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Gold medallist sleeps in Paris park to protest "disappointing" Olympic village conditions

<p>A gold medallist has been spotted sleeping in a Paris park in protest of the conditions in the Olympic village. </p> <p>Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon was captured sleeping atop a white towel in a park located inside the Olympic village by Saudi rower Husein Alireza. </p> <p>Alireza posted the photo to Instagram with the caption, "Rest today, conquer tomorrow."</p> <p>The Italian swimmer, who won gold in the 100m backstroke, had already complained publicly about the accommodations in the Olympic Village, after he failed to reach the 200m backstroke final on Wednesday.</p> <p>Since the commencement of the Paris Games, many athletes have spoken out about the conditions in the Olympic village, saying the beds are uncomfortable, the rooms are poorly air conditioned and the food is poor quality. </p> <p>“There is no air-conditioning in the village, it’s hot, the food is bad,” Ceccon said, according to <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/29673636/thomas-ceccon-sleeping-park-conditions-olympic-village-paris/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Sun</em>. </a></p> <p>“Many athletes move for this reason: it’s not an alibi or an excuse, it’s the reality of what perhaps not everybody knows."</p> <p>“I’m disappointed that I didn’t make the final, but I was too tired. It’s hard to sleep both at night and in the afternoon. Here, I really struggle between the heat and the noise.”</p> <p>Andy Anson, the chief of the British Olympic Association, also voiced concerns about how the quality of the village is affecting athletes, telling <em>The Times of London</em>, “There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates.”</p> <p>“And then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes.”</p> <p>A number of athletes, including the entire US women’s tennis team (with the exception of Coco Gauff) have left the village and searched for alternate accommodation for the duration of the Games. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram/Panoramic/SIPA/SIPA/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Wild moment giraffe snatches toddler from car

<p>A father has recalled the heart-stopping moment his toddler was snatched by a giraffe at a safari park in Texas. </p> <p>Jason Toten, 24, his fiancé Sierra Robert, 23, and their daughter Paisley were at Fossil Rim Wildlife Centre in Glen Rose where visitors can drive-through the park and get close to wild animals. </p> <p>"We were having a little family day, just getting out of the house," Jason told a local news outlet. </p> <p>While the family were admiring the view, one giraffe slowly approached them and the pair encouraged their daughter to offer it some food, but within an instant, the two-year-old girl was lifted into the air.</p> <p>"I looked out the back window and I saw the giraffe … and then up she went," Jason recalled. </p> <p>The giraffe, who was only trying to grab the bag of food from Paisley, accidentally hoisted the toddler up by her shirt, with other park visitors behind them capturing the wild moment. </p> <p>Sierra reacted immediately and clung to her child, as she was pulled into the air, and all it took for the giraffe to let go was a stern "hey". </p> <p>The giraffe then dropped the tot back into the car uninjured, and throughout the entire ordeal Paisley was the bravest of them all. </p> <p>"I guess it startled the giraffe. She wasn't even scared," Jason recalled. </p> <p>"As soon as her mom caught her, she went 'oh.'" </p> <p>"It scared me but after it was all over, we realised everyone was safe and unharmed, and we laughed about it," Jason added. </p> <p>After the incident, the family took Paisley to the gift shop and "all she wanted was a giraffe toy and a giraffe T-shirt."</p> <p>"We ended up getting her both, we figured she deserved it."</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Woman fined after paid car park gets set up around her parked vehicle

<p>Josephine Williams had been leaving her car in a gravel clearing at Westgate in Auckland, alongside other commuters to catch the bus into the city for months. </p> <p>The New Zealand woman was left with a "nasty surprise" when she returned from work on Monday to find a NZ $85 ($77) fine sitting on her windshield. </p> <p>"To my unfortunate surprise - and many others - I was greeted by an $85 parking ticket for a breach and a flyer from Wilson Parking saying paid parking had started that day," Williams told <em>Stuff</em>.</p> <p>"But what breach exactly was made? How was I supposed to know paid parking started that day when there was nothing at all displayed anywhere in the car park?"</p> <p>Williams claimed that the Wilson Parking car park had been set up around her already parked car, even providing dash cam footage that showed her pulling into the gravel clearing at 7.45am, with no paid parking signs or Wilson branding in sight. </p> <p>By 6pm, a large red and white Wilson sign had been put up at the entrance, with "12 hours for $4" written on it. </p> <p>"Wilson deliberately put their sign up sometime after 9am and then took it upon themselves to fine every single car that was already parked there from the morning," Williams said.</p> <p>"$85 is a lot of money - it would have been two weeks' worth of grocery shopping for me," she added. </p> <p>"I'm lucky that I know the law and my rights, but some other people might not. What about students or the elderly or people who don't know English well?"</p> <p>She estimated that there was usually around 50 and 100 cars in the gravel clearing. </p> <p>Wilson argued that the carpark was always there and they had just added more signage, but have since waived Williams' fine after she lodged a request to have it reviewed by Parking Enforcement Services. </p> <p>Wilson Parking also said that they had started to set up the car park and installed a "clear signage" on April 22. </p> <p>"It was not set up around parked cars on 29 April as suggested," a Wilson spokesperson said.</p> <p>"Several payments were made by customers via the Parkmate app from 22 April proving that signage on the site was clear and effective," they said.</p> <p>They added that on April 29 more signs were added to all entry points of the car park. </p> <p>"In acknowledgment of the increased signage added on the 29th at the entry we've made the decision to refund all payments made until 30 April and waive any breach notices issued up to this date."</p> <p>They also denied issuing any breach notices before the signs were put up.</p> <p>"Payment options were available and signed from 22 April - but no infringement notices were issued prior to the 29th."</p> <p><em>Images: Stuff</em></p> <p> </p>

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"Colossal prick" slammed over outrageous Bunnings parking

<p>A motorist in Perth has been slammed for their "extra selfish" parking act in the carpark of a Bunning's Warehouse. </p> <p>A frustrated fellow shopper captured the parking faux pas and posted the image of the car to Reddit, which shows a ute with an attached trailer parking over four spaces, including one reserved for people with disabilities.</p> <p>"There was no disabled badge and of course there is plenty of trailer parking available at Bunnings," the user wrote, adding that there were suitable bays available closer to the store's entrance.</p> <p>Fellow motorists and shoppers were shocked and appalled by the selfish act, with one Reddit user urging the author of the post to send the photo to both Bunnings and the local council, citing a $500 fine as a deterrent for the future.</p> <p>"Blocking the disabled bay gets extra selfish points," a user commented, while someone else vented, "Not content with being a colossal prick and taking up four spots, decides to go world-class and make one of those spots a disabled parking bay. Some f**king people."</p> <p>The post was flooded by outrage at the audacious parking, with users overwhelmingly agreeing that parking in spaces designated for disabled drivers is inexcusable.</p> <p>After being alerted to the post, Bunnings Regional Operations Manager Hayley Coulson expressed disappointment on behalf of the retailer. "We were disappointed to learn a customer recently used a disability parking bay for their trailer outside our Innaloo store, which our team was unaware of at the time."</p> <p>"These parking bays are incredibly important for the community and we remind our customers that they're only reserved for people with a disability or mobility restrictions."</p> <p>She added, "We're really focused on ensuring disability parking bays are always available for their intended use, and we do our best to communicate regularly with our stores to remind them that these bays are not to be compromised for any reason, at any time."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Reddit</em></p>

