The project involved a nationwide search to find a First Nations artist, with a strong connection to the Wiradjuri nation, to design an epic public artwork incorporating light, movement and sound.
Dr Beetson’s work will take centre stage at the Old Dubbo Gaol Heritage Plaza as part of a five million dollar redevelopment project known as Destination Dubbo: International Ready.
“It’s big, challenging and experimental — I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to produce work on this scale.”
A proud Gubbi Gubbi and Wiradjuri woman, Dr Beetson said it was an honour to create work on Country.
“I identify as Wiradjuri and have family connections to the Dubbo Indigenous community,” she said.
“I see this as an opportunity to reconnect to country and develop ongoing reciprocal relationships with the Wiradjuri community.
“I knew when the ancestors wanted me to come, they would give me a sign.”
Dr Beetson works across a diverse range of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography and public art.
The new art installation in Dubbo will explore the concept of asking permission to enter Country, using sun bleached photographic images, native plants, lightscapes and sound recordings of the Wiradjuri language.
The project is based around the theme of ‘community, country, connection: finding common ground’.
“It’s a complex project, but I’m hoping to create a meditative, uplifting space,” she said.
“It’s also the site of an old jail, so it’s about reclaiming that space and healing through art.”
A $1.3million research collaboration led by Griffith University and Queensland Semiconductor Technology Pty. Ltd. (Questsemi), supported by Semefab Scotland and the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) is looking at the manufacture and performance of SiC Schottky diodes, a key element in many power conversion systems.
Silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes are small semiconductor devices or one-way electronic switches.
Fabrication of silicon carbide Schottky diodes in the QMF semiconductor cleanroom by Dr Daniel Haasmann.
Due to their incredible thermal conductivity, high switching performance and efficiency, they are highly sought-after for applications like solar inverters, motor drives, electric vehicle (EV) chargers and uninterruptable power supplies.
As part of the research project, a pilot production facility will be set up at QMF to support the commercialisation of the technology. Devices necessary for the initial commercial product supply will be manufactured there.
Professor Sima Dimitrijev, who leads the research team, says the development and pilot manufacture of SiC-based diodes at QMF is a great example of advanced-manufacturing collaboration.
“We are working with local manufacturers, which enables Questsemi not only to fast-track commercialisation but also to design and manufacture semiconductor devices that meet local demand for applications such as EV battery chargers, drones, solar inverters, industrial motor drives, and high-frequency power converters,” Professor Dimitrijev said.
“Manufacturing SiC diodes is complex and generally associated with high capital investment,” David Fletcher, Director at Questsemi, explained.
Dr Philip Tanner working with silicon carbide Schottky diodes in the QMF semiconductor cleanroom.
“Unlike other SiC diode manufacturing processes, the technology developed by Griffith researchers uses steps that are common to standard Si wafer processing and thus dramatically simplifies the manufacturing process and associated costs.”
“With the funding support of IMCRC, we are able to trial production and accelerate the commercialisation of the new SiC technology which is set to improve the overall cost of semiconductor devices used in energy efficient technologies,” he said.
The insights and advancements made throughout the project, will help Questsemi transition to volume manufacture of SiC Schottky diodes — locally and overseas.
IMCRC Innovation Manufacturing Manager, Dr Matthew Young said Questsemi’s collaboration with Griffith University demonstrates what is possible when a business research partnership sets out to push technological boundaries to solve unmet industry needs.
Schottky wafer
“SiC Schottky diodes play an important role in the semiconductor value chain, a sector often described as global engine for technology, economic and social progress,” he said.
“Questsemi and Griffith University’s SiC technology will have a flow-on effect in the design, prototyping and fabrication of other semiconductor devices, creating new business opportunities for Australia.
“With IMCRC activate funding, we are able to fast track the commercial translation of this semiconductor research into next-generation energy efficient technologies.”
Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen
Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen, Director of QMNC at Griffith University, said the project was an example of ongoing translational research activities with direct commercial impact.
“We have a strategic line-up of projects from fundamental research to commercial development that ensures rapid transfer of technologies developed at our centre to industry partners,” he said.
“We have been hosting three projects with IMCRC, which provides an ideal platform to our impact strategy toward end user benefits.”
Dr Tracey West’s study found family conflict and isolation are top risk factors for elder abuse.
Griffith University in partnership with ADA Law, has launched a new suite of resources on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15) to assist in preventing elder abuse.
Griffith Business School lecturer Dr Tracey West said the resources included information aimed at helping finance and wills and estate planning professionals such as financial advisors and planners and solicitors.
