixed methods approach based upon experiential learning theory (ELT) to three shelter programmes administered in Eastern Samar, Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. First, we characterize post-disaster training programmes based on learning modes and then, compared this to the learning styles of community members. To assess learning modes of training programmes, we analysed qualitative data from interview accounts of community members and aid organizations; and, to delineate community member’s learning style preferences, we analysed quantitative data from survey questionnaires. Findings show that aid organizations administered training largely in lecture format, aligning with the reflective observation mode of ELT, but lacked diversity in formats represented in other poles of ELT. Moreover, analysis revealed that community members tended to grasp new information in accordance with the concrete experimentation mode, then preferred transforming newly acquired knowledge via the reflective observation mode. The lecture-based training predominately administered by aid organizations partially aligned with community learning preferences, but fell short in cultivating other forms of knowledge acquisition known to enhance long-term learning.
Seismic vulnerability of multi-span continuous girder bridges with steel fibre reinforced concrete columns
22 January 2019
University of Sydney

Zhang, Y.;Dias-da-Costa, D.

The occurrence of earthquakes during the lifetime of bridges can result in the closure or even the failure of the structure. The vulnerability of multi-span continuous girder (MSCG) bridges strongly depends on the seismic performance of its columns. This paper investigates the seismic vulnerability of MSCG bridges with reinforced concrete (RC), steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) and RC-SFRC columns. Quasi-static tests were conducted on eight different columns to obtain the limit-state capacities and validate numerical models. Numerical analyses were performed on MSCG reference bridges with RC, SFRC or RC-SFRC columns to derive probabilistic models of the demands upon critical components. Fragility curves were established as a function of peak ground acceleration by integrating the capacity distributions with correlated component demand distributions. Results indicate that: i) SFRC columns with 1.0% fibre ratio show a better performance-price ratio for improving the structural capacity, compared with those with 1.5%; ii) MSCG bridges with SFRC and RC-SFRC columns are less vulnerable to earthquakes when compared with those constructed using only RC, and these differences increasing with the earthquake intensity; and iii) the seismic vulnerability of MSCG bridges with SFRC placed only at the plastic hinges is similar to the one found SFRC on the whole column. On a broader perspective, the conclusions drawn could offer a new strategy for the seismic enhancement or retrofit of MSCG bridges in earthquake regions, with optimal use of SFRC.
Impact of audiovisual biofeedback on interfraction respiratory motion reproducibility in liver cancer stereotactic body radiotherapy.
01 February 2019
University of Sydney

Pollock, S;Tse, R;Martin, D;McLean, L;Pham, M;Tait, D;Estoesta, R;Whittington, G;Turley, J;Kearney, C;Cho, G;Hill, R;Pickard, S;Aston, P;Makhija, K;O'Brien, R;Keall, P

INTRODUCTION: Irregular breathing motion exacerbates uncertainties throughout a course of radiation therapy. Breathing guidance has demonstrated to improve breathing motion consistency. This was the first clinical implementation of audiovisual biofeedback (AVB) breathing guidance over a course of liver stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) investigating interfraction reproducibility. METHODS: Five liver cancer patients underwent a screening procedure prior to CT sim during which patients underwent breathing conditions (i) AVB, or (ii) free breathing (FB). Whichever breathing condition was more regular was utilised for the patient's subsequent course of SBRT. Respiratory motion was obtained from the Varian respiratory position monitoring (RPM) system (Varian Medical Systems). Breathing motion reproducibility was assessed by the variance of displacement across 10 phase-based respiratory bins over each patient's course of SBRT. RESULTS: The screening procedure yielded the decision to utilise AVB for three patients and FB for two patients. Over the course of SBRT, AVB significantly improved the relative interfraction motion by 32%, from 22% displacement difference for FB patients to 15% difference for AVB patients. Further to this, AVB facilitated sub-millimetre interfraction reproducibility for two AVB patients. CONCLUSION: There was significantly less interfraction motion with AVB than FB. These findings demonstrate that AVB is potentially a valuable tool in ensuring reproducible interfraction motion.
Yulyurdu: Smoke in the Desert
11 February 2019
University of Sydney

Musharbash, Yasmine

I begin this paper with a nod to ‘the beginning’ by linking smoke to fire, and fire to humankind. Bound up in this deep history of smoke and humanity is a dichotomy cleaving humans from animals and the west from the rest. Taking smoke at Yuendumu, a Warlpiri community in central Australia as my subject, I aim to destabilise some of the certainties entrenched in this dichotomy. Smoke, of course, is nigh impossible to pin down, literally as well as conceptually. So rather than trying to immobilise it, I follow in smoke’s own fashion and waft across different kinds of fires and different kinds of analytical approaches. Ethnographically, I draw a narrative picture of the different ways in which smoke at Yuendumu permeates everyday life by considering the smoke of breakfast fires, signalling fires, cooking fires during storms, caring-for-country fires, and the scent of cold smoke on blankets, clothes, and bodies. Analytically, I move from smoke and how it relates to embodied Warlpiri ways of being in the world, to smoke and childhood socialisation, including baby smoking rituals. From there I shift to the smoke of caring-for-country fires, and on to smoke, memory, odourphilia, and odourphobia. I conclude by pondering the potential of a smoke-like approach.
Dynamic response to sound and vibration of the guinea pig utricular macula, measured in vivo using Laser Doppler Vibrometry
22 February 2019
University of Sydney

Pastras, Christopher;Curthoys, Ian S;Brown, Daniel John

With the use of a commercially available Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) we have measured the velocity of the surgically exposed utricular macula in the dorsoventral plane, in anaesthetized guinea pigs, during Air Conducted Sound (ACS) or Bone Conducted Vibration (BCV) stimulation. We have also performed simultaneous measurements of otolithic function in the form of the Utricular Microphonic (UM) and the Vestibular short-latency Evoked Potential (VsEP). Based on the level of macular vibration measured with the LDV, the UM was most sensitive to ACS and BCV between 100 and 200 Hz. The phase of the UM relative to the phase of the macular motion was relatively consistent across frequency for ACS stimulation, but varied by several cycles for BCV stimulation, suggesting a different macromechanical mode of utricular receptor activation. Moreover, unlike ACS, BCV evoked substantially distorted UM and macular vibration responses at certain frequencies, most likely due to complex resonances of the skull. Analogous to LDV studies of organ of Corti vibration, this method provides the means to study the dynamic response of the utricular macula whilst simultaneously measuring function.
Absolute tempo in multiple performances of Aboriginal songs: analyzing recordings of djanba 12 and djanba 14
10 May 2019
University of Sydney

Bailes, Freya;Barwick, Linda

Songs that are not notated but transmitted through live performance are of particular interest for the psychological study of the stability of tempo across multiple performances. While experimental research points to highly accurate memory for the tempi of well- known recorded music, this study asks whether there is any evidence of absolute tempo in a performance tradition that does not draw on such reference recordings. Fifty-four field recordings of performances of one Aboriginal dance-song, Djanba 14, were analyzed. Results showed that over a span of 34 years, performance tempi deviated positively or negatively, on average, by 2%. Such small tempo variation is similar to JND thresholds to discriminate the tempi of isochronous sequences. Thirty- five field recordings of another song from the same repertory, Djanba 12, deviated in tempi by an average of 3%. We discuss the musical, psychological, physical, and cultural factors likely to shape such temporal stability.
Hitting the white ceiling: Structural racism and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university graduates
15 July 2019
University of Sydney