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Disney star dies at just 29

<p>South Korean actress Park Soo Ryun, who starred in the K-drama Disney+ series <em>Snowdrop</em> has passed away aged 29.</p> <p>According to the <em>Mirror</em>, Ryun fell down a flight of stairs on June 11, at a property on Jeju Island, South Korea’s largest island, where she was scheduled to perform.</p> <p>The actress was reportedly taken to hospital for emergency treatment but was sadly pronounced dead by medics after she couldn't be revived.</p> <p>Ryun’s family have decided to donate her organs, according to K-pop website <em>Soompi</em>.</p> <p>The star’s mother told South Korean media, “Only her brain is unconscious, and her heart is still beating. There must be someone who desperately needs [organs]. “As her mother and father, we will be able to live comforted [by the thought that her heart] has gone to someone and is beating.”</p> <p>A fan account for the Snowdrop series posted a tribute for the late star, “A painful day. Heard [sic] to breathe,”</p> <p>“The most beautiful light, the most beautiful flower. Rest in peace.”</p> <p>Fans flocked to the comments to show their support.</p> <p>“Rest in peace, you will be in our hearts forever." one said.</p> <p>“Rest in peace.” another wrote.</p> <p>Ryun got her big break in 2018 when she appeared in the musical <em>Il Tenore</em>.</p> <p>She made her TV acting debut in 2021 with <em>Snowdrop</em> alongside Blackpink singer Jisoo.</p> <p>Another <em>Snowdrop</em> actress also passed away unexpectedly at age 29 in 2022.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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How Jurassic Park changed film-making and our view of dinosaurs

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/travis-holland-299087">Travis Holland</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-sturt-university-849">Charles Sturt University</a></em></p> <p>In June 1993, director Steven Spielberg released a film that unleashed a wave of technological change in film-making and simultaneously helped to revive popular interest in dinosaurs.</p> <p>Jurassic Park, based on Michael Crichton’s novel, spawned five blockbuster sequels as well as a multitude of spin-off games, toys, novels, and multiple animated television shows. It features a theme park housing de-extincted dinosaurs that break out of their confines and cause havoc.</p> <p>Underpinning the plot is clever genetic engineering that has allowed the Park’s scientists to assume they could control all aspects of the dinosaurs’ development, including their sex, much to their later horror when it becomes apparent such control was never possible.</p> <p>The film franchise has taken an average of over $1 billion dollars at the box office, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/jurassic-world-dominion-box-office-billion-1235380452/">according to Variety</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QWBKEmWWL38?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>From puppets to CGI</h2> <p>According to industry legend and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20102096/?ref_=ttep_ep6">multiple documentaries</a>, Spielberg had planned to use only practical effects, including stop-motion Velociraptors and an animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, well into the filming schedule, he was convinced to also include wholly digital dinosaurs after viewing test footage produced by staff at special effects house Industrial Light &amp; Magic.</p> <p>In <a href="https://utpress.utexas.edu/9781477325308/">a critical history</a> of Industrial Light &amp; Magic, Julie Turnock observes that the film “relied on a canny mix of large-scale mechanical effects cut together with a few digitally generated shots”. After its success, ILM embraced digital composition technology more fully and integrated it into many later films.</p> <p>As it stands, Jurassic Park features about 50 shots of digital-only prehistoric creatures, including the first full-body scene of a dinosaur – the sauropod Brachiosaurus - flocking Gallimumus, and the T. rex chasing a Jeep.</p> <p>Industrial Light &amp; Magic <a href="https://www.ilm.com/vfx/jurassic-park/">now claims on their website</a> that “Suddenly, directors could imagine making films in which realistic animals, fantasy creatures, even digital people could perform without restraint.”</p> <p>Nowadays, films and television productions are replete with photoreal computer-generated animals and people and the next revolution in screen production has them projected live behind actors on a series of large screens known as “<a href="https://theasc.com/articles/the-mandalorian">the volume</a>”.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BPUEqvfQuHY?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Palaeontologists aren’t extinct</h2> <p>Shortly after seeing their first dinosaur, on-screen palaeontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) suggests to his palaeobotanist partner Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) that the de-extinction success of Jurassic Park might make their profession redundant. Their colleague Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) responds, “Don’t you mean extinct?”</p> <p>But far from extinction, palaeontology and associated sciences have seen an extensive rebound in public interest in the thirty years since Jurassic Park was released.</p> <p>In 1975, palaeontologist Robert Bakker <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24949774.pdf?casa_token=s5us3t_9TrQAAAAA:hxfVrmS11FACTHHYosZSqQMLDJRWJZTE3a4ggr7kIFauNoIvT8WjUJaZ5hxrKkFNqMcn3-68yiuLlH1tWU7k4o--xCDBpQwYPv4tXjF8KTIU8kpHo0vS">popularised the term “dinosaur renaissance”</a> to describe a spate of developing research findings which argued the creatures were endothermic (warm-blooded), active, and related to the birds rather than cold-blooded, slow and wholly extinct as had been the public perception for much of the previous century. This renaissance lasted from about the 1960s into the 1980s and Jurassic Park reflected many of these new orthodoxies.</p> <p>Bakker himself consulted for the film and was referenced by the character Tim Murphy. A Bakker lookalike also appeared in the sequel The Lost World, further reinforcing its role in reflecting these new perspectives.</p> <p>But the film also arrived at the dawn of yet another new age of dinosaur discoveries which Steve Brusatte, in his 2018 book <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760780524/">The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs</a>, described as “the golden age of discovery”. Brusatte referred to the cohort of scientists making these newer discoveries as “men and women from many backgrounds who came of age in the era of Jurassic Park.” Among their findings are new understandings that many dinosaurs were feathered like their modern avian cousins.</p> <p>Elizabeth Jones recently chronicled the history of the field of “<a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300240122/ancient-dna/">ancient DNA</a>” science, noting the “Jurassic Park effect” playing out on this fascinating area of research:</p> <blockquote> <p>Even as scientists rejected the conclusions or the implications of the <em>Jurassic Park</em> narrative, they drew on the popularity of the book and movie to emphasise the importance of the technical enterprise in which they were engaged.</p> </blockquote> <p>And <a href="https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjes-2022-0131">a recent review</a> of the last 60 years of dinosaur research by celebrated palaeontologist Philip J. Currie suggested “public interest continues to be stimulated by a multibillion-dollar movie, media, and toy industry founded on our interest in dinosaurs.”</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530243/original/file-20230606-27-8gx3lo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">A scene from Jurassic Park (1993)</span> <span class="attribution">IMDB</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The Jurassic Park legacy</h2> <p>Dinosaurs have long featured in popular media such as films and television. The first animated dinosaur, Gertie, debuted as <a href="https://palaeomedia.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2019/07/24/meet-gertie-the-dinosaurus/">part of a vaudeville performance in 1914</a>. Dinosaurs, including a fearsome Tyrannosaurus featured in Disney’s groundbreaking and famed 1940 film Fantasia. But it was Jurassic Park which truly presented them as believable living creatures for the first time.</p> <p>Though the science of the film has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/feb/08/jurassic-park-dinosaur-inaccuracies">been widely criticised</a> since its release, Jurassic Park succeeded in revolutionising film-making and reigniting a public fascination with dinosaurs even as palaeontology itself underwent a boom in new research efforts. In <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/457392/did-i-ever-tell-you-this-by-neill-sam/9780241648988">his recent memoir</a>, actor Sam Neill described the film’s visuals as “a perfect collision of coming-of-age computer generated imagery… with state of the art puppetry”.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fb5ELWi-ekk?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>The sequels sequels and spin-offs have continued to adapt to changing social expectations, featuring <a href="https://theconversation.com/toss-aside-those-high-heels-how-jurassic-worlds-claire-dearing-lights-a-path-for-women-in-action-films-182334">strong female</a> and <a href="https://www.pride.com/geek/2022/7/21/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-goes-out-queer-roar">queer characters</a>, and even <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/jurassic-world-dominion-dinosaur-feathers">feathered dinosaurs</a> in response to changing scientific understandings.</p> <p>Perhaps the next Jurassic film will feature a full-lipped <a href="https://www-science-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/content/article/t-rex-lips-new-study-suggests">Tyrannosaurus</a>?<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203147/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/travis-holland-299087">Travis Holland</a>, Senior Lecturer in Communication, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-sturt-university-849">Charles Sturt University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-jurassic-park-changed-film-making-and-our-view-of-dinosaurs-203147">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Universal Pictures</em></p>