“It’s important that these professionals are aware of what financial elder abuse looks like, when their elderly clients are at risk, and how to take action to help them understand their rights and to provide support,’’ she said.
“The research shows most cases can be traced back to family members and most common contributing factors are when there is a history of giving money or loans, or delegating financial matters.”
The resources are the outcome of the study and provide practical tips and relevant contacts for referral.
Financial elder abuse is the most common form of abuse, accounting for 68.7% of cases in the study, and there have been reports of an increase in cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CEO of ADA Australia, Geoff Rowe, said that the increase was not surprising.
“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the top risk factors for some older people, with more time being spent at home and increased financial pressures on family members.
“The question is, and the focus for these resources is, what action can we take? We being the key word — recognising and standing up to elder abuse is everyone’s responsibility.
“It’s important that people understand the types of assistance available. Victims generally will not want to prosecute family members for wrongdoing, however, there are mediation, advocacy and family counselling services that can assist with negotiating a healthier arrangement. These services are confidential, and most are at no cost,” Mr Rowe said.
Griffith University is currently working with ADA Law to expand the study and to publish data mapped to local government areas. Taking Action on Elder Abuse resources are available online.
South East Asia’s under appreciated but vibrant independent filmmaking industry has reels of wisdom for emerging filmmakers according to new research from Griffith Film School.
Dr Meißner, Griffith Film School.
Dr Nico Meißner, Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching, interviewed 27 filmmakers as part of what he says is the first project to explore filmmaking across the region, spanning countries from Indonesia to Myanmar.
By delving into the lives and stories behind the careers of South East Asia’s most influential filmmakers, including Camera d’Or winner Anthony Chen and Brunei’s first female director Siti Kamaluddin, Dr Meißner hopes up and coming filmmakers will be inspired to be more resourceful.
While many of his students aspire to Hollywood, Dr Meißner says the creative communities across South East Asia show it is possible to build a career outside of major film production hubs and away from government funding.
“Laos is probably the least developed in terms of screen culture. But what I found in the country was a real will to create a distinct filmic identity, a new wave of Laos cinema,” he said.
“There’s an interesting fusion of developing this personal, local voice and style, but operating in an international network of festivals, supporters and media funding. I think that is something that especially Australians can learn a lot from.”
“There’s also a deeper reason to think local as US content is overshadowing the unique stories that only these filmmakers can tell with authenticity.”
“When we teach film, we think about preparing students for specialisations in a production department, one person does camera, one person does the editing. In South East Asia I saw what I call ‘total filmmakers’, artists who could do multiple things borne out of necessity.”
Paths Untold: Laos – Mattie Do by Dr Nico Meßiner. Coarse language warning.
“Many countries do not have the support structure like a Screen Queensland or an ABC that can get a screen career started. It becomes necessary to develop your soft skills like looking for opportunities, taking risks, getting out there, believing in your story, networking and building a team.”
As part of the project Dr Meißner created a website which hosts mini documentaries and provides an intimate portrait of the filmmakers encountered.
Aninspirational scientist and international leader in stem cell research, who was named Australian of the Year in 2017, GriffithProfessorEmeritusAlan Mackay-Simhas been awardedMember (AM) in the general division of the Order of Australia in theQueen’s Birthday 2021 Honours List, forhissignificant service to tertiary education, and to biomedical science.
In 1987, Professor Mackay-SimAMcame to Griffith University with a research focus on the olfactory organ responsible for the sense of smell.
Professor Mackay-Sim during his career at Griffith University.
It took 20 years for the research to lead to a successful world-first human clinical trial in Brisbane, Professor Mackay-Sim and his team proving that transplanting nasal cells into the spinal cord was safe.
During this time, he served as Director of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research at Griffith University for more than a decade.
Other Griffith staff, alumni and supportershonouredin theQueen’s Birthday 2021 Listincludephilanthropist,businessmanand architectSoheil AbedianAM,recognisedfor hissignificant service to the community, and to the property development sector.
Dr Abedian, who is a Doctor of the University (DUniv), and his wife Anne are long-term supporters of Griffith University, with a focus on helping talented students experiencing adversity through life-changing scholarships.
Others to be awardedMember (AM) in the general division of the Order of Australia include:
Associate ProfessorKate CopelandAM– for significant service to health infrastructure planning and management.Ms Copeland is an Adjunct Associate Professor for the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Professor Emeritus David CarterAM — for significant service to tertiary education, and to cultural and literary studies. Professor Carterwas employed within the Faculty of Humanities between 1987 and 2000.
