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This commentary responds to Bas Van Heur's paper 'What, where and who is urban studies?' which assesses the structuring of global urban research by investigating the work of named university centres for urban research. The commentary offers observations and reflections on the historical development of urban studies beyond Van Heur's account and considers this through a discussion of Australian urban research groupings. In doing so the commentary notes the definitional challenges that apply to urban research formations in the context of wider institutional imperatives and dynamics that complicate their intellectual programs. The commentary notes the value of further narrative historical reflection on the discipline and particular historical experiences.

This paper assesses the effects on suburbia of an energy transition to less carbon- or petroleum-intensive energy urban forms using a socio-technical theoretical perspective. The paper argues that while suburbia is the predominant form of urbanisation in advanced nations, especially North America and Australia, its socio-technical composition is insufficiently understood by urban scholars. Using a socio-technical theoretical perspective, the paper argues that suburbia should be seen a complex 'assemblage' that is configured through socio-material relations of land use, transport technology, energy and money credit. This system is also differentiated by social status and infrastructure access deficits. The paper argues that suburbia faces a number of socio-technical challenges from an energy transition principally due to heavy mobility reliance on motor vehicles. The paper sets out some potential trajectories of transformation for suburbia under an energy transition.

Global oil prices have risen markedly over the past 18 months, generating considerable speculation regarding their economic and social impacts. Cities that are highly dependent on petroleum for urban transport are likely to be most adversely affected by rising oil prices. Yet there has been little recent scholarly engagement with the socioeconomic implications of increasing oil prices. This paper develops a basic framework and methodology for assessing the socioeconomic 'oil vulnerability' of Australian cities. The paper demonstrates that there is wide spatial variability in the vulnerability of Australia's urban populations to rising fuel costs which may compound existing socio-spatial divisions and speculates on some underlying causal factors. The paper calls for better data and new methods to understand the issue.

Petrol prices have risen to historic highs, disrupting western economies and stretching household budgets. Australia's overwhelming reliance on the private motor car for urban mobility makes our cities among the most oil-dependent in the world, and to date there has been little analysis of the potential social, economic and political impacts of rising fuel costs on our cities. Shocking the Suburbs considers current urban transport problems, and identifies how new planning strategies and broader public policy can address oil vulnerability