Movies

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Hilarious footage emerges of Sam Neill's James Bond screen test

<p dir="ltr"><em>Jurassic Park</em> star Sam Neill appeared on the <em>Today</em> show to discuss his career and new memoir 'Did I Ever Tell You This?' but the hosts had other plans.</p> <p dir="ltr">Karl Stefanovic, Sarah Abo and Brooke Boney managed to dig up an old screen test that left the 75-year-old red-faced.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Oh, my God, no - That is so cruel to play that, so cruel," a flustered Neil said, as footage from his <em>James Bond</em> audition started rolling.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the video, a young Neill armed with a gun and donning an unbuttoned shirt bursts into a bedroom-to the surprise of a naked woman- and says the famous line "My friends called me Bond, James Bond".</p> <p dir="ltr">Neill said he was thankful that he didn’t get the part and that someone else was chosen to do the role.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I felt so awkward all day that we made that thing and it just went on and on and on," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I am so relieved they offered it to someone else, they are welcome to it - you don't want to be the Bond that no-one likes, you know - that is a fate worse than death."</p> <p dir="ltr">Although he didn’t get the role of agent 007, the actor has starred in three of the J<em>urassic Park films, Event Horizon, The Dish and Peter Rabbit</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also told the <em>Today </em>show hosts that he never intended on becoming a professional actor and his success was completely unexpected.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I never really imagined I would have a career in film, let alone a career as an actor," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"At the rather advanced age of 30 I suddenly realised I could make a living at what I loved best and I never looked back until I wrote (the memoir) and it has been good to look back - it has been really good for me."</p> <p><em>Image: Today Show, Channel 9</em></p>

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Ticked off trekker exposes family’s selfish act

<p>Australian bushwalkers are bristling at one family’s claim over an entire viewing platform in Victoria.</p> <p>A picture, shared to Reddit, shows a family - of at least four - taking over at Wilsons Promontory National Park with their set up. Camp chairs, bags, and meal trays can be seen around them, blocking access to the viewing point for anyone else who might like to enjoy what the park has to offer.</p> <p>The area - well known for its stunning vistas and bountiful wildlife - is a popular weekend retreat for tourists and locals alike, and Parks Victoria have revealed that it gets “extremely busy over summer”.</p> <p>“This family [is] taking up an entire sightseeing platform so nobody else can take photos,” the poster stated.</p> <p>“It’s a long weekend,” he continued below, “so Wilsons Promontory was very busy. A lot of people missed out on great photos and views because these people wanted it for themselves.”</p> <p>One had a simple, if not entirely beneficial solution, declaring that “confrontation is not always wrong.”</p> <p>“As I walked past, a guy said ‘that's just f***ing rude’,” the individual behind the post responded.</p> <p>“Especially in the case of entitled twats, I feel sorry for the kids though, they have parents who convince them shit like this is ok,” agreed another.</p> <p>“This park have rangers?” enquired one. “I'd be getting them to get those a***oles outta there.”</p> <p>“Despite being 2hrs from civilisation, it was packed because it's a long weekend here,” the original poster responded. “There's a huge campground nearby that was completely full.</p> <p>“But I didn't see any rangers all day, just a bus driver shuttling people up a mountain because the car park at the top would have been overflowing if everyone drove up.”</p> <p>Another shared their past experience with the spot, noting that they’d seen the same thing happen before, and that they’d just gone over and taken pictures anyway.</p> <p>“They then realised they were in the way,” they said of their encounter, “apologised, moved a little, and we had a chat about the weather. People do dumb s*** all the time without taking into consideration other people.”</p> <p>“I’m wondering this too if maybe they didn’t connect that it was a specific overlook platform at the time of the pic,” mused one responder.</p> <p>Meanwhile, another only had “never assume malice when stupidity will suffice” to say.</p> <p>Some, however, had a little more compassion for the family in the picture, writing that there were a lot of people “describing how they'd solve this problem. How about ‘excuse me, can I take some photos here?’ like a normal person?”</p> <p>“Exactly. I cringed. Like what if they just thought they stumbled upon the spot and were like ‘let’s picnic real quick’ and didn’t know people were going out of their way to find that spot or just that it’s a viewpoint spot,” another offered in agreement. “I have to sympathise, we’re all humans and hopefully it was not malicious. Just parents trying to have fun with their children?”</p> <p>“Duuuude, seriously,” one more wrote. “The ‘perpetrators’ might not even know [that] what they’re doing isn’t cool. It looks like they hiked out there and saw a decent spot to chill.”</p> <p><em>Images: Reddit</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Harry and Meghan break their silence on "boring and baseless" South Park episode