JohnKotzasAM—for significant service to the performing arts as an administrator and artistic director.MrKotzasis a Doctor of the University (DUNiv) and a currentmember of the QueenslandConservatorium Advisory Board.
Harvey ListerAM–for significant service to the arts, tourism, sport, and to the venue management and events industries.MrListeris a Doctor of the University (DUniv).
ProfessorEmeritusToni MakkaiAM–for significant service to tertiary education, and to public administration.ProfessorMakkaiisChair ofGriffith Criminology InstituteAdvisoryBoard.
WayneKratzmannAM– for significant service to the visual and performing arts, and to education.MrKratzmannis a donor to the Queensland Conservatorium.
Griffithcommunity memberswho have been named an Officer(AO) in the general division of theOrder of Australia include:
The Hon JusticeDrIanFreckeltonQCAO – law adjunct prof and outstanding alumnus 2019 – for distinguished service to the law, and to the legal profession, across fields including health, medicine and technology.Hon JusticeFreckeltonis an Adjunct ProfessoratGriffith Law School andwas Arts, Education and Law’s Outstanding Alumnus in 2019.
Philip BaconAO–for distinguished service to the arts, to social and culturalorganisations, and through support for young artists.MrBaconis a Doctor of the University (DUniv)andformer member ofthe QueenslandConservatorium Advisory Board.
DrBridget CartyAO– for distinguished service to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, to education and research, and to the community.Dr Carty was a Research Fellowfor the Centrefor Deafness Studies from 1988—2000.
An Industry Fellow with Griffith Asia Institute, Major General Adam Findlay AO was named an Officer(AO) in the military division of the Order of Australia. He received the award for his distinguished service and exceptional leadership as Special Operations Commander Australia, Commander Special Operations Joint Task Force – Iraq, and Commander of the 7th Brigade.
Thoserecognisedwith a medal(OAM) of theOrder of Australia in the general division include:
Griffith alumnus Beny Bol
Beny Bol OAM – for service to youth. Mr Bol is a Griffith Law School alumnus.
Matthew HickeyOAM–for service to music, and to the law.Mr Hickey is a Queensland Conservatorium alumnus and a member of the Queensland Conservatorium Advisory Board.
SandraDoumanyOAM–for service to the community of the Gold Coast.MsDoumanyis a benefactor fortheInstitute for Glycomicsand a member of theGlycomicsCircle.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evanscongratulatedall Griffith recipientsofQueen’sBirthdayHonourson their well-deservedhonours.
“This recognition ofcurrent and former membersofGriffith, our donors and associatesisa testament to the important impact that our colleagues have in the community,” Professor Evans said.
“I am delighted to see theireffortsrecognisedin this way.”
Decreasing the number of medication-related hospital admissions is the aim of a $2.5 million Medical Research Future Fund project co-led by Griffith University and QUT.
The three-year collaborative study will use health record data to automate the detection of medicine safety issues before harm occurs.
“In Australia, 250,000 hospital admissions and 400,000 emergency presentations per year are due to potentially preventable medication-related hospitalisations,” said Dr Jean Spinks from Griffith University’s Centre for Applied Health Economics.
“Medicine safety can be targeted in primary care by identifying people at greatest risk, undertaking interventions in a timely way and ensuring the health workforce can resolve problems before harm occurs.”
Pharmacists, working collaboratively with GPs, Primary Health Networks and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO’s), will systematically address issues such as under prescribing, over prescribing or incomplete therapeutic monitoring.
Professor Lisa Nissen from QUT School of Clinical Sciences says an important part of the trial is the co-design of the intervention with both consumers and health practitioners.
“This is something new for consumers, pharmacists and GPs, so it is important to ensure that these groups have input into how the intervention will work,” Professor Nissen said.
“One group we are particularly focused on is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who use a lot of medication for chronic disease and may have reduced access to healthcare.”
Co-led by Dr Jean Spinks (Griffith University) and Professor Lisa Nissen (QUT), the collaborative study includes the Centre for Health Economics, Monash University and the Department of General Practice, Melbourne University with key partner organisations: Australian Digital Health Agency, Brisbane South Primary Health Network, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), MedAdvisor, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
Living through a global pandemic over the past year has seen all of us expanding our vocabularies. We now understand terms like PPE, social distancing and contact tracing.
But just when perhaps we thought we had a handle on most of the terminology, we’re faced with another set of new words: mutation, variant and strain.