Plater, S;Mooney-Somers, Julie;Barclay, Lesley;Boulton, John

This article reports on a study that explored what it means to be a mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university graduate in the context of age, life-stage, history, culture, socioeconomic status, race and place. Using narrative interview data and fieldwork observation, we focus on the graduates’ workplace experiences and take a case study approach to amplify their voices. We argue that the data challenges the ideological construct of Australia as a ‘post-racial’ society and illustrates how interrelated variants of structural racism function to sanction, silence and control educated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, divide communities into quasi-hierarchies and sustain white power and privilege. We show how these variants are expressed as low expectations, shadeism, culturism and privilege protectionism, and argue that their enactment can erect an invisible barrier to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professional progression: a ‘white ceiling’ above which many graduates struggle to ascend.
Primal and Dual Access
29 July 2019
University of Sydney

Cui, Mengying;Levinson, David

Accessibility, measuring the ease of reaching potential destinations, is increasingly being considered as an effective indicator to evaluate the performance of transport and land use interactions. Primal accessibility, a generalization of the first accessibility formulation proposed by Hansen (1959), has been widely used in many studies and demonstrated to be a reliable tool for project, program, and policy evaluation. The dual of accessibility, measuring the time required to reach a given number of opportunities, is less often considered but can be used for optimization in location-covering type problems. This paper, hence, clarifies the definitions of primal and dual access, and applies both measures to the Minneapolis - St. Paul metropolitan area for auto and transit to demonstrate their practicality as a metropolitan-level measurement. We explore the correlations and differences between the primal and dual access to better understand the relative strengths of the measures. It is found that, as with primal accessibility, dual accessibility is an efficient approach to evaluate accessibility, which is straightforward to calculate and to explain to policy-makers and the public.
Hazards and disasters in the Anthropocene: some critical reflections for the future
14 August 2019
University of Sydney

Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.

The arrival of the Anthropocene presents many challenges—both theoretical and practical. Scholars in different disciplines, practitioners, the public and others, are all considering the meaning of the Anthropocene and how its arrival affects their ways of knowing and doing. Given that a dominant narrative of the Anthropocene is one of a coming crisis, hazard, and disaster experts from different disciplines have much to contribute. Here, I briefly summarize the trajectory of hazards’ and disasters’ research through to the present to provide the context to ask a series of critical questions that experts in hazard and disaster might address to make theoretical and practical contributions to making the Anthropocene as good as it might be. The questions considered are: how useful is the contemporary crisis narrative of the Anthropocene for understanding the planetary history of hazards and disasters, and coupled to this; is the modern language of disaster risk reduction useful for understanding past disasters; how do we give voice to the more-than-human experiences of Anthropocene disasters; is it possible to mitigate the impacts of future hazards and disasters within the Anthropocene without addressing the root causes of vulnerability; how do we make space for slow emergencies and what do slow emergencies mean for understanding hazard and disaster in the Anthropocene; and finally, does the scholarship of hazard and disaster provide evidence useful for informing the debate about an early or late-start for the Anthropocene? © 2018, The Author(s).
Disaster declarations associated with bushfires, floods and storms in New South Wales, Australia between 2004 and 2014
21 August 2019
University of Sydney

Sewell, Thomas;Stephens, Ruby;Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.;Bruce, Eleanor;Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Sarah

Australia regularly experiences disasters triggered by natural hazards and New South Wales (NSW) the most populous State is no exception. To date, no publically available spatial and temporal analyses of disaster declarations triggered by hazards (specifically, bushfires, floods and storms) in NSW have been undertaken and no studies have explored the relationship between disaster occurrence and socio-economic disadvantage. We source, collate and analyse data about bushfire, flood and storm disaster declarations between 2004 and 2014. Floods resulted in the most frequent type of disaster declaration. The greatest number of disaster declarations occurred in 2012-2013. Whilst no significant Spearman's correlation exists between bushfire, flood and storm disaster declarations and the strength of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase, we observe that bushfire disaster declarations were much more common during El Niño, and flood disaster declarations were five times more common during La Niña phases. We identify a spatial cluster or 'hot spot' of disaster declarations in the northeast of the State that is also spatially coincident with 43% of the most socio-economically disadvantaged Local Government Areas in NSW. The results have implications for disaster risk management in the State. © The Author(s) 2016.
Urbanity, Precarity, and Homeland Activism. Burmese Migrants in Global Cities.
10 September 2019
University of Sydney

Banki, Susan

This article interrogates the link between urbanity and ‘precarity of place’ for non-citizen populations, relying on evidence drawn from the transnational homeland activities of Burmese migrants in two global cities (Bangkok and Tokyo). First, the article builds upon literatures of precarity and global cities to detail the complexity of urban spaces in relation to migration, and draws upon understandings of political mobilisation to explain homeland activism among non-citizen populations. It then focuses respectively on Bangkok and Tokyo, demonstrating the ways in which migrants from Burma of varying precarity utilise or forgo urban structures in each city. The article concludes that precarity does not necessarily reduce homeland activism, but may change its outward appearance. Urban structures, to a greater or lesser extent, influence that relationship.
Assessing the Impact of Household Participation on Satisfaction and Safe Design in Humanitarian Shelter Projects
23 September 2019
University of Sydney

Opdyke, Aaron;Javernick-Will, Amy;Koschmann, Matthew

Participation has long been considered important for post‐disaster recovery. Establishing what constitutes participation in post‐disaster shelter projects, however, has remained elusive, and the links between different types of participation and shelter programme outcomes are not well understood. Furthermore, recent case studies suggest that misguided participation strategies may be to blame for failures. This study analysed 19 shelter projects implemented in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013 to identify the forms of participation employed. Using fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis, it assessed how household participation in the planning, design, and construction phases of shelter reconstruction led to outcomes of household satisfaction and safe shelter design. Participation was operationalised via eight central project tasks, revealing that the involvement of households in the early planning stages of projects and in construction activities were important for satisfaction and design outcomes, whereas engagement during the design phase of projects had little impact on the selected outcomes.
Over- and Under-Estimation of Travel Time on Commute Trips: GPS vs. Self-Reporting
03 October 2019
University of Sydney

Carrion, Carlos;Levinson, David

The underlying structure of road networks (e.g., circuity, relative discontinuity) contributes to the travel time perception of travelers. This study considers additional factors (e.g., arrival flexibility, access to traffic information) and tests nonlinearities linking perception of travel time. These factors are linked to four categories according to time perception research in psychology: temporal relevance, temporal uncertainty, and temporal expectancies; task complexity, absorption, and attentional deployment; and affective elements. This study estimates the relationship on data collected from commuters recruited from a previous GPS-based study in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region consisting of trips from home to work and back. For these work trips, the subjects’ self-reported travel times and the subjects’ travel times measured by GPS devices were collected. The results indicate that nonlinearities are present for road network attributes. Furthermore, the additional factors (e.g., arrival flexibility, access to traffic information) influence the travel time perception of travelers.
Household Construction Knowledge Acquisition in Post-Disaster Shelter Training
27 November 2019
University of Sydney

Opdyke, Aaron;Javernick-Will, Amy;Koschmann, Matthew

The incorporation of safer building practices into shelter after disasters continues to plague recovery efforts. While limited resources are one potential cause, evidence from case studies suggests that poor adoption of safer construction may stem from a knowledge deficit. Despite these shortcomings, previous research has done little to examine the current state of construction education and training in post-disaster shelter and housing, and there is lacking evidence to support how households acquire new knowledge of construction practice. Examining nineteen shelter projects in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, training methods were categorized using Kolb’s experiential learning theory poles. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was then used to analyze the impact of these methods on community construction knowledge. Findings reveal that households acquired knowledge either through a combination of formal training methods that encompassed reflective observation, active experimentation, and concrete experiences or alternatively through observation of on-site construction activities.
Disasters, Queer Narratives, and the News: How Are LGBTI Disaster Experiences Reported by the Mainstream and LGBTI Media?
06 December 2019
University of Sydney

McKinnon, Scott;Gorman-Murray, Andrew;Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.