<p>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have broken their silence after being portrayed in an episode of <em>South Park</em>, in which they were ruthlessly mocked and ridiculed. </p> <p>The animated TV show released their newest episode, titled <em>The Worldwide Privacy Tour</em>, which depicted the royal couple embarking on a promotional tour for the Prince's new book titled "Waaaah". </p> <p>After the episode aired, reports emerged that Meghan Markle was left "upset and overwhelmed" by their merciless slating on the show, while a royal commentator speculated that the couple's lawyers were "casting an eye" over the cartoon series.</p> <p>Despite these claims, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has debunked rumours that they would be suing <em>South Park</em> over the episode, blasting the claims as "boring and baseless" in a statement given to <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/why-prince-harry-meghan-markle-will-not-sue-south-park-lawsuit-1782414" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">Newsweek</a>.</p> <p>The statement did not mention Harry and Meghan's personal feelings towards the episode, nor did it address claims that the couple's lawyers will be monitoring the show in order to see whether <em>South Park</em>'s creators launch any fresh attacks on the pair in the future.</p> <p>U.S. royal commentator Kristen Meinzer also told Newsweek that is was easy to see why the couple were not taking legal action. </p> <p>She said, "I highly doubt Meghan and Harry are suing a satirical cartoon that famously ridicules everyone."</p> <p>"If anything, they'll know they're in good company with other decent people who've been raked over the coals by the show."</p> <p>"For example, <em>South Park</em> has repeatedly ridiculed Al Gore and his efforts to combat climate change. They made fun of Steve Irwin for being killed by a stingray just a few weeks after his death."</p> <p>"They turned Rob Reiner into a punchline because of his weight. They've never been a bastion of good taste, and they've absolutely been offensive, but again, they're also a cartoon, not a news outlet—and Harry and Meghan are unlikely to take a cartoon to court."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

TV

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"You can’t park there, bro”: Perth valet smashes TWO lambos in costly mistake

<p>A valet driver at the Crown Hotel in Perth has found himself in hot water after smashing two Lamborghinis while trying to park one.</p> <p>The luxury vehicles belonged to billionaire Laurence Escalante and both were damaged after they collided in the hotel driveway, a spokesperson for Crown Perth said.</p> <p>Footage captured and shared by Jiu-Jitsu athlete Craig Jones shows the valet driver behind the wheel of a blue Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae, a car valued upward of $940,000, smashing into the rear of a purple Lamborghini.</p> <p>“Help! I’ve really f***ed it up.” The driver said in the footage before running out to assess the damage.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Coa-BoPDhZS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Coa-BoPDhZS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Craig Jones (@craigjonesbjj)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In response to the crash, the driver claimed he was “trying to park it just like everybody else,” adding that the pedals were “too close together.” He then claimed he thought he was pressing the brake but instead hit the accelerator, causing him to crash into the rear of the purple Lamborghini.</p> <p>The owner of the luxury vehicles appeared to have witnessed the collision and could be heard questioning the driver.</p> <p>“What are you doing?” Jones said. "He moved it right in his rear ... you can’t park there, bro," he added.</p> <p>A spokesperson for Crown Resorts confirmed the accident is still under investigation, also informing the media there were “no injuries sustained.”</p> <p>"The safety of Crown’s team members and guests remains our priority," they said in a statement to News.com.au. "We are conducting a full assessment of the incident together with those involved.”</p> <p>The Crown is "working positively with us to fix the cars and put this behind us all,” a spokesperson for Mr Escalante told The West Australian. "We appreciate accidents happen and most importantly no one was injured," they said.</p> <p>A similar incident occurred in Sydney in 2018 when a valet driver parked a Porsche Carrera underneath another vehicle. As the driver attempted to park the Porsche, the car reportedly accelerated and ended up under a Sports utility vehicle (SUV).</p> <p>Police were notified and had to cut the driver, who was left unharmed, out of the vehicle.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram / @craigjonesbjj</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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“You can’t park there”: Elderly driver mistakes brake pads for accelerator

<p dir="ltr">An elderly woman who mistook her accelerator for her brake pads when entering a shopping centre car park saw her vehicle end up on top of another. </p> <p dir="ltr">Shocking images shared to social media show a Honda Civic sitting on top of an expensive Mercedes in Westfield Hurstville, Sydney. </p> <p dir="ltr">It is understood that the driver was a 73-year-old woman who confused her brake and accelerator pedals.</p> <p dir="ltr">She drove through the boom gates before her car somehow drove onto the Mercedes about 9.45am on October 13. </p> <p dir="ltr">A 50-year-old man was taken to hospital with minor injuries following the terrifying incident. </p> <p dir="ltr">CCTV is yet to be released to show exactly how the incident occurred, with many questioning how the car wound up on top of the other. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I honestly don’t understand the physics behind this,” someone commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Imagine coming back from your shopping to see a car parked on top of yours,” another wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You can’t park there,” someone else joked. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Nine News </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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English cottage comes with free theme park tickets

<p dir="ltr">A small cottage in the English countryside is up for sale, and it comes with an unusual bonus for its new owner.</p> <p dir="ltr">The two-bedroom home in Staffordshire has been <a href="https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126610616#/?channel=RES_BUY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> for £200,000 ($NZ 395,000), and if its new owner moves in they can access free tickets to a local theme park.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the Alton Towers Resort website, residents located within a three-kilometre radius can apply for 20 entries to its theme park or water park.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the charming cottage only a four-minute drive from Alton Towers Resort, the new residents will simply need to prove they live there with a council tax bill.</p> <p dir="ltr">As well as free tickets, the home also boasts a private garden, exposed stone walls that feature throughout, and a cosy interior of wooden cabinetry, timber floors, terracotta tiles and lattice windows.</p> <p dir="ltr">Barn-style doors are also found throughout the two-storey house, with the kitchen, lounge, and outdoor porch on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a shared bathroom on the first floor.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6f4326d4-7fff-4918-df41-9a4a6e64b690"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Rightmove</em></p>