So, what do they mean?
The genetic material of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is called ribonucleic acid (RNA). To replicate, and therefore establish infection, SARS-CoV-2 RNA must hijack a host cell and use the cell’s machinery to duplicate itself.
Errors often occur during the process of duplicating the viral RNA. This results in viruses that are similar but not exact copies of the original virus. These errors in the viral RNA are called mutations, and viruses with these mutations are called variants. Variants could differ by a single or many mutations.
Not all mutations have the same effect. To understand this better, we need to understand the basics of our genetic code (DNA for humans; RNA for SARS-CoV-2). This code is like a blueprint on which all organisms are built. When a mutation occurs at a single point, it won’t necessarily change any of the building blocks (called amino acids). In this case, it won’t change how the organism (human or virus) is built.
On occasion though, these single mutations occur in a part of the virus RNA that causes a change in a particular building block. In some cases, there could be many mutations that together alter the building block.
A variant is referred to as a strain when it shows distinct physical properties. Put simply, a strain is a variant that is built differently, and so behaves differently, to its parent virus. These behavioural differences can be subtle or obvious.
For example, these differences could involve a variant binding to a different cell receptor, or binding more strongly to a receptor, or replicating more quickly, or transmitting more efficiently, and so on.
“Essentially, all strains are variants, but not all variants are strains.”
Viruses with mutations become variants. If the variant displays different physical properties to the original virus, we call it a new strain. Lara Herrero, created using BioRender, Author provided
Common variants (which are also strains)
Three of the most common SARS-CoV-2 variants are what we’ve come to know as the UK variant (B.1.1.7), the South African variant (B.1.351) and the Brazilian variant (P.1). Each contains several different mutations.
Let’s look at the UK variant as an example. This variant has a large number of mutations in the spike protein, which aids the virus in its effort to invade human cells.
The increased transmission of the UK variant is believed to be associated with a mutation called N501Y, which allows SARS-CoV-2 to bind more readily to the human receptor ACE2, the entry point for SARS-CoV-2 to a wide range of human cells.
This variant is now widespread in more than 70 countries, and has recently been detected in Australia.
While we commonly call it the “UK variant” (which it is), it’s also a strain because it displays different behaviours to the parental strain.
We’ve got lots more to learn
There is some confusion around how best to use these terms. Given all strains are variants (but not all variants are strains), it makes sense the term variant is more common. But when the science shows these variants behave differently, it would be more accurate to call them strains.
The big question everyone is asking at the moment is how the new variants and strains will affect the efficacy of our COVID-19 vaccines.
The scientific community is uncovering more information about emerging mutations, variants and strains all the time, and leading vaccine developers are testing and evaluating the efficacy of their vaccines in this light.
Some recently licensed vaccines appear to protect well against the UK variant but recent data from Novavax, Johnson & Johnson and Oxford/AstraZeneca indicates possible reduced protection against the South African variant.
Health authorities in South Africa recently paused their rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for this reason. However, it’s too early to tell what impact, if any, this will have on Australia’s vaccine plans.
The vaccine rollout in Australia will assess all information as it comes to light and ensure optimal available protection for the population.
Authors
Dr Lara Herrero is a scientifically and medically trained NHMRC Research Fellow, studying the glycobiology of vector borne diseases with a focus on mosquito-transmitted viruses. She obtained her PhD in 2008 studying human enteroviruses at the University of Western Australia/Telethon Kids Institute, before spending time in industry as a Senior Research officer at Phylogica Ltd (PYC Therapeutics Ltd). Whereas this was a productive period in terms of gaining industry experience and developing an interest and expertise in target discovery and early-stage commercialisation, Dr Herrero decided to return to academic research as a research fellow at the University of Canberra researching alphaviral arthritis, a topic true to her heart having struggled with Ross River virus arthralgia herself.
In late 2010, Dr Herrero moved to the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University where she developed her current research interest: how carbohydrates on viruses and cells affect pathogenesis. Dr Herrero is currently a Research Leader at the Institute for Glycomics where she run a lab of four full time members, including a Post-Doctoral researcher and three PhD students.
Eugene Madzokere is a final year PhD Candidate in Virology at the Institute for Glycomics located at Griffith University.
He studies and researches the serological prevalence of viruses;
the emergence, extinction, and phylogenetic, evolutionary and spatio-temporal relationship of viruses; constraints (e.g. selection pressure, mutation and recombination) and biases on virus evolution; geographical and epidemiological hot-spots of disease burden; influences of climate and land-use changes on dispersal of prominent viral mosquito vectors; new genomic targets for antivirals and,
methods for controlling viral disease spread.