The media plays a significant role in constructing the public meanings of disasters and influencing disaster management policy. In this article, we investigate how the mainstream and LGBTI media reported—or failed to report—the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) populations during disasters in Brisbane, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand. The implications of our work lie within recent disasters research suggesting that marginalized populations—including LGBTI peoples—may experience a range of specific vulnerabilities during disasters on the basis of their social marginality. In this article, we argue that LGBTI experiences were largely absent from mainstream media reporting of the Brisbane floods and Christchurch earthquake of 2011. Media produced by and about the LGBTI community did take steps to redress this imbalance, although with uneven results in terms of inclusivity across that community. We conclude by raising the possibility that the exclusion or absence of queer disaster narratives may contribute to marginality through the media’s construction of disasters as experienced exclusively by heterosexual family groups.
Emergency management response and recovery plans in relation to sexual and gender minorities in NEW South Wales, Australia
06 December 2019
University of Sydney

Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.;Gorman-Murray, Andrew;McKinnon, Scott

This paper undertakes a systematic critical review through a 'queer lens' of the emergency management response and recovery plans in New South Wales, Australia, in order to determine how the needs of sexual and gender minorities (LGBTI people) are considered and met. We also document the outsourcing by the NSW government of emergency response and recovery arrangements to third party, faith-based Christian institutions and explore how those institutions have been exempted from anti-discrimination protections under Commonwealth (Australian) and State (NSW) law. This enables us to explore the potential implications for LGBTI people in relation to the concepts of vulnerability and resilience. We find the needs of LGBTI people should in practice be met. However, due to anti-discrimination exemptions permitted by law to faith-based Christian institutions, LGBTI people are not being treated equally. We find a 'blindness to difference' in relation to the needs of LGBTI individuals and families. As such, we principally conclude that in NSW, Australia, the needs of LGBTI people in post-disaster response and recovery arrangements are inadequately addressed. We recommend further research at the intersection of religion, sexuality and disaster risk reduction to better understand the experiences and needs of LGBTI people (including those of faith) and how faith-based institutions might support LGBTI inclusive response and recovery.
A Feasibility Study of Single-inhalation, Single-energy Xenon-enhanced CT for High-resolution Imaging of Regional Lung Ventilation in Humans.
11 December 2019
University of Sydney

Pinkham, DW;Negahdar, M;Yamamoto, T;Mittra, E;Diehn, M;Nair, VS;Keall, P;Maxim, PG;Loo, BW Jr

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of single-inhalation xenon-enhanced computed tomography (XeCT) to provide clinically practical, high-resolution pulmonary ventilation imaging to clinics with access to only a single-energy computed tomography scanner, and to reduce the subject's overall exposure to xenon by utilizing a higher (70%) concentration for a much shorter time than has been employed in prior studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an institutional review board-approved prospective feasibility study of XeCT for 15 patients undergoing thoracic radiotherapy. For XeCT, we acquired two breath-hold single-energy computed tomography images of the entire lung with a single inhalation each of 100% oxygen and a mixture of 70% xenon and 30% oxygen, respectively. A video biofeedback system for coached patient breathing was used to achieve reproducible breath holds. We assessed the technical success of XeCT acquisition and side effects. We then used deformable image registration to align the breath-hold images with each other to accurately subtract them, producing a map of lung xenon distribution. Additionally, we acquired ventilation single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (V-SPECT-CT) images for 11 of the 15 patients. For a comparative analysis, we partitioned each lung into 12 sectors, calculated the xenon concentration from the Hounsfield unit enhancement in each sector, and then correlated this with the corresponding V-SPECT-CT counts. RESULTS: XeCT scans were tolerated well overall, with a mild (grade 1) dizziness as the only side effect in 5 of the 15 patients. Technical failures in five patients occurred because of inaccurate breathing synchronization with xenon gas delivery, leaving seven patients analyzable for XeCT and single-photon emission computed tomography correlation. Sector-wise correlations were strong (Spearman coefficient >0.75, Pearson coefficient >0.65, P value <.002) for two patients for whom ventilation deficits were visibly pronounced in both scans. Correlations were nonsignificant for the remaining five who had more homogeneous XeCT ventilation maps, as well as strong V-SPECT-CT imaging artifacts attributable to airway deposition of the aerosolized imaging agent. Qualitatively, XeCT demonstrated higher resolution and no central airway deposition artifacts compared to V-SPECT-CT. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, single-breath XeCT ventilation imaging was generally feasible for patients undergoing thoracic radiotherapy, using an imaging protocol that is clinically practical and potentially widely available. In the future, the xenon delivery failures can be addressed by straightforward technical improvements to the patient biofeedback coaching system.
'The greatest loss was a loss of our history': natural disasters, marginalised identities and sites of memory
09 January 2020
University of Sydney

McKinnon, Scott;Gorman-Murray, Andrew;Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.

This paper examines intersections between space, materiality, memory and identity in relation to lesbian and gay experiences of recent disasters in Australia. Drawing on interviews with lesbians and gay men in two disaster sites, the paper argues that disaster impacts may include the loss of sites of memory that inform and underpin the formation and maintenance of marginalised identities. We explore the ways in which social marginality is experienced by sexual minorities during disasters as a result of threats to sites of lesbian and gay memory. The paper contributes to scholarship in geographies of memory by investigating the impacts of disasters on how memory is spatially located and experienced.
Listening and learning: giving voice to trans experiences of disasters
09 January 2020
University of Sydney

Gorman-Murray, Andrew;McKinnon, Scott;Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.;Nash, Catherine Jean;Bolton, Rillark

This article gives voice to trans experiences of disasters, investigating their specific vulnerabilities and resilient capacities. We draw on findings from a project on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) experiences of recent Australian and New Zealand disasters. We present and analyse trans voices from a survey conducted across multiple case study sites and insights from interview data with a trans person who experienced the 2011 Brisbane floods. Conceptually, to provide a robust understanding of trans experiences of disasters, we bring socially sensitive disaster studies into conversation with trans geographies. Disaster studies have begun to examine LGBT experiences, with some suggestion that trans people are most vulnerable. We advance this work by focusing on trans lives. Trans geographies, in turn, underline the importance of space, place and the body in understanding trans lives, and the need to examine the lived reality of trans people’s everyday geographies rather than embodiment as an abstract concept. Applying these insights to the trans voices in our project, we examine four themes that highlight impediments to and possibilities for trans-inclusive disaster planning: apprehension with emergency services and support; concerns about home and displacement; anxiety about compromising the trans body; and the potential of trans and queer interpersonal networks for capacity building. We offer suggestions for trans-inclusive disaster planning and preparedness, and indicate how the insights from trans experience can enrich disaster planning and preparedness for wider social groups.
Seeing ‘the dark passenger’ – reflections on the emotional trauma of conducting post-disaster research
09 January 2020
University of Sydney

Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.