Real Estate

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Why turning old city bridges into new urban parks is such a great idea

<p>The recent opening of the <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castlefield-viaduct/features/a-garden-in-the-sky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Castlefield Viaduct Sky Park</a> in Manchester, UK, has brought fresh attention to the growing number of projects that reuse urban infrastructures to create linear parks.</p> <p>When the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jun/07/paris-promenade-plantee-free-elevated-park-walkway-bastille-bois-de-vincennes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Promenade Plantée</a> opened in 1993 on top of an abandoned railway viaduct in Paris, it was reportedly the first of its kind. It provided local residents a green escape, ten metres above the tarmac of the street below, and a beautiful, three-mile meander from the Bois de Vincennes to Bastille. The opening of New York’s fabled <a href="https://www.thehighline.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">High Line</a>, in 2009, further cemented this type of urban regeneration as something for cities to aim for.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ztZl6fYuXhQ?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Post-pandemic, finding innovative ways to eke out accessible green spaces in the urban environment is <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-cities-can-add-accessible-green-space-in-a-post-coronavirus-world-139194" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more urgent than ever</a>. Doing so provides <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-021-10474-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">health</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-green-cities-to-become-mainstream-we-need-to-learn-from-local-success-stories-and-scale-up-119933" target="_blank" rel="noopener">environmental</a> benefits alongside <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-investing-in-green-infrastructure-can-jump-start-the-post-coronavirus-economy-139376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic</a> ones, by <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoting</a> biodiversity, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721036779" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mitigating</a> air pollution, and in some (though <a href="https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2019/09/the-solution-to-urban-heat-is-not-one-size-fits-all/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not all</a>) cases, reducing <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6458494/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the heat island effect</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Plantlife spills over the edges of an elevated railway above a busy intersection" /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The High Line in Manhattan.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/new-york-usa-july-2017-entry-1371108503" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Krzysztof Stefaniak | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>How a local approach to high lines is needed</strong></p> <p>Since the 2000s, city planners across the world have tried to replicate what has been called <a href="https://publicjournal.online/the-high-line-effect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“the High Line effect”</a>. Built on top of a disused stretch of elevated freight rail line in western Manhattan, the High Line garnered considerable <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/arts/design/09highline-RO.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x4e1dALkhc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media</a> coverage from the outset. It has been rightly championed as a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/arts/design/15highline.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">success story</a>, attracting eight million visitors a year and <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nycs-high-line-park-marks-10-years-of-transformation/1646268/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fostering new economic activity</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M8H8dqMjUCo?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>But not everywhere else is wealthy Manhattan. By reinvigorating the industrial heritage and cultural identity of a place, this approach can <a href="https://idus.us.es/bitstream/handle/11441/116705/TS2_Libro-de-Actos_-Proceedings-Book-1-655-669.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase tourism</a> which can have mixed results.</p> <p><a href="https://cityparksalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Equity_and_Parks_Funding_7.16.19.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recent research</a> has shown that without policies in place to ensure that lower-income local communities can enjoy the benefits of newly greened spaces, including health benefits, these projects can actually exacerbate inequality by raising property values and causing the displacement of long-term residents who can’t afford to stay. Urban planning experts talk about green gentrification, as has been noted in the case of the <a href="https://www.chicagoreporter.com/green-gentrification-and-lessons-of-the-606/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">606 linear park in Chicago</a>, among others.</p> <p>Instead of simply trying to copy what has been done elsewhere, this type of regeneration is best done when attuned to the local heritage. As Historic England <a href="https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/wellbeing-and-the-historic-environment/wellbeing-and-historic-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has emphasised</a>, the best way to steward heritage sites and the historic environment is by keeping people’s wellbeing in mind. In particular, it’s about giving local people a voice, a place to be active and a sense of belonging.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=322&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=322&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=322&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=405&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=405&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=405&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Signposts at a junction in a pedestrianised green space." /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The 606 elevated trail in Chicago.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/chicago-usa-september-20-2018-chicagos-1184490604" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Why reusing existing structures is best</strong></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-reusable-cups-bags-and-bottles-so-why-are-our-buildings-still-single-use-171345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adapting</a> existing infrastructure is an integral part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/future-cities-new-challenges-mean-we-need-to-reimagine-the-look-of-urban-landscapes-151709" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rethinking the city</a> in an era of <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150152/a-july-of-extremes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate emergency</a>. The era of <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1587078" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grand visions for public parks</a> is largely over, as most cities are already full. Both spatially and economically, forming large green spaces from scratch is not possible.</p> <p>Reworking old railway lines and bridges into parks, conversely, contributes to a wider strategy of adaptive reuse and what designers term <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/948304/urban-acupuncture-regenerating-public-space-through-hyper-local-interventions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urban acupuncture</a>. Since the 1960s, <a href="https://theconversation.com/parks-help-cities-but-only-if-people-use-them-103474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pocket parks</a> have been created out of small, hidden or overlooked bits of land between existing buildings.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=404&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=404&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=404&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=508&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=508&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=508&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A pond set between planted beds in an elevated walkway." /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The Promenade Plantée in Paris.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/seoul-korea-21-september-2019-top-1539297443" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joao Paulo V Tinoco | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>The hyper-local nature of this type of urban greening makes it easier for residents to access and benefit from these spaces. As pressure increases on how we use resources and keep carbon in the ground wherever possible, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-021-10474-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enabling everyone</a> to have access to green space for <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-parks-and-waterways-in-cities-could-prevent-premature-deaths-study-finds-170973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">health reasons</a> is critical.</p> <p>This can be challenging in those cities where a large proportion of residents do not have access to private gardens. Capitalising on a city’s vertical space – as elevated walkways do – is a huge advantage in high-density cities where significant pressure on ground-level space exists. What’s more, the structures being turned into parks are usually found in those parts of a city that are post-industrial and in need of regeneration.</p> <p>In terms of environmental impact, these parks have great potential. Each year the High Line, for example, <a href="https://www.landscapeperformance.org/case-study-briefs/high-line" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sequesters</a> over 1.3 tons of atmospheric carbon and its tree canopies collect over 24,340 gallons of stormwater.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="An overhead shot of an elevated park in a city centre." /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The Seoullo 7017 Skygarden.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/seoul-korea-21-september-2019-top-1539297443" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keitma | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>Further, by reusing existing industrial structures rather than demolishing and replacing them, embodied carbon can be <a href="https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/15481-continuing-education-embodied-carbon-adaptive-reuse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept where it is</a>. Research on the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/143/1/012061" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seoullo 7017 Skygarden</a> in Seoul, a linear park built atop a disused highway overpass which cuts across the city’s main rail station, has shown that rewilding and landscaping urban infrastructures is more cost effective and less environmentally impactful than completely replacing them.</p> <p>There is growing evidence of how important <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/67/9/799/4056044" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biodiversity in cities</a> is, not just during daylight hours but <a href="https://theconversation.com/cities-need-to-embrace-the-darkness-of-the-night-sky-heres-why-149129" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at night</a> too. Reused infrastructure projects can play an important role in providing ecological corridors across <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179121000074" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cities for nocturnal creatures</a>. Supporting both human and non-human life in this way is a valuable step towards <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/cities-ecosystems-biodiversity-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improving</a> the sustainability and resilience of places.</p> <p>Linear parks thus <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329947799_The_Sustainable_Vertical_City_Research_Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weave nature</a> into the flow of a city. They support wildlife. They encourage sustainable transport and physical activity (walking, biking, jogging). They are, as landscape architect Diana Balmori puts it in her 2010 book, <em><a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300156584/a-landscape-manifesto/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Landscape Manifesto</a></em>, dynamic spaces: “not peaceful retreats but ways”.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188182/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nick-dunn-131665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nick Dunn</a>, Professor of Urban Design, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/lancaster-university-1176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lancaster University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-turning-old-city-bridges-into-new-urban-parks-is-such-a-great-idea-188182" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Real Estate