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Last year I found my dry cleaner sewing by the light of a single lamp in his darkened store, in a scene reminiscent of an 18th-century still-life oil painting. Only in that moment did I fully grasp the meaning of the words “the economic cost of COVID-19”. It was during Melbourne’s first lockdown, and I write this article during yet another, from which some local businesses will not emerge, no matter when the Chief Medical Officer declares it is over.
It’s all about adjusting—not resisting
In the middle of the day and the late evening, I hear the until-now extremely rare sound of total silence in my inner-city street. Every morning as I sip my coffee in my office/bedroom/drying room and gaze blearily out the window, I see a masked man jogging by, pushing a military-grade baby stroller. After that, it’s various walkers, the odd delivery van. For me, there’s a trip to the shops perhaps, and/or one hour of mandated exercise. Then… well, that’s it, really.
Resilience is a word until it isn’t. Being stuck in Brunswick for weeks on end is better than being dead in Brazil, caught in a riot in the United States, or stranded in Bonkers Brexit Britain. Australia is the Lucky Country still and knows how to deal with disaster (having created a few of them in the past itself). With some choice exceptions—like the bloke who drove to Wodonga to buy a Big Mac (it cost him $1,652)—Melburnians have observed Stage 4 restrictions faithfully. The infection rate is coming down, but damage has been done, not only economically but socially and psychologically. Nothing will be the same after COVID-19. On the phone to a Sydney friend the other day, there was the usual Emerald City scoffing at this. So, let me say it again: nothing will be the same after COVID-19. Even using the phrase “after COVID-19” feels optimistic, since we are in this pandemic still and, all quack cures to the contrary, likely to remain so for some time.
The political sociologist Wolfgang Streeck writes, “Resilience is [a] term on the rise, having recently been imported into social science from bacteriology, engineering and psychology … [I]t is used both for the capacities of individuals and groups to withstand the onslaught of neoliberalism, and for the ability of neoliberalism as a social order … to persist in spite of its theoretical poverty and practical failure … Note that resilience is not resistance, but more or less voluntary, adaptive adjustment.”
I don’t think my drycleaner thought he was adaptively adjusting. He just couldn’t afford his power bills. He didn’t want to let his business slide, but from the look on his face that’s what was beginning to happen. Since the end of what economists call the Great Moderation—the years 1986 to 2006—Australians have had a lot to be resilient about. Our Gini coefficient—the international measure of inequality—has increased, growth has slowed, wages have stagnated, and a quarter of the workforce is casually employed, one of the highest percentages in the world. Fixed-term contract employment boosts this figure, with the result that less than half of us have the sort of full-time permanent jobs that would cushion the worst effects of the COVID-19 shutdown.
No wonder the federal government moved quickly to bring in its JobKeeper legislation and double JobSeeker entitlements. It had no choice. Any delay would have meant unspeakable hardship for millions of Australians.
More than a state of mind
Where to from here? As these questions are thrashed out in the political arena, businesses like my drycleaners (two employees: him and his brother) face not only the impact of COVID-19 now but also uncertainty about the future these catastrophes always create. Here, we must distinguish between three different kinds of resilience—personal, community and systemic—rather than clump them together into one, all-encompassing state of mind.
Personal resilience is defined by the American Psychological Association as “the process of [individuals] adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress”. Clearly, a good thing. Community resilience is described by the RAND Corporation as “a measure of the sustained ability of a community to utilise available resources to respond to, withstand and recover from adverse situations”. Ditto, self-evidently good.
Systemic resilience is another story. “Resilience is the capacity of a system to anticipate, adapt, and reorganise itself under conditions of adversity in ways that promote and sustain its successful functioning,” says social researcher Michael Ungar. “That capacity, though, is seldom a trait of the system itself, but instead the result of facilitative interactions with cooccurring, subordinate, and supraordinate systems that make it possible for … its parts to function well during and after a disturbance.”
In plain English: “because people make it so”. Personal and community resilience is a quality we discover in ourselves when facing exceptional circumstances. Systemic resilience is the result of our daily support for the system of which we are members. If that support falters—if it degenerates into chronic social violence, for example, or a poisonous fog of conspiracy theories, as in the US and parts of Europe—then we will face problems that the other kinds of resilience simply cannot fix.