This paper acknowledges '. the [my] dark passenger' of emotional vicarious trauma associated with conducting post-disaster research. Post-disaster research is tightly bounded by ethics and professional codes of conduct requiring us to be vigilant about the impact of our work on our participants. However, as a disaster researcher, I have been affected by vicarious trauma. 'Direct personal' vicarious trauma is where I experienced trauma associated with witnessing devastation making a professional separation from my objective subjects impossible. 'Indirect professional' vicarious trauma occurred when PhD students and others under my supervision that I sent to disaster affected places, experienced significant negative emotional responses and trauma as they interviewed their participants. In these situations, I became traumatised by my lack of training and reflected on how the emphasis on the participants came at the expense of the researcher in my care. Limited literature exists that focuses on the vicarious trauma experienced by researchers, and their supervisors working in post-disaster places and this paper is a contribution to that body of scholarship. In acknowledging and exploring the emotions and vicarious trauma of researchers embedded in landscapes of disaster, it becomes possible for future researchers to pre-empt this phenomenon and to consider ways that they might manage this.
Problems and possibilities on the margins: LGBT experiences in the 2011 Queensland floods
09 January 2020
University of Sydney

Gorman-Murray, Andrew;Morris, Sally;Keppel, Jessica;McKinnon, Scott;Dominey-Howes, Dale T.M.

Vulnerability to disasters is not inherent to particular social groups but results from existing marginality. Marginalisation from social, political and economic resources and recognition underpins vulnerability and impedes recovery. Yet concurrently, disasters can reveal the resilient capacities of some marginal groups, who often develop specific means of coping with marginality. This article applies these perspectives to the experiences of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans) people during the 2011 disaster in Queensland, Australia, which resulted from catastrophic flooding of Brisbane and South-East Queensland. The findings come from a survey conducted by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC) a year after the floods, which sought to understand LGBT experiences, resources and needs. An agreement was established between QAHC and university researchers to facilitate data analysis. This article analyses some key findings using the concept of marginality to understand both vulnerability and resilience. This framework helps grasp the particular issues facing LGBT people. The data reveal vulnerability due to social and political marginality, including discrimination and inhibited access to assistance, but simultaneously examples of resilience borne by self-reliance and coping strategies developed in a context of marginality. Understanding LGBT marginality, vulnerability and resilience helps contribute to inclusive and effective disaster preparation, response and recovery.
Hierarchical Energy Management System for Home Microgrids
30 January 2020
University of Sydney

Luo, Fengji;Ranzi, Gianluca;Wang, Shu;Dong, Zhao Yang

With the spread of distributed energy resources, sensing infra-structure, and automation facilities, modern homes are becoming “home microgrids”. This paper intends to support this trend and proposes a two-stage hierarchical energy management system for smart homes by considering both day-ahead and actual operation stages. In the day-ahead stage, an efficient scenario analysis ap-proach is developed to account for the residential photovoltaic solar power uncertainty. The approach performs solar power scenario generation and reduction based on the Wasserstein dis-tance metric and K-medoids, respectively. This is then followed by the use of a stochastic day-ahead residential energy resource scheduling model. In the actual operation stage, a Semi-Scenario based Rolling Horizon Optimization (SSRHO) mechanism is proposed, based on which an actual operation model is estab-lished. Simulations are then conducted to validate the effective-ness of the proposed system
A Multi-Stage Home Energy Management System with Residential Photovoltaic Penetration
30 January 2020
University of Sydney

Luo, Fengji;Ranzi, Gianluca;Wan, Can;Xu, Zhao;Dong, Zhao Yang

Advances in bilateral communication technology foster the im-provement and development of Home Energy Management Sys-tem (HEMS). This paper proposes a new HEMS to optimally schedule home energy resources (HERs) in a high rooftop photo-voltaic penetrated environment. The proposed HEMS includes three stages: forecasting, day-ahead scheduling, and actual opera-tion. In the forecasting stage, short-term forecasting is per-formed to generate day-ahead forecasted photovoltaic solar pow-er and home load profiles; in the day-ahead scheduling stage, a Peak-to-Average Ratio (PAR) constrained coordinated HER scheduling model is proposed to minimize the 1-day home opera-tion cost; in the actual operation stage, a Model Predictive Con-trol (MPC) based operational strategy is proposed to correct HER operations with the update of real-time information, so as to minimize the deviation of actual and day-ahead scheduled net-power consumption of the house. An adaptive thermal comfort model is applied in the proposed HEMS to provide decision-support on the scheduling of the heating, ventilating, and air con-ditioning (HVAC) system of the house. The proposed approach is then validated based on Australian real datasets.
Stochastic residential energy resource scheduling by multi-objective natural aggregation algorithm
30 January 2020
University of Sydney

Luo, Fengji;Ranzi, Gianluca;Liang, Gaoqi;Dong, Zhao Yang

This paper studies the coordinated scheduling of residential energy resources in a smart home environment. The particularity of this paper is to consider the uncertainties of the must-run appliance load demand forecast errors and to addresses the residential energy resource scheduling through a multi-objective optimization approach. Multiple 1-day must-run appliance power demand scenarios are firstly generated from the house’s historical energy consumption data. Based on this, a stochastic day-ahead appliance scheduling model is formulated, aiming to minimize the 1-day energy costs while maximizing the preference of the homeowner simultaneously. A new multi-objective optimization tool, i.e. Multi-Objective Natural Aggregation Algorithm (MONAA), is proposed to solve the stochastic day-ahead appliance scheduling model. Simulations are designed for the validation of the proposed method.
Australian household debt and the macroeconomic environment
26 May 2020
University of Sydney

Kolios, Bill

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effect of labour market conditions and monetary policy on households' attitude towards debt in the Australian context. Design/methodology/approach In doing so, household debt is categorised into housing, and consumer debt and the relationship is empirically tested through the use of a vector error correction model. Findings Consumer debt is found to be highly dependent on consumption with employment income and unemployment having a statistically insignificant effect, whilst monetary policy showing an inverse relation to consumer debt. The findings suggest that household consumption appears to be the primary determinant for consumer debt, which then behaves as a wage substitute. In terms of housing debt, income and monetary policy positively affect households' decisions with consumption and unemployment having a negative impact on the level of housing debt. The empirical results suggest that housing debt behaves as a proxy for household investment. Originality/value This paper empirically investigates the impact of selected macroeconomic variables on housing and personal debt separately. The findings suggest that monetary policy and labour market conditions have different impacts on the two separate debt types.
Housing policy and the COVID-19 pandemic: the importance of housing research during this health emergency
27 May 2020
University of Sydney