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Ancient insect calls for update to Jurassic Park soundtrack

<p>For the past 150 years, the single known specimen of a species of katydid-like insect known as <a href="http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1129138" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Prophalangopsis obscura</em></a> has sat quietly in the London Natural History Museum but now some scientists have worked out what it would have sounded like.</p> <p>A British/Austrian team, used some seriously fancy equipment and an understanding of the physics of insect acoustics to work out what this species would have sounded like when it sang for a mate, giving insight into the ancient insect soundscape of the Jurassic period.</p> <p>Katydids are grasshoppers and crickets.</p> <p>This holotype, or single known specimen, is one of only eight remaining species from the 90 or so which were abundant during the Jurassic period.</p> <p>The research team has shown the sounds produced by this particular insect would have been similar to, although distinguishable from, other related species around this period.</p> <figure class="wp-block-audio"><audio src="../wp-content/uploads/2022/08/journal.pone_.0270498.s002.wav?x88132" controls="controls"></audio><figcaption>The reconstructed calling song of <em>Prophalangopsis obscura</em>. Credit: Woodrow et al. 2002/PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0</figcaption></figure> <p>The chirp produced by <em>P. obscura</em> is a pure tone, emitted at around 4.7 kHz — well-within the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10924/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">range of human hearing</a>.</p> <p>Aside from helping researchers understand what the insect world sounded like when dinosaurs roamed the Earth some 145 to 201 million years ago, the findings also suggest that early insects of this type were limited to frequencies below 20 kHz.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> </div> <p>This is important because the other species of <em>Prophalangopsis </em>known today have evolved to be flightless, using their wings exclusively for sound production and attracting a mate. These evolved species have also developed ultrasonic sound production organs to assist in deterring ground-based predators.</p> <p>That <em>P. obscura </em>retained its ability to fly — even just short distances — and did not develop ultrasonic capabilities, suggests it followed a different evolutionary path to the other species still in existence today, giving extra insight into the evolution of this species and their relatives.</p> <p>But, how do you hear an insect that has been dead for 150 years?</p> <p>Like katydids and their relatives, <em>P. obscura</em>, produced sound by scraping one of its wings with a ‘file’ (or row of teeth). These vibrations would then by amplified by special structures within the insect’s wing and radiated out into the surrounding environment.</p> <p>Scientists at the University of Lincoln, the Natural History Museum, London, UK and Karl-Franzens-University, Graz, Austria used a technique called micro-scanning Laser-Doppler Vibrometry (LDV) to scan and then reconstruct the wings and sound-producing organs of the holotype. They then applied knowledge of close relatives of the species, they were then able to infer the “carrier frequency” (the central frequency at which the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jeb.13179" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">overall sound reaches its maximum energy</a>).</p> <p>Due to its low frequency and pure tone, the song <em>P. obscura</em> sang may have reverberated far and wide across the Jurassic landscape.</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=201424&amp;title=Ancient+insect+calls+for+update+to+Jurassic+Park+soundtrack" width="1" height="1" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/ancient-insect-jurassic-sound/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T<em>his article</em></a><em> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/clare-kenyon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clare Kenyon</a>. Clare Kenyon is a science writer for Cosmos. She is currently wrangling the death throes of her PhD in astrophysics, has a Masters in astronomy and another in education, and has classroom experience teaching high school science, maths and physics. Clare also has diplomas in music and criminology and a graduate certificate of leadership and learning.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Charlie Woodrow</em></p> </div>

Family & Pets

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Man shot dead after trying to enter school

<p dir="ltr">A man who was seen trying to enter a primary school where a summer class was being held has been shot dead by police. </p> <p dir="ltr">Robert Tyler White, 32, was spotted trying to get into numerous doors at Walnut Park Elementary School in Alabama when the principal raised the alarm.  </p> <p dir="ltr">A police officer who was working as a school resource officer encountered Robert trying to break into a ​​marked Rainbow City police car near the school.</p> <p dir="ltr">The officer raised the alarm before he was joined by one other colleague who attempted to arrest Robert.</p> <p dir="ltr">The man was then shot dead after resisting and trying to take the police officer’s gun. </p> <p dir="ltr">Officials did not reveal how many times they shot Robert, whether or not he was armed, and whether he was an intruder or passerby. </p> <p dir="ltr">Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Tony Reddick said the school resource officer sustained minor injuries and all 34 children were safe. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Our primary concern was just making sure that someone who wasn't authorised to be in our building does not enter and our kids are safe," he told local media. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

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Three men handed jail sentences after careless, drunken act in a national park

