API Magazine examines Australia's urban sprawl and the policy debate over density, infill and greenfield development. UDIA national president Maxwell Shifman says new suburbs are planned with active transport, open space and local amenities, yet densification targets such as Plan Melbourne's 70/30 split are being missed.
As I told Australian Property Journal: “The fact is that new suburban developments are planned to be far from the disconnected urban sprawl of old – that is, they plan for active transport, significant open spaces, and substantial localised facilities and amenities which mean these new areas are far more self-contained, localised, and less reliant on the nearest CBD.”
I also said: “All of our major cities have had key planning strategies aimed at increasing densification within existing areas for decades, which is a positive policy for many reasons.”
And I added: “For example, Plan Melbourne has a stated aim of seeing 70 per cent of new dwelling growth in established areas and 30 per cent in greenfield areas.”
I went on to say: “But despite these lofty goals, the reality is the complete reverse, and it is only getting more skewed towards new greenfields.”
Australian Property Journal, 4 November 2022 — Read the full article