Rogers, Dallas;Power, Emma

The COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly emerging as a housing emergency. In this moment of crisis, let us state our position on COVID-19 and the journal at the outset: Housing scholars, housing policy and our homes have a pivotal role in this health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic incorporates a suite of health, economic and political challenges; housing is emerging as one of them. Housing scholars have an ethical responsibility to intervene in this evolving housing emergency both as experts and researchers. In the short term we can support rapid policy making that is done well. In the longer term we can bring perspective to the changes that are taking place across our housing systems and that are required to deal with this crisis. However, we acknowledge that new COVID-19 related personal and professional pressures are likely to significantly affect the capacity of many housing scholars to submit, revise and review articles or contribute to scholarship in other ways. Depending on housing, care and income circumstances different scholars will be affected in different ways. Our editorial response has been designed in an attempt to respond to this complex suite of issues.
Rent and crisis: Old housing problems require a new state of exception in Australia
18 June 2020
University of Sydney

Maalsen, Sophia;Rogers, Dallas;Ross, Leo Patterson

The coronavirus pandemic is opening up a space for housing advocates and scholars to push for reforms to the private rental sector. Yet, we argue the Australian government has shown little commitment to addressing long-term, structural housing issues. Temporary reform will not lead to a new or more socially just housing system in the long-term—a new housing normal—without a significant and nation-wide tenant campaign. Like others, we are working together on campaigns such as this, but we are conscious that the government is likely to revert back to their old housing habits.
The City Under COVID-19: Podcasting As Digital Methodology
18 June 2020
University of Sydney

Rogers, Dallas;Herbert, Miles;Whitzman, Carolyn;McCann, Eugene;Maginn, Paul J.;Watts, Beth;Alam, Ashraful;Pill, Madeleine;Keil, Roger;Dreher, Tanja;Novacevski, Matt;Byrne, Jason;Osborne, Natalie;Büdenbender, Mirjam;Alizadeh, Tooran;Murray, Kate;Dombroski, Kelly;Prasad, Deepti;Connolly, Creighton;Kass, Amanda;Dale, Emma;Murray, Cameron;Caldis, Susan

This critical commentary reflects on a rapidly mobilised international podcast project, in which 25 urban scholars from around the world provided audio recordings about their cities during COVID‐19. New digital tools are increasing the speeds, formats and breadth of the research and communication mediums available to researchers. Voice recorders on mobile phones and digital audio editing on laptops allows researchers to collaborate in new ways, and this podcast project pushed at the boundaries of what a research method and community might be. Many of those who provided short audio 'reports from the field' recorded on their mobile phones were struggling to make sense of their experience in their city during COVID‐19. The substantive sections of this commentary discuss the digital methodology opportunities that podcasting affords geographical scholarship. In this case the methodology includes the curated production of the podcast and critical reflection on the podcast process through collaborative writing. Then putting this methodology into action some limited reflections on cities under COVID‐19 lockdown and social distancing initiatives around the world are provided to demonstrate the utility and limitations of this method.
Social media in times of crisis: Learning from Hurricane Harvey for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic response
18 June 2020
University of Sydney

Mirbabaie, Milad;Bunker, Deborah;Stieglitz, Stefan;Marx, Julian;Ehnis, Christian

In recent times societal crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak have given rise to a tension between formal ‘command and control’ and informal social media activated self-organising information and communication systems that are utilised for crisis management decision-making. Social media distrust affects the dissemination of disaster information as it entails shifts in media perception and participation but also changes in the way individuals and organisations make sense of information in critical situations. So far, a little considered notion in this domain is the concept of sense-giving. Originating from organisational theory, it is used to explain the mechanisms behind intentional information provision that fosters collective meaning creation. In our study, we seek to understand the potential impact of sense-giving from Twitter crisis communication generated during the Hurricane Harvey disaster event. Social network and content analyses performed with a dataset of 9,414,463 tweets yielded insights into how sense-giving occurs during a large-scale disaster event. Theoretically, we specified (1) perpetual sense-giving, which relies primarily on topical authority and frequency; as well as (2) intermittent sense-giving, which occurs from high value of message content and leverage of popularity, that is, retweets. Our findings emphasise the importance of information-rich actors in communication networks and the leverage of their influence in crises such as coronavirus disease 2019 to reduce social media distrust and facilitate sense-making.
Towards a General Theory of Access
25 June 2020
University of Sydney

Levinson, David M;Wu, Hao

This paper integrates and extends many of the concepts of accessibility deriving from Hansen’s (1959) seminal paper, and develops a theory of access that generalizes from the particular measures of access that have become increasingly common. Access is now measured for a particular place by a particular mode for a particular purpose at a particular time in a particular year. General access is derived as a theoretical ideal that would be measured for all places, all modes, all purposes, at all times, over the lifecycle of a project. It is posited that more general access measures better explain spatial location phenomena.
COVID-19: An Australian Perspective
09 July 2020
University of Sydney

Shakespeare-Finch, Jane;Bowen-Salter, Holly;Cashin, Miranda;Badawi, Amalia;Wells, Ruth;Rosenbaum, Simon;Steel, Zachary

Australia looks to be one of those lucky countries that adopted an early public health response limiting community transmission of COVID-19 and avoiding the levels of acute hospitalization and fatality seen in other settings. Yet the pandemic came on the back of the largest bushfire season the country had seen which itself followed a sequence of climatic disasters involving drought, cyclones and floods. The social and economic impact of the COVID-19 response has been substantial with widespread loss of employment, social dislocation and health fears sparked across the nation. Findings from risk modeling and population surveillance provide preliminary evidence of increased burden of psychological distress, morbidity and risk of suicide resulting from the current crisis. We also highlight the mental health risk that may arise from increased sedentary behavior with the introduction of lockdown and physical distancing measures. We also outline the potently valuable role of drawing on salutogenic models including resilience and posttraumatic growth research for individual and broader community level need.
Imaging of regional ventilation: Is CT ventilation imaging the answer? A systematic review of the validation data.
11 July 2020
University of Sydney

Hegi-Johnson, F;de Ruysscher, D;Keall, P;Hendriks, L;Vinogradskiy, Y;Yamamoto, T;Tahir, B;Kipritidis, J

Computed Tomography Ventilation Imaging (CTVI) is an experimental imaging modality that derives regional lung function information from non-contrast respiratory-correlated CT datasets. Despite CTVI being extensively studied in cross-modality imaging comparisons, there is a lack of consensus on the state of its clinical validation in humans. This systematic review evaluates the CTVI clinical validation studies to date, highlights their common strengths and weaknesses and makes recommendations. We performed a PUBMED and EMBASE search of all English language papers on CTVI between 2000 and 2018. The results of these searches were filtered in accordance to a set of eligibility criteria and analysed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Guidelines. One hundred and forty-four records were identified, and 66 full text records were reviewed. After detailed assessment, twenty-three full text papers met the selection criteria and were included in the final review. This included thirteen prospective studies, with 579 human subjects. Studies used diverse methodologies, with a large amount of heterogeneity between different studies in terms of the reference ventilation imaging modality (e.g. nuclear medicine, hyperpolarised gas MRI), imaging parameters, DIR algorithm(s) used, and ventilation metric(s) applied. The most common ventilation metrics used deformable image registration to evaluate the exhale-to-inhale motion field Jacobian determinant (DIR-Jac) or changes in air volume content based on Hounsfield Units (DIR-HU). The strength of correlation between CTVI and the reference ventilation imaging modalities was moderate to strong when evaluated at the lobar or global level, with the average ± S.D. (number of studies) linear regression correlation coefficients were 0.73 ± 0.25 (n = 6) and 0.86 ± 0.11 (n = 12) for DIR-Jac and DIR-HU respectively, and the SPC were 0.45 ± 0.31 (n = 6) and 0.41 ± 0.11 (n = 5) for DIR-Jac and DIR-HU respectively. We concluded that it is difficult to make a broad statement about the validity of CTVI due to the diverse methods used in the validation literature. Typically, CTVI appears to show reasonable cross-modality correlations at the lobar/whole lung level but poor correlations at the voxel level. Since CTVI is seeing new implementations in prospective trials, it is clear that refinement and standardization of the clinical validation methodologies are required. CTVI appears to be of relevance in radiotherapy planning, particularly in patients whose main pulmonary impairment is not a gas exchange problem but alternative imaging approaches may need to be considered in patients with other pulmonary diseases (i.e. restrictive or gas exchange problems).
An Open Data Approach to Mapping Urban Drainage Infrastructure in Developing Communities
23 July 2020
University of Sydney