<p>Three tourists who were filmed getting too close to feeding brown bears in the wild have been handed prison sentences and the additional punishment of thousands of dollars worth of fines.</p> <p>David Engelman, 56, from Sandia Park, New Mexico, and Ronald J. Engelman, 54, and Steven Thomas, 30, both from King Salmon, Alaska, pleaded guilty to leaving the trail in Alaska’s Katmai Park to get closer to the animals.</p> <p>The men were identified after they were captured on a park webcam as they waded out into a salmon run to take selfies as the bears were feeding.</p> <p>All three men were fined $US3000 each ($A4260) and given a year probation. David and Ronald Engelman were sentenced to one week in prison, while Steven Thomas received a 10-day sentence.</p> <p>In addition, each man is prohibited from entering any national park for one year.</p> <p>Judge Matthew Scoble called their behaviour “drunken capering, and a slap in the face to those who were there”.</p> <p>The proceeds from the fines would go towards the Katmai Conservancy, a non-profit that looks after the running of the park.</p> <p>The incident happened in Autumn of 2018, causing outage. The men were eventually identified by the National Park Service Investigative Services, with help of the livestream footage.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F8qkHl18xf0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>“The conduct of these three individuals not only endangered other visitors and wildlife officers at Brooks Falls, they also potentially endangered the life of the bears,” lawyer S. Lane Tucker said.</p> <p>Had the incident resulted in death or injury, Mr Tucker argued it would have had a huge impact on tourism to the area and the animals would have had to be killed.</p> <p>The National Park Service were alerted to the incident by viewers of their ‘bear cam’ which was being broadcast live to YouTube.</p> <p><em>Images: YouTube</em></p>

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Kyrgios' classy response to parking furore

<p dir="ltr">After being the subject of some car-related naming and shaming, tennis champion Nick Kyrgios has parked the drama and attempted to “make amends”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kyrgios took to Instagram to assure fans he is parking in “the right spot” after he was called out by a fellow resident of the inner Sydney suburb of Zetland via Facebook.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve parked in the right spot, I’ve made amends,” he said in the clip.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb74e5f5-7fff-c8b8-3ebd-e2b798888a0f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Sorry for my inconvenient parking for one day, I’ve parked in the right spot. We’re in the middle of an NRL season guys so let’s talk about other sporting athletes, not where I’m parking … it’s all good now.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/kyrgios-car.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Nick Kyrgios shared a clip on Instagram confirming he had parked in a different spot and that it was “all good now”. Images: @k1ngkyrg1os (Instagram)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Though the other resident didn’t directly name the star athlete, he heavily implied that Kyrgios was the “famous and quite notorious tennis player” who had been repeatedly parking their lime green Tesla in a car share zone.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Looking for some advice here, it’s a tricky one, we have a car share allocated spot right out the front of our apartment building,” the neighbour began his Facebook post, which was accompanied by a series of photos of the car.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-82e07ca5-7fff-ed13-d566-2e04c5d20164"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Recently a very well known famous and quite notorious tennis player has decided that he is somehow entitled to park in it with his own vehicle.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/zetland.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="664" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The Zetland local also shared photos of the culprit’s car parked in the car share zone. Image: <a href="https://au.sports.yahoo.com/tennis-2022-nick-kyrgios-under-fire-entitled-parking-job-030301447.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo News</a></em></p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t want to name and shame the guy but he’s very famous and parks in this car share space almost nightly, meaning that anybody that has a Go Get or Car Next Door vehicle has no option to park there, as you can see the other night our friends had to park their Car Next Door vehicle illegally behind him as he had parked his car in the dedicated car share space?”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6d213b36-7fff-0ca1-9eb9-49c5a7606287"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The neighbour went on to ask whether he should “just let this guy go” because he’s an athlete, adding that it was more about the “principle and setting a good example” than the $400 fine that Kyrgios - who has earned $9 million in prize money during his career.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ304XEJLxv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ304XEJLxv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Nick Kyrgios (@k1ngkyrg1os)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Among the mix of commenters who defended or criticised Kyrgios, his partner, Costeen Hatzi, also shared her two cents, writing that he “didn’t realise” what kind of spot he was parking in.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hey all, to be fair, he didn’t realise it was a car share spot,” she commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He parked there to allow other car spots for those who can’t find parking in the area.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Nick understands and will move his car. Thank you all for your kind messages.” </p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-21dfdfd4-7fff-6ff9-1d55-a698d7ee9863"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @k1ngkyrg1os (Instagram) / Yahoo News</em></p>

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Teenager dies after being flung from ride

<p dir="ltr">The last words said by a 14-year-old boy who died before falling from a drop tower amusement park ride have been revealed.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tyre Sampson was enjoying a night out with his family and friends at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida on Thursday when he decided to ride the Orlando Free Fall. </p> <p dir="ltr">Described as the world’s tallest freestanding drop tower at 131 metres, the ride spins around the tower when it’s reached the top before dropping at 120km/h.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tyre hopped onto the ride with his two friends who sat next to him, but he felt something was wrong.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When the ride took off, that’s when he was feeling uncomfortable. He was like ‘this thing is moving,’ you know what I’m saying. And he was like ‘what’s going on?’” Tyre’s father Yarnell Sampson told <a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/father-of-14-year-old-killed-on-the-free-fall-drop-ride-wants-answers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WOFL-TV</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tyre began to freak out and asked his friends to deliver a heartbreaking message to his parents.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And he was explaining to his friends, next to him, ‘I don’t know man, if I don’t make it down safely, can you please tell my mamma and daddy that I love them.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For him to say something like that, he must have felt something.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Horrific footage of the incident was shared to social media, showing a body being flung off the ride just before the ride stopped its descent. </p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Sampson said most of the rides rejected his son because of his height and weight, however the Free Fall staff said they could take him.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tyre stood at almost 2m tall and weighed 154kg, which made his father question why his son was allowed on the ride.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This one particular ride said, ‘We can take you, come on! Get on!’ No one else allowed him to get on the ride, so I’m wondering what happened between now and then that made them say, 'Come on, get this ride’. </p> <p dir="ltr">"This should never happen to anyone else's child ever again, and if I have anything to do with this, it will not happen ever again."</p> <p dir="ltr">Emergency calls made when Tyre fell out of the ride were released describing the horrific situation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The thing (Orlando Free Fall) went down to drop and, like, when they got closer to the bottom, when it hit the break, the guy fell right out of the seat,” one caller told 911, <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/03/25/hes-not-breathing-calls-to-911-released-after-teens-deadly-fall-from-orlando-drop-tower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click Orlando</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s not responsive. It looks like his arms are broken and his legs,” another called said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s face down, there’s blood everywhere. He’s not breathing. I’ve checked his pulse, there’s no pulse.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Investigations into how Tyre died are continuing with ICON Park releasing a statement offering their condolences to the family.</p> <p dir="ltr">"A tragedy occurred last night at the Orlando FreeFall and our hearts are heavy with sadness.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The owner of the attraction is fully cooperating with authorities and ICON Park is doing everything we can to assist.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The Orlando FreeFall will be closed pending a full investigation. Other businesses at ICON Park are scheduled to be open during their normal business hours."</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong><em>OverSixty has chosen not to share the video due to its graphic nature and out of respect to the family. </em></strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

