Climate issues and the 2023 Election: Is Aotearoa heading in a sustainable direction?
Carbon News,
30 August 2023
Ralph has worked on climate change mitigation – ways to cut carbon emissions – since 1988, in the context of cities, transport, housing and urban planning. He’s also worked on environmental management and economics. He stepped down in 2021 after 16 years as Director of Environmental Studies at VUW. His current projects include the carbon footprint of public housing; and how to transition our cities to zero carbon.
Ralph's significant recent research studies include:
- The PHUR programme, addressing the outcomes of public housing provision for urban regeneration and wellbeing (current study, funded by MBIE’s Endeavour Fund).
- A research commission from the OECD on transitioning cities to zero carbon.
- The ACTIVE project addressing the impact of investment in walking and cycling infrastructure on encouraging active travel, and reducing car use (papers include a cost-benefit study; and a paper on overall intervention study results).
Related Links
Key publications
- Where do the parties stand? A low carbon, healthy transport systemPublic Health Communication Centre, The Briefing29 August 2023.
- Baker. M. Cunningham, C Amore, K Boulic, M Halley, C Nathan, K Pehi, T. Phipps, R Ruru, J Shaw, Caroline Toy-Cronin, B Tupara, H Wilkie, M Zhang, WHe Kāinga Oranga: reflections on 25 years of measuring the improved health, wellbeing and sustainability of healthier housing.Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand,Online.
- Does reframing urban policy around wellbeing support carbon mitigation?Buildings and Cities, 2(1).
- Current and future green space supply and demand in central Wellington City, New Zealand.
- Ürge-Vorsatz, D.1.5°C of Global Warming: Can We Still Get There? Insights from the Urban Development Sector.In L. Grant, H. Viggers & P. Howden-Chapman (Eds.), Improving Buildings, Cutting Carbon.Wellington, New Zealand: Steele Roberts, Aotearoa
- Submission by the NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities on Our City Tomorrow: Wellington’s Draft Spatial Plan.Download document
- Submission on Transforming transport and cities in NZ: a note for the Climate Change Commission’s engagements on transport and urban form.New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities.Wellington, New Zealand.Download document
- Transforming Transport and Cities in NZ: A Note for the Climate Change Commission’s Engagements on Transport and Urban Form.New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities, Wellington.Download document
- Submission on the draft Government Policy Statement on land transport 2021.Download document
- Submission by the NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities on the RMA Issues and Options Paper, ‘Opportunities for Change’.Wellington, NZ Centre for Sustainable CitiesDownload document
- Acceptability of Transport Emissions Reduction Policies: A Multi-Criteria Analysis.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,133, 110298.
- Evaluating natural experiments to measure the co-benefits of urban policy interventions to reduce carbon emissions in New Zealand.Science of the Total Environment700, 134408. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134408
- Response to Call for evidence on Options available to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the period 2022-2035.Submission to the Interim Climate Change Commission. Wellington: New Zealand Centre for Sustainable CitiesDownload document
- Submission to the Ministry for the Environment on National Policy Statement on Urban Development.Wellington, NZ Centre for Sustainable CitiesDownload document
- Submission to the Environment Select Committee on the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill.Wellington: New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities
- Scope for building performance provisions to advance building sustainability and environmental performance in New Zealand.Working Paper for the National Science Challenge 11, Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities
- Effect of an electricity voucher on electricity use.Energy Policy,134, 110985
- Green Space in Wellington’s Central City: current provision, and design for future wellbeing.Report to Wellington City CouncilDownload document
- Emissions from the road transport sector of New Zealand: key drivers and challenges.Environmental Science and Pollution Research26(23), 23937–23957
- Climate change response in New Zealand communities: Local scale adaptation and mitigation planning.Environmental Development28, 19-31
- Submission to Ministry for the Environment on ‘Our Climate Your Say: Consultation on the Zero Carbon Bill.New Zealand Centre for Sustainable CitiesDownload document
- Submission by the NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities to the New Zealand Productivity Commission on the draft ‘Low-emissions economy’ report (April 2018).NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities.
- Submission to the Tax Working Group on The Future of Tax.New Zealand Centre for Sustainable CitiesDownload document
- Dodge, N.Investigating recruitment and completion mode biases in online and door to door electronic surveys.International Journal of Social Research Methodology21(2).
- Are people who already cycle and walk more responsive to an active travel intervention?Journal of Transport & Health10, 84-91.
- Reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from an intervention to promote cycling and walking: A case study from New Zealand.Transportation Research Part D65, 687-696.
- A cost benefit analysis of an active travel intervention with health and carbon emission reduction benefits.International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health15(5), 962.
- Dodge, N.Framing mobility investment: a review of the inclusion of environmental and social costs in transport appraisal frameworks in four Anglophone countries.NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities Policy PaperNovember 2017Download document
- Dodge, N.Investment for sustainable transport: transport investment and carbon emissions in four Anglophone countries.NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities Policy PaperNovember 2017Download document
- How economic analysis can contribute to understanding the links between housing and health.Int J Environ Res Public Health14, 9.
- Submission to Wellington City Council on car sharing facilitation.NZ Centre for Sustainable CitiesDownload document
- Does population density affect access to and satisfaction with urban green and open spaces?Review for the Resilient Urban Futures programme strand on compact and dispersed development, NZCSC Policy Paper, NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities, WellingtonDownload document
- Why New Zealand transport policy needs to encourage walking and cycling.In L Early & P Howden-Chapman (Eds.), Cities in New Zealand: Preferences, patterns and possibilities.(pp.107-114). Wellington, New Zealand: Steele Roberts Aotearoa.
- Understanding the systemic nature of cities to improve health and climate change mitigation.Environment International94, 380-387.
- Sobiecki, L.The future of Wellington’s bus fleet: The environmental and health implications of different upgrade options for Wellington’s bus fleet.NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities Policy PaperVictoria University of Wellington & NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities, May 2016
- Increasing active travel to work: sub-analyses of a quasi-experimental study of an intervention to encourage walking and cycling.New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities.Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.Download document
- Ministry of Transport’s draft transport research strategy, 2016.NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities
- Streamlining urban housing development: are there environmental sustainability impacts?Cities55, 101-112.
- Abrahamse, W. Muggeridge, D. Beetham, J. Grams, M.Increasing active travel: results of a quasi-experimental pre-post study of an intervention to encourage walking and cycling.Journal of Epidemiology and Community Healthdoi:10.1136/jech-2015-205466
- Abrahamse, A. Muggeridge, D. Beetham, J Grams, M.Increasing active travel: aims, methods and baseline measures of a quasi-experimental study.BMC Public Health2014, 14, 935
- Sizing up the City: Urban form and transport in New Zealand.Wellington, New Zealand: Steele Roberts, Aotearoa