See, Lay Shien;Calo, Luke;Bannon, Benjamin;Opdyke, Aaron

Urban flooding in developing countries represents a growing threat to sustainable development efforts, yet the tools needed to study these infrastructure systems in data-scarce environments are woefully inadequate. This study seeks to propose a standardized approach and methods for mapping urban drainage systems in developing communities. The research draws on a case study from the Philippines, which sought to conduct rapid elevation surveys and drainage assessments employing open source geographical information system (GIS) tools. We develop a standardized procedure for digitizing drainage systems using OpenStreetMap and Field Papers, as well as discuss applications of this data for drainage design. The results contribute to a methodological framework that can be replicated in other similar developing communities where study of urban drainage is needed for sustainable development and disaster risk reduction efforts.
What might Covid-19 mean for mobility as a service (MaaS)?
14 August 2020
University of Sydney

Hensher, David A.

This short paper speculates on what role MaaS may have post Covid-19 and especially to rethink public transport in its widest sense. Two scenarios are proposed with one being business as usual, and the other being a significant change in the mobility framework as shared modes are less attractive, and working from home takes on an increasingly popular status by both employees and employers. We argue that the “new normal” offers opportunities never before achievable in terms of taming congestion on the roads and crowding on public transport, and that this opportunity should not be frittered away. Although the focus in on Australia’s as a country that was lightly affected by Covid-19, the lessons have broad relevance.
Loneliness, Social Support, Social Isolation and Wellbeing among Working Age Adults with and without Disability: Cross sectional study
14 August 2020
University of Sydney

Emerson, Eric;Fortune, Nicola;Llewellyn, Gwynnyth;Stancliffe, Roger

Background: Loneliness is significantly related to health and wellbeing. However, there is little information on the prevalence of loneliness among people with disability or the association between disability, loneliness and wellbeing. Objective/Hypothesis: For a nationally representative sample of adults (age 16-64) with/without disability, to examine exposure to three indicators of low social connectedness (loneliness, low perceived social support, social isolation), and to evaluate the association between low social connectedness and wellbeing. To test whether disability status moderated the relationship between low social connectedness and wellbeing. Methods: Secondary analysis of data from three annual rounds of the cross-sectional English Community Life Survey (CLS) 2016-19. Results: People with disability experienced loneliness, low perceived social support and social isolation at significantly higher rates than people without disability. Effect sizes were significantly greater for loneliness. Disability was associated with lower wellbeing. With one exception, low social connectedness was associated with lower wellbeing. Again, effect sizes were significantly greater for loneliness. The prevalence of loneliness was highest among adults with disability who were younger, economically inactive, living in rented or other accommodation, living alone and with low levels of access to environmental assets. There was no evidence that disability status moderated the association between exposure to low social connectedness and low wellbeing.
Looking Back at Distance Looks Back: Reflections on the First Combined Meeting of EAHN and SAHANZ (Sydney, 10–13 July 2019)
14 August 2020
University of Sydney

Leach, Andrew;Stickells, Lee

Distance is both conceptual and actual. It is overcome or exploited in all manner of ways that have consequences for the history of architecture. It is fostered in the critical attitude. And collapsed when history is invoked in the present. It shapes the relationship of Europe to its Antipodes, as well as of Europe to its neighbours. Its presence is necessary for claims upon disciplinarity; its absence, the dissolution of disciplinary boundaries. In what ways has distance figured in the history of architecture? What has it altered? What has it prevented? What has it allowed? What does it permit, even now? These lines opened the call for papers for Distance Looks Back, the first combined meeting of the EAHN and SAHANZ (Sydney, 10-13 July 2019, http://distance2019.sydney). This meeting served, first, to break down the distance that keeps the activities of these two highly compatible communities at a remove from one another. It also served to explore the very idea of distance as a practical consideration of the architectural historian’s work and as a persistent theme in architectural history and its conceptualisation.
COVID-19/Sociology
27 August 2020
University of Sydney

Connell, Raewyn

Though the COVID-19 epidemic is a social disaster as much as a medical one, and though some sociological ideas circulate in public discussions, disciplinary sociology has had little influence. Internal discussions have mostly been conventional, and familiar sociological theory and methodology seem inadequate to this situation. Taking the viewpoint of the virus helps to shift perspective on a historical moment where a deadly threat is enabled by megacities, mass air travel, callous and corrupt regimes, and the undermining of public services. In this conjuncture sociology, with other social sciences, is under threat. But we can contribute to responses that mobilize community resources to deal with a social/biological crisis, and prepare for the others that will certainly come.
Covid-19 and the accelerating smart home
27 August 2020
University of Sydney

Maalsen, Sophia;Dowling, Robyn

Home, digital technologies and data are intersecting in new ways as responses to the COVID-19 pandemic emerge. We consider the data practices associated with COVID-19 responses and their implications for housing and home through two overarching themes: the notion of home as a private space, and digital technology and surveillance in the home. We show that although home has never been private, the rapid adoption and acceptance of technologies in the home for quarantine, work and study, enabled by the pandemic, is rescripting privacy. The acceleration of technology adoption and surveillance in the home has implications for privacy and potential discrimination, and should be approached with a critical lens.
Slowly coming out of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia: Implications for working from home and commuting trips by car and public transport
14 September 2020
University of Sydney

Beck, Matthew J.;Hensher, David A.;Wei, Edward

With the onset of COVID-19 restrictions and the slow relaxing of many restrictions, it is imperative that we understand what this means for the performance of the transport network. In going from almost no commuting, except for essential workers, to a slow increase in travel activity with working from home (WFH) continuing to be both popular and preferred, this paper draws on two surveys, one in late March at the height of restrictions and one in late May as restrictions are starting to be partially relaxed, to develop models for WFH and weekly one-way commuting travel by car and public transport. We compare the findings as one way to inform us of the extent to which a sample of Australian residents have responded through changes in WFH and commuting. While it is early days to claim any sense of a new stable pattern of commuting activity, this paper sets the context for ongoing monitoring of adjustments in travel activity and WFH, which can inform changes required in the revision of strategic metropolitan transport models as well as more general perspectives on future transport and land use policy and planning.
Insights into the impact of COVID-19 on household travel and activities in Australia – The early days of easing restrictions
14 September 2020
University of Sydney

Beck, Matthew J.;Hensher, David A.