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Using valuable inner-city land for car parking? In a housing crisis, that just doesn’t add up

<p>When I first moved to New Zealand – even after living in some of the highest-priced US property markets – I was taken aback by house prices. My shock was reinforced by the condition of the houses, many of which lack sufficient insulation, adequate heating or cooling, or double-glazed windows.</p> <p>I wondered why I’d pay so much for a house that needed so much attention. Then I overheard someone quip, “In New Zealand, you pay for the land and the house comes for free.” Suddenly things made a lot more sense.</p> <p>Unlike in the US, where land is valued at a small fraction of the “improvements” (the building that stands on the section), in New Zealand it’s the exact opposite.</p> <p>But it also raised a big question: in a country where the cost of land is so exorbitantly high and the supply of housing so scarce, how could so many surface car parks exist?</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423711/original/file-20210929-20-1wzh8e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter: apartments, restaurants, playgrounds – and car parks.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></p> <h2>The price of parking</h2> <p>Take Auckland, for example, arguably the most housing-constrained market in New Zealand. Specifically, the still developing Wynyard Quarter on the downtown waterfront presents a clear case of car parking over potential housing.</p> <p>One of the several abundant surface car parks is located on Jellicoe Street. It encompasses 8,146 square metres of tar, paint and parked cars. The massive lot has a NZ$37,000,000 <a href="https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/property-rates-valuations/Pages/rates-details-results.aspx?an=12343250744">valuation</a>, with the improvements valued at $1,000,000 — presumably all that pavement and paint.</p> <p>The next part is a bit more difficult to swallow. The land is valued at just over $4,500 per square metre. With the average parking spot occupying 15 square metres, that means each spot is worth about $68,000.</p> <p>That’s just for the parking spots themselves, not all the land required for people to drive in and out and around the car park.</p> <p> </p> <h2>What parking earns</h2> <p>Now things get interesting. The Jellicoe Street car park is maintained by Auckland Transport which provides people who drive to the CBD the courtesy of a free initial hour of parking followed by a rate of $6 per hour.</p> <p>So for just $18 drivers can park for four hours. On the weekend those four hours of parking will cost a mere $6.</p> <p>Assuming a parking space is fully occupied during all operating hours (from 7am to 10pm Monday to Sunday), it could optimistically take in $480. Extended over an entire year, a single space might earn just under $25,000.</p> <p>Ignoring overhead costs and more realistic occupancy rates, it would take almost three years for a single open-air parking space to earn back the cost of the land it sits on. Perhaps this sounds economically viable. But what isn’t in this equation is the actual, very high cost of cheap and plentiful parking.</p> <h2>Parking expectations</h2> <p>The widespread availability of low-priced parking in high-demand locations has significant impacts on our cities. When people expect parking to be available in these locations, they often choose to drive rather than use a more sustainable mode such as public transport. This means people buy more cars and take more trips by personal vehicle.</p> <p>When cheap parking spots fill up during peak hours, people tend to <a href="https://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=ENV/WKP(2019)4&amp;docLanguage=En">cruise for a parking space</a> rather than search out slightly more expensive and less convenient alternative locations. That is, they circle a car park or a city block until someone else leaves. When enough drivers do this it <a href="https://thespinoff.co.nz/money/19-04-2021/its-car-vs-car-on-the-central-auckland-street-where-parking-is-free/">creates more</a> congestion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.</p> <p>The long-term availability of cheap urban parking also implies that parking in such locations is a public good. People expect parking to always be in these places and will fight to keep the land from being used for higher and better purposes.</p> <p>This is where the rubber hits the road. Open-air parking is the least productive use of important urban land. In the midst of the greatest <a href="https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/money/2021/02/housing-crisis-auckland-housing-affordability-among-fastest-deteriorating-in-the-world-report.html">housing affordability crisis</a> in perhaps a generation, we could stand to lose some of this car space in favour of apartments.</p> <h2>People before parking</h2> <p>According to the <a href="http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/central/pdfs/appendix12.pdf">Auckland District Plan</a>, a one bedroom/one bathroom apartment should occupy about 45 square metres — precisely three parking spaces.</p> <p>The good thing about an apartment building compared to an open-air car park is that we can build it up. Instead of some 200 spots for cars, we can build more than 600 apartments across ten storeys.</p> <p>Rather than storing a couple of hundred cars for part of the day, with bare pavements overnight, we could provide living space for up to 1,200 people around the clock.</p> <p>We could do the same thing with the car park across the street and the one a block over and so on — until we are a city and a country that focuses more on housing people than parking cars.</p> <p>It will be hard to let go of the car parks. Where some see an <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-council-plans-to-sell-downtown-carpark-with-new-skyscraper-likely-instead/SGE2OD2KCB3AOY33WKYXSAJJPM/">opportunity for urban regeneration</a> through the development of under-utilised space, others see the loss of car parking as another <a href="https://www.autocar.co.nz/autocar-news-app/life-s-about-to-get-tougher-for-auckland-cbd-workers-with-cars">impediment</a> for city workers to overcome.</p> <p>But we simply have too much space in our cities dedicated to the car. Our land is far too valuable to pave over. It’s time to use a fraction of that space to house many people instead of a few machines.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168745/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/timothy-welch-1252494">Timothy Welch</a>, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-1305">University of Auckland</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/using-valuable-inner-city-land-for-car-parking-in-a-housing-crisis-that-just-doesnt-add-up-168745">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Most expensive parking space in the world

<p>A parking space has sold in Hong Kong in what is believed to be the most expensive sale of its kind. </p> <p>According to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.afr.com" target="_blank">Australian Financial Review</a>, the space in the luxurious Mount Nicholson residential project in Hong Kong was sold for $1.7 million <span>by Wharf Holdings and Nan Fung Group.</span></p> <p><span>William Lau, a sales director at Centaline Property Agency in Hong Kong, told South China Morning Post, “it is definitely the most expensive car parking spot in Hong Kong”.</span></p> <p><span>Mr Lau said that the hefty price tag for the parking spot pales in comparison to how much residents at Mount Nicholson had paid for their high-class properties.</span></p> <p><span>In 2017, a single buyer purchased two apartments for a combined price of $192 million.</span></p> <p><span>"What concerns them most is that they need space to park their cars and not the money. They have bought it for their own use and not as an investment," he said.</span></p> <p><span>Property in Hong Kong has long been referred to as the most expensive square metre in the world.</span></p> <p><span>Mount Nicholson is located in the western side of Hong Kong's island, </span>which is an exclusive hill known as The Peak. </p> <p>This high-class area is home to some of the most expensive properties in the world. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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