The alternative to systemic resilience isn’t systemic collapse, it’s systemic change. In a recent interview with Kerry O’Brien for Griffith University’s A Better Future for Allseries, ACTU Secretary Sally McManus was asked a question about the high rate of casualisation of Australia’s workforce. She responded:
“For a long time, even those people in insecure work normalise[d] it, especially younger people who know nothing else … People could cobble together several casual jobs to put together a living wage. No one liked that but it was possible to do. All of sudden the pandemic comes along and there’s been two brutal realities … First, people were let go immediately. Because you don’t have any job security if you’re a casual worker. Second, because [casual workers] don’t have the same set of rights as everyone else, like sick leave … they were going to work sick … Those two things together—the mass experience of losing a job overnight and having to survive in a pandemic with no leave entitlements—has [shown] … the whole of Australia just how wrong it is … that one in three workers are in this situation.”
As Melbourne’s local businesses like my drycleaner come back to life after six weeks of COVID-19 shutdown (longer for some), and the rest of Australia manages the risk of the virus long-term, the question facing the country is not “can we get through this pandemic?”, because the answer to that is an emphatic “yes”. The question is: what do we need to change so that when adversity strikes again—be it health emergency, bushfire, or economic downturn—we have strengthened the system itself? Let’s make that resilient so we don’t have to be.
Author
Professor Julian Meyrick from Griffith University’s School of Arts and Humanities regularly publishes on Australian culture and cultural policy, and has written 83 articles for The Conversation. He is the director of many award-winning theatre productions.
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We’ve entered 2021 having lived through unimaginable disruption and facing much more, we might well ask ourselves: Will COVID-19 cause a fundamental reimagining of our relationship with cities?
Cities became the dominant human environment a decade ago, when the majority of the global population became urbanised for the first time. The urbanisation trend was predicted to continue for many more years. Now that assumption is under strain. Our cities and the trends that drive them may never again be the same.
People connect to cities through ‘sense of place’. The concept describes how we perceive and attach to places through use, identity, emotion, behaviour and memory. Our connection with cities changes over time but is always grounded in sense of place.
In its early months the COVID-19 pandemic left thousands of cities empty, eerie and listless. Most have since reopened to some degree. Still, many workers remain at home. Office buildings are quiet, as are streets, businesses and public spaces. People are wary of cities now; their sense of place has changed profoundly.
What exactly does COVID-19 represent for cities and how does it disrupt sense of place?
People are redefining their relationship with cities as profound disruptions reshape their sense of place. Everyday things like shared seating, busy trains and eating out are now threatening for many. Places that once teemed with life are muted. People are fearful.
COVID-19 represents a ‘transformative stressor’ for cities. These rare events, which I describe and explore in depth in my research, cause profound and widespread social, environmental and economic disruption. Shocks are felt at every level of society and across institutions. Fundamental relationships come under stress. Major changes become unavoidable.
What was once a distant worry becomes an immediate threat when a transformative stressor hits a city. Things that were reliable and comfortable no longer are. Our behaviour changes in response, causing us to redefine our sense of place over time.
The impacts of transformative stressors are felt simultaneously in economic activity, human health and social order. Impacts occur across scales. Almost everybody endures multiple forms of disruption. Transformative stressors demand decisive response—they are too serious to ignore and failures in leadership are quickly exposed.
A local example of a transformative stressor is the Australian ‘millennium drought’, which lasted from the late 1990s until 2010. The event reduced water supplies to critical levels in South East Queensland and put profound stress on government, industry and the public. Emergency responses became common and widespread institutional, policy and behavioural changes occurred relatively quickly. Massive infrastructure spends were undertaken to secure the region’s water supply against a similar shock in the future.
COVID-19 has all of the characteristics of a transformative stressor. It may remain dynamic and it might not be possible to fully manage it. Recovery planning also needs to account for the possibility COVID-19 might never disappear. It could become a regular risk of city life. This will of course affect people’s sense of place in an ongoing way.
Creating the future while acknowledging the past
Recovery planning is never easy and is fraught with emotion and uncertainty. This time the scale of the challenge is almost impossible to calculate for cities. How do we move forward with such an immense task, and how do we restore a positive sense of place?
The transformative impacts of the pandemic are upending established norms, patterns, behaviours and relationships. Data and predictions are suddenly unreliable. Previous urban trends may not return. Modelling for future city populations and services, undertaken prior to the pandemic, may now be irrelevant.
People stoically endured lockdowns in many countries. Working from home with limited mobility prompted many to re-evaluate their sense of place. It is likely that many people will want a say in how our fundamental relationship with cities is reimagined after this.
