Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University
Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University and works in CUSP which has 95 PhD students working on all aspects of the green economy. Peter has worked in local government as an elected councillor, an advisor to three WA State Premiers and was on the Board of Infrastructure Australia from 2010 to 2014. He was a Lead Author for Transport on the IPCC. He has written 17 books and 286 refereed articles. Peter’s book with Jeff Kenworthy 'Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence' was launched in the White House in 1999 and their most recent book is 'The End of Automobile Dependence'. In 2001-3 Peter directed the production of WA’s Sustainability Strategy in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, the first state sustainability strategy in the world. In 2004-5 he was a Sustainability Commissioner in Sydney advising the government on planning issues. In 2006/7 he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Virginia Charlottesville. In 2014 Peter was awarded an AO for contributions to urban design and sustainable transport, particularly related to the saving and rebuilding of Perth’s rail system.
Driverless vehicles and pedestrians don't mix. So how do we re-arrange our cities?
Dec 01, 2019 03:39 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology
Videos showing autonomous or self-driving vehicles weaving in and out of crossroads at speed without colliding suggest this technology will solve traffic problems. You almost never see pedestrians or cyclists in these...
Autonomous transport will shape our cities' future – best get on the right path early
Mar 21, 2019 13:23 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology
A unique opportunity exists for infrastructure investment in Australia as transport as we know it faces disruption from autonomous vehicles. Disruption is not a dirty word. Traditional transport models are being...
Can your actions really save the planet? 'Planetary accounting' has the answer
Oct 26, 2018 07:21 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
The climate is changing before our eyes. News articles about imminent species extinctions have become the norm. Images of oceans full of plastic are littering social media. These issues are made even more daunting by the...
Why trackless trams are ready to replace light rail
Sep 27, 2018 15:44 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology
I began my life as an activist academic in 1979 when the Western Australian government closed the Fremantle railway, saying buses would be better. Patronage immediately fell by 30% and I ran a four-year campaign to save...
A sustainable future begins at ground level
Canada needs a national strategy for homeless refugee claimants
An eclipse for everyone – how visually impaired students can ‘get a feel for’ eclipses