![]() ![]() Picture: ShutterstockĪlthough large homes remain the preferred dwelling type on, suburbs that provide good schools, public transport and retailing tend to see the highest engagement. ![]() The choice between the white picket fence dream and proximity to the city is a reality for many prospective home owners. That will mean developing regional cities where people can access houses without being isolated from the city centre, and encouraging a greater acceptance of apartment dwelling in Melbourne. The solution is to provide the housing that people want while reducing the sprawling nature of our cities. Rent may be cheap but access to the right type of workers is almost impossible. ![]() Locating in an outer suburban area close to where much of the house and land development is taking place, such as Craigieburn or Cranbourne, would make sense for some occupiers, but the reality is that the majority of people would find it far easier getting to the CBD. Ultimately, companies want to locate in areas where they can get the best talent. The radial nature of our road and public transport networks makes it easy to get people into the CBD and inner suburban locations, not fringe employment hubs. Jobs: The final challenge is that it’s easy to get urban sprawl but harder to form employment hubs close to where the sprawl is occurring. There is less social interaction, there is a lack of walkability in neighbourhoods because destinations like shops, services and and restaurants are concentrated too far away from housing, and residents often face long commutes to places of employment.ģ. Isolation: There are important social disadvantages in living in low densities. From greater car dependency to the provision of water, sewers and electricity, many of these government-funded services are more expensive to provide in outer areas. Cost: It’s far more expensive to develop and maintain infrastructure and public services in low density areas. If more housing is the key to maintaining affordability, and if people prefer to live in big homes and are happy to live on the fringes of big cities to do so, then why do we need to consider alternatives? There are three main problems with this scenario:ġ. Continuing to provide affordability through increasing housing supply has been crucial in maintaining Victoria’s economic growth. Sydney has built 30% fewer dwellings over the past 10 years than Melbourne and housing continues to be the main problem in the NSW capital. Victoria has developed more housing than any other state, which means greater affordability for all job types, not all of whom are high-income earning.Īffordability may seem like a big problem in Melbourne, but Sydney is worse. One of the key drivers of the Victorian economy over the past decade has been housing development on the fringes. So far, Victoria has done very well out of its widening sprawl. Real estate continues to grow in Melbourne’s Docklands. The result is far greater house and land development on the outer fringes of the city. And the preference for the Aussie house means neighbourhoods end up opposing council plans for higher density developments. But, finding a house that fits this criteria in Melbourne is almost impossible in the inner and middle ring suburbs. The most popular search criteria on in 2016 was for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-car garage house on a 708 sqm block, all for the bargain price of $520,000. But is that really the best way forward for Melbourne’s population growth and housing affordability?īroadly speaking, urban sprawl works in this country because Australians prefer to live in houses with a yard. It’s possible to continue building low-density housing out as far as Geelong in the west, Seymour in the north and Warragul in the east. Melbourne is well-suited to urban sprawl it’s flat, easy to build on and lacks geographic boundaries like waterways and cliffs that force other cities into higher densities. ![]()
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