Cities and their economies cannot thrive if their residents are constantly unsettled. Planners and policymakers need to work outside their normal methods if they want thriving cities post-pandemic. It is essential that extensive stakeholder consultations happen. These must prioritise direct input from urban residents—the people that live in or frequently visit cities.
Participating in online co-creation workshops can help urban residents redefine their sense of place in real time. This allows people to redefine their sense of place by considering the future with full acknowledgement of the past. They can describe how COVID-19 changed their perceptions and use of space. Opportunities to describe measures to restore their confidence and comfort in cities should be prioritised.
New trends will be revealed through engagement with urban residents, reflecting changes to their sense of place. Lessons from these workshops will help policymakers and planners to reimagine and positively redefine urban space into the future.
Many innovations in urban planning are founded in efforts to improve human health. COVID-19 will undoubtedly prompt a new round of thinking about how cities can be re-imagined. It will be a big adjustment for urban planning, which has traditionally relied on the relative predictability of how people use space.
The transformative stresses of the pandemic are changing our relationship with cities everyday. Do people have the same enthusiasm for city living they had a year ago? Is it really time to imagine new urban realities, or will we eventually drift back into old patterns? What would new realities look like? How do we pragmatically turn imagination in reality?
So far we only have short-term trends to rely on. There appears to be strong interest in improving active transport options. Many people have rediscovered the simple joys of walking and cycling. Other new priorities may be more green space and better social infrastructure.
On the other hand, enthusiasm for urban office and retail space seems to be in decline, perhaps permanently. The viability of specific areas in cities may come under pressure if workforces shrink significantly because remote working suits many employers and their staff. Discussions on how to repurpose those buildings spaces are another opportunity to reimagine and positively redefine urban futures.
These are extraordinary times that call for extraordinary responses. People’s perception and attachment to cities is changing, perhaps forever. The future viability and vibrancy of cities requires that we restore a positive sense of place.
Decisions on where to go from here will be better made if decision makers understand how people are redefining their sense of place in this time of profound upheaval. Now is a time for planners and policymakers to plan with people, not for people.
Author
Dr Tony Matthews is an award-winning Urban and Environmental Planner. He is an active scholar, practitioner, public writer, speaker and broadcaster. His research interests include adapting cities to climate change, the role and function of green infrastructure and the interplay between urban design, health and environmental outcomes.
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In February 2021, the US state of Texas experienced some of its coldest weather on record – around 20℃ below average.
Texas infrastructure was not designed to deal with such extreme low temperatures. The cold snap caused chronic electricity and water shortages, and a major disaster was declared.
The consequences have been bleak. Dozens of people have died and others, especially the vulnerable, were left shivering in their homes.
While Australia does not generally experience such cold winter temperatures, our electricity systems are also vulnerable to climate change, extreme weather and power outages. So, there are valuable lessons to be learned from the Texan disaster.
What happened to the power system in Texas?
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Essentially, the freezing temperatures appear to have caused power generators to fail while, at the same time, electricity demand reached a new record winter peak of 69 gigawatts.
It’s understood that due to the extreme weather, up to 46 gigawatts of electricity generation was unavailable, spread across many types of generators including thermal (coal, gas, and nuclear) and renewable (wind). With record demand and failing generators, the system operator was forced to cut power to homes and businesses on a rotating basis. Up to 20 gigawatts of customer demand was unmet due to these outages.
The Texas power grid is not well connected to those in neighbouring states, and so could not draw electricity from those power systems.
For millions of people in Texas, this meant they were without power in freezing conditions and essential services such as hospitals experienced critical issues, including water outages and hospital bed shortages.
The combination of high power demand and low supply meant prices skyrocketed on the wholesale electricity market, where electricity generators sell power to retailers.
The average daily price during the extreme weather was close to the US$9,000 per megawatt hour price cap. For a point of reference, the average daily price in Australia’s market in recent months has been between A$20/MWh and A$40/MWh.
The Texas crisis serves as a warning to the world. Here are three lessons for Australia.
Lesson One: We must prepare our electricity system for climate change
Crews worked across Australia to replace bushfire-damaged power poles after the Black Summer fires, such as here in Brogo, NSW. AAP Image/Sean Davey
As US-based energy expert Fereidoon Sioshansi noted to us recently:
“With climate change, we need to revisit our outdated assumptions about resilient grid planning in Texas and places such as Australia.”
Australia’s energy regulators should consider climate change when approving new transmission investments.