The COVID-19 disease continues to cause unparalleled disruption to life and the economy world over. This paper is the second in what will be an ongoing series of analyses of a longitudinal travel and activity survey. In this paper we examine data collected over a period of late May to early June in Australia, following four-to-six weeks of relatively flat new cases in COVID-19 after the initial nationwide outbreak, as many state jurisdictions have begun to slowly ease restrictions designed to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We find that during this period, travel activity has started to slowly return, in particular by private car, and in particular for the purposes of shopping and social or recreational activities. Respondents indicate comfort with the idea of meeting friends or returning to shops, so authorities need to be aware of potential erosion of social distancing and appropriate COVID-safe behaviour in this regard. There is still a concern about using public transport, though it has diminished noticeably since the first wave of data collection. We see that working from home continues to be an important strategy in reducing travel and pressure on constrained transport networks, and a policy measure that if carried over to a post-pandemic world, will be an important step towards a more sustainable transport future. We find that work from home has been a generally positive experience with a significant number of respondents liking to work from home moving forward, with varying degrees of employer support, at a level above those seen before COVID-19. Thus, any investment to capitalise on current levels of work from home should be viewed as an investment in transport.
What can we learn from the JATM literature for the future of aviation post Covid-19? - A bibliometric and visualization analysis
14 September 2020
University of Sydney

Tanriverdi, Gokhan;Bakir, Mahmut;Merkert, Rico

This paper aims to draw lessons from retrospectively evaluating the evolution of the air transport discipline right up to the COVID-19 outbreak through the Journal of Air Transport Management (JATM), the main scholarly air transportation journal globally. As such, this study deploys a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and graphical mapping of the JATM knowledge body through CiteSpace visualization of 1483 JATM papers from 2001 to 2019. Our results suggest that while the industry has experienced pandemics and economic crises in the past, both were not dominant in influencing JATM literature neither in frequency nor in impact. That said, recovery, crisis and disruption are important key words in JATM papers not just in regard to safety and economic crisis management but increasingly also related to health concerns with recent key papers published in the pandemic and recovery management context which may have helped the industry dealing with the current crisis as well as current JATM papers on this topic assisting with preparing for a transitioning out of COVID-19 world.
What Is Rural Adversity, How Does It Affect Wellbeing and What Are the Implications for Action?
15 October 2020
University of Sydney

Lawrence-Bourne, Joanne;Dalton, Hazel;Perkins, David;Farmer, Jane;Luscombe, Georgina;Oelke, Nelly;Bagheri, Nasser

A growing body of literature recognises the profound impact of adversity on mental health outcomes for people living in rural and remote areas. With the cumulative effects of persistent drought, record-breaking bushfires, limited access to quality health services, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic and social challenges, there is much to understand about the impact of adversity on mental health and wellbeing in rural populations. In this conceptual paper, we aim to review and adapt our existing understanding of rural adversity. We undertook a wide-ranging review of the literature, sought insights from multiple disciplines and critically developed our findings with an expert disciplinary group from across Australia. We propose that rural adversity be understood using a rural ecosystem lens to develop greater clarity around the dimensions and experiences of adversity, and to help identify the opportunities for interventions. We put forward a dynamic conceptual model of the impact of rural adversity on mental health and wellbeing, and close with a discussion of the implications for policy and practice. Whilst this paper has been written from an Australian perspective, it has implications for rural communities internationally.
Whence the next pandemic? The intersecting global geography of the animal-human interface, poor health systems and air transit centrality reveals conduits for high-impact spillover
15 October 2020
University of Sydney

Walsh, Michael G.;Sawleshwarkar, Shailendra;Hossain, Shah;Mor, Siobhan M.

The health and economic impacts of infectious disease pandemics are catastrophic as most recently manifested by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The emerging infections that lead to substantive epidemics or pandemics are typically zoonoses that cross species boundaries at vulnerable points of animal-human interface. The sharing of space between wildlife and humans, and their domesticated animals, has dramatically increased in recent decades and is a key driver of pathogen spillover. Increasing animal-human interface has also occurred in concert with both increasing globalisation and failing health systems, resulting in a trifecta with dire implications for human and animal health. Nevertheless, to date we lack a geographical description of this trifecta that can be applied strategically to pandemic prevention. This investigation provides the first geographical quantification of the intersection of animal-human interfaces, poor human health system performance and global connectivity via the network of air travel. In so doing, this work provides a systematic, data-driven approach to classifying spillover hazard based on the distribution of animal-human interfaces while simultaneously identifying globally connected cities that are adjacent to these interfaces and which may facilitate global pathogen dissemination. We present this geography of high-impact spillover as a tool for developing targeted surveillance systems and improved health infrastructure in vulnerable areas that may present conduits for future pandemics.
Climatic Design and Its Others
15 October 2020
University of Sydney

Ferng, Jennifer;Chang, Jiat-Hwee;L’Heureux, Erik;Ryan, Daniel J.

Drawing on cases from the tropical and subtropical worlds (in Australia and Southeast Asia), we employ southern architectural examples to interrogate normative assumptions around climatic design. As the foundation for a new history of climatic design, this article seeks not only to challenge northern, temperate views of climate in the age of the Anthropocene but also to emphasize tropical zones as a significant paradigm for architects to consider. Our three case studies (i.e., early climographs, the Singapore building code, and the Malay house) delve into some of the Others of climatic design in the southern hemisphere, reassessing the legacy of Asian vernacular architecture. Together, these examples offer new interpretations on race and labor, passive cooling, building codes, and visual models used by architects to represent tropical climates. These case studies reveal that southern climatic models are not simply neutral representations and remain deeply entangled with biased assumptions around cultural identity, place, and historical contexts.
The burden of COVID-19 on pharmacists
17 November 2020
University of Sydney

Johnston, Karlee;O'Reilly, Claire L.;Cooper, Gabrielle;Mitchell, Imogen

The unprecedented changes brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic have had significant impacts on society. It has provided an opportunity to highlight the crucial role pharmacists play in the provision of healthcare. The critical and unique role of pharmacists in pandemics and other disasters has been highlighted in the past (SARS and Ebola outbreaks), and more recently with reports of the contributions of pharmacists during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Many reports have documented healthcare professionals are experiencing significant psychological morbidity as a result of providing essential care and services during the global COVID-19 pandemic. In these reports, pharmacists are not well represented and so it is essential to understand the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacists across multiple practice settings. This is particularly true as the experiences of pharmacists working through previous pandemics and disasters, and the associated psychological burden, are likely to offer insights and be useful in supporting the psychological wellbeing of pharmacists during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Research into the effect of the global COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacists should improve the understanding of the impact, and the psychological morbidity associated with their role as frontline healthcare professionals.
Belonging and inclusivity make a resilient future for all: A cross-sectional analysis of post-flood social capital in a diverse australian rural community
17 November 2020
University of Sydney

Matthews, V.;Longman, J.;Bennett-Levy, J.;Braddon, M.;Passey, M.;Bailie, R.S.;Berry, H.L.

