By Pru Sanderson, Chief Executive Officer VicUrban
Achieving higher densities and delivering increased liveability 50
futurebuilding
EDITION 1
Australia’s cities are growing and demographic profiles are changing. Victoria is responding with policies and initiatives aimed at maintaining its leadership in liveability and affordability. The Victorian Government’s centrepiece Melbourne @ 5 Million policy calls for 315,000 new dwellings in established areas and 280,000 in growth areas. As the Victorian Government’s sustainable urban development agency, VicUrban is responding to Melbourne’s housing needs by developing projects in existing and new suburbs that achieve higher average densities. Notwithstanding VicUrban’s activities to deliver these policy targets, achieving the required mix of new housing in both established and growth areas requires new development approaches. There is currently much discussion about how best to optimise the relationship between more efficient land use and transport services. Among others, two distinctive schools of thought have emerged. One argues that high-density development along transport corridors is the best option for accommodating population growth in our existing established suburb areas. Another school of thought is that a number of neighbourhood hubs distributed across our major cities will