And greater interconnection between the states would provide more resilience to extreme weather, allowing states to provide energy to other states whose power supplies are damaged by extreme weather.
ERCOT, the Q&A thread [so far].
Q: What is going on? A: The current weather event in Texas is beyond anything that we have experienced in modern memory. I don’t recall another time when all 254 counties in TX were under a winter storm warning. 1/ pic.twitter.com/nOiasWgeeO
Lesson Two: Don’t support the technologies of yesterday
Like Texas, Australia’s east coast market — called the national electricity market (NEM) — is an “energy-only market”. This means generators get paid only for the energy they produce, not the capacity they make available to supply electricity in the future.
The issues in Texas have led to discussion among economists and politicians about whether Texas needs a “capacity market”, where generators get paid for the capacity they make available.
They say a capacity market would make the system more reliable. But we believe this is misguided for three reasons.
First, a capacity market would not have changed the outcome in Texas because no one anticipated a scenario like this (see Lesson 1!).
Second, a capacity market in Australia is likely to be used to support existing, ageing, unreliable coal-fired plants, because they are already in the electricity system.
Coal-fired plants are inflexible — they’re slow to respond to signals to produce more electricity. This means they’re more likely to detract, rather than add, resilience to our system.
Instead, we need flexible options that respond much faster to high electricity demand. These include technologies like battery storage, gas-fired peaking units (which run only at peak demand) and pumped hydro.
But this flexibility isn’t rewarded under a capacity market, because capacity would be paid for irrespective of whether electricity production can be turned on quickly (or not).
It’s critical Australia implements enduring policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. AAP Image/Julian Smith
Third, there’s a better option for creating a more resilient, reliable system: a so-called “operating reserve” market.
This involves providing incentives to customers to reduce electricity use at short notice when power supplies are low.
Generators and customers that can rapidly respond to challenging conditions are paid in this separate market (but only when necessary).
Australia’s regulators are currently considering whether to introduce this type of market. While Texas has a similar scheme, it focuses on creating higher prices to encourage spare capacity, rather than paying consumers and generators to make electricity available if needed.
Lesson Three: We need to do our fair share and decarbonise our electricity system rapidly
To prevent extreme weather from becoming a bigger problem, it’s critical Australia implements an enduring policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The simplest way of doing this would be transitioning the existing renewable energy target into an emissions intensity scheme.
Essentially, this is where lower emissions generation (such as renewables) gets rewarded, while higher emissions generation (such as coal) gets penalised.
Allowing renewable energy generators to export their greenhouse abatement to other sectors would underpin faster decarbonisation and greater investment in new electricity supply.
Australia has always been one of the most fragile continents when it comes to the effects of climate change. We need to prepare our electricity system to be resilient to more extreme weather.
But we also need to rapidly scale up the decarbonisation of our electricity supply to ensure Australia plays its part in reducing global greenhouse emissions.
Authors
Tim Nelson is an Associate Professor at Griffith University and is widely published in Australian and international peer-reviewed journals. He holds a PhD in economics for which he earned a Chancellors Doctoral Research Medal and a first class honours degree in economics. Tim is also a fellow of the Governance Institute (FGIA and FCIS) and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Tim was recently appointed the Executive General Manager, Energy Markets at Infigen Energy. During 2019, Tim was the Executive General Manager, Strategy and Economic Analysis, at the Australian Energy Market Commission where he established its thought leadership and quantitative analysis capabilities. Up until November 2018, Tim was the Chief Economist of AGL Energy and led the company’s public policy advocacy and its sustainability and ESG strategy. In particular, he led development of AGL’s revised Greenhouse Gas Policy, climate risk disclosure and the Powering Australian Renewables Fund (PARF) concept.
He is currently researching electricity tariff design in a high penetration renewables environment, management theory in relation to climate change responses by companies and modelling climate change mitigation scenarios in the energy sector.
Joel Gilmore is an Associate Professor at Griffith University and is passionate about providing critical analysis that helps industry and government transition our energy sector to a low emissions future. I’m particularly interested in the integration of renewable generation into our grids, and how electricity markets could (or should) evolve over time to provide the right signals for investors.
I draw on a broad background of physics, engineering, market modelling, policy work and economics to deliver a big picture view – while still undertaking detailed, quantitative analysis to make sure recommendations are backed up by hard data.
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Dr Lara Herrero
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Professor Julian Meyrick
Dr Tony Matthews
Tim Nelson
Joel Gilmore