In 2017, marginalised groups were disproportionately impacted by extensive flooding in a rural community in Northern New South Wales, Australia, with greater risk of home inundation, displacement and poor mental health. While social capital has been linked with good health and wellbeing, there has been limited investigation into its potential benefits in post-disaster contexts, particularly for marginalised groups. Six months post-flood, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to quantify associations between flood impact, individual social capital and psychological distress (including probable post-traumatic stress disorder). We adopted a community-academic partnership approach and purposive recruitment to increase participation from socio-economically marginalised groups (Aboriginal people and people in financial hardship). These groups reported lower levels of social capital (informal social connectedness, feelings of belonging, trust and optimism) compared to general community participants. Despite this, informal social connectedness and belonging were important factors for all participant groups, associated with reduced risk of psychological distress. In this flood-prone, rural community, there is a pressing need to build social capital collectively through co-designed strategies that simultaneously address the social, cultural and economic needs of marginalised groups. Multiple benefits will ensue for the whole community: Reduced inequities; strengthened resilience; improved preparedness and lessened risk of long-term distress from disaster events.
Performance Contributors of Bus Rapid Transit Systems within the ITDP BRT Standard: An Ordered Choice Approach
26 November 2020
University of Sydney

Zheng, Li;Hensher, David

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a mode of public transportation with relatively fast, flexible, comfortable, affordable and environment-friendly services. In this paper, the potential contributors to BRT performance are investigated within an ordered choice modelling framework, in which the dependent variable is the BRT standard (Gold, Silver, Bronze or Basic), developed by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). The evaluation of an ordered logit model and an ordered probit model shows that the performance of the former is slightly better, which is chosen for the empirical application. The identified significant predictors are peak-hour speed, peak frequency, the average distance between stations, the length of dedicated busway, passing lanes at BRT station, covered station access, enhanced station environment, pre-board and automated fare collection and fare verification, and network integration. Based on a business-as-usual prediction and what-if analysis, this paper offers information for decision makers to plan a high-standard BRT system in line with the ITDP BRT standard.
Knowledge Adoption in Post-Disaster Housing Self-Recovery
01 December 2020
University of Sydney

Hendriks, Eefje;Opdyke, Aaron

The purpose of this study is to explore communication of hazard-resistant construction techniques after disaster in the absence of outside influence. It further aims to unpack the barriers and drivers in the adoption of knowledge processes to identify strategic recommendations to enlarge adoption of safer construction practices by local construction actors. This paper is based on an analysis of stakeholders’ perspectives during post-disaster reconstruction in the Philippines in the province of Busuanga after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Data were collected from six communities that received no external housing assistance, analyzing surveys from 220 households, 13 carpenters, 20 key actors coordinating reconstruction or recovery efforts, as well as 12 focus group discussions. This research argues for a stronger role of governmental agencies, vocational training schools and engineers. Current communication of typhoon-resistant construction knowledge is ineffective to stimulate awareness, understanding and adoption by local construction actors and self-recovering households. The analysis in this study focuses on a small sample of communities in the west of the Philippines that are not frequently affected by typhoons. This is one of the few scholarly works in the Philippines focused on adoption of safer construction practices by community-based construction actors when technical housing assistance is absent.
Mitigating Infrastructure Disaster Losses Through Asset Management Practices in the Middle East and North Africa Region
18 December 2020
University of Sydney

Mastroianni, Elyssa;Lancaster, James;Korkmann, Benjamin;Opdyke, Aaron;Beitelmal, Wesam

Despite expanding infrastructure investments in developing countries, maintenance of constructed infrastructure is not keeping pace and there is a growing need to focus on the long-term operational demands of new assets to reduce vulnerability. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, natural hazards and civil conflicts continue to undermine development and disaster risk management. This research sought to examine how infrastructure asset management can reduce the impact of disasters in the MENA region. Twelve interviews were conducted with asset management and disaster risk reduction experts in the MENA region and Australia – the latter to identify transferable asset management best practices. Qualitative analysis of interviews identified regional lessons to advance asset management practice as a disaster risk reduction tool. The four main findings were: (1) asset management practice can be a proactive disaster policy; (2) there is need for appropriate levels asset management policy in the MENA region; (3) asset prioritisation improves the effectiveness of, and decision making in, risk management; and (4) whole of life consideration enables effective planning for asset management practices. In alignment with the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, this research provides knowledge to strengthen governance to manage disaster risk in the MENA region. The research further outlines the barriers and challenges that hinder successful asset management policy implementation, as well as proposes recommendations for disaster mitigation strategies using infrastructure asset management.
Weaving public health and safety nets to respond the COVID-19 pandemic
21 December 2020
University of Sydney

Fan, D.;Li, Y.;Liu, W.;Yue, X.-G.;Boustras, G.

How do governments take strategic actions in weaving public health and safety nets to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? Embracing Moore's strategic action framework, this study investigates how municipal governments can configure authorizing environment—operational capacity—public value attributes to weave public health and safety nets, in order to prevent and control the public health and safety emergency. Leveraging fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) with a sample of 323 Chinese cities, we identify a distinctive taxonomy of four equally effective configurations of urban actions in blocking COVID-19 transmission: social reassurance, proactive defence, decisive resiliency, and strengthened coercion. Overall, this study provides a novel insight of public health and safety management into battles against COVID-19 in human society.
Defining a Humanitarian Shelter and Settlements Research Agenda
11 January 2021
University of Sydney

Opdyke, Aaron;Goldwyn, Briar;Javernick-Will, Amy

Despite the knowledge gained on post-disaster sheltering and housing over the last several decades, there remains a disconnect in the evidence needed by humanitarian practitioners and the learning that the research community is capturing. To determine the research needed by practitioners, we assembled a Delphi panel of experts in humanitarian shelter and settlements. They first identified and then ranked the relative importance of research topics. Ninety-six research needs were identified and ranked by importance in six key areas that included: (1) comparing and evaluating approaches to sheltering, (2) shelter and settlement programming, (3) design and construction of shelter, (4) understanding impacts and outcomes of shelter, (5) disaster risk reduction and the humanitarian-development nexus, and (6) challenging contexts and topics. Top research priorities identified include a need to better understand how to support shelter self-recovery, longitudinal and long-term impacts of shelter, and the transition from response to recovery. The resulting needs provide a research agenda for humanitarian organizations, academic institutions, and donors, aligning with the Global Shelter Cluster's strategy to invest in evidence-based response.
Influence of nanotechnology to combat against COVID-19 for global health emergency: A review
09 February 2021
University of Sydney

Rangayasami, Aswini;Kannan, Karthik;Murugesan, S.;Radhika, Devi;Sadasivuni, Kishor Kumar;Reddy, Kakarla Raghava;Raghu, Anjanapura V.

Covid 2019 is spreading and emerging rapidly all over the world as a new social disaster. This virus is accountable for the continuous epidemic that causes severe respiratory problems and pneumonia related to contamination of humans, which leads to a dang
Aligning with the Yarrabah way: Burri Gummin Housing Studio
19 March 2021
University of Sydney

Mossman, Michael;Ewald-Rice, Anna

Burri gummin is a Gungganyji term that translates to 'one fire'. It is the name of an ongoing design studio established in collaboration with the Yarrabah Aboriginal community. Sited on Gungganyji Country in Far North Queensland, the Burri Gummin Housing Studio aims to develop appropriate and sustainable housing designs for the Yarrabah community in response to the ongoing housing crisis.

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