The pandemic may have caused Melbourne to receive a new title as the most locked down city but, as a result, it is now rethinking local neighbourhoods and why they’re so important to liveability.
Sara Stace, says giving people the ability to meet most of their needs – health, education, jobs and public transport – within a 20-minute walk (around 800 metres) will allow Melbourne to continue to grow while being sustainable.
“Liveability and economic activity are connected, if you want to attract the best talent you need to have a place where people can enjoy a great lifestyle,” she says.
“While the Central Business District (CBD) is still important for business and people living in the city’s centre, you don’t need everyone going there every day if it means going out of their way.”
The hub and spoke model of transport doesn’t always work for big cities. You only need to look at Paris, London and Tokyo where their transportation systems are complex networks that connect centres to each other (a polycentric model).
“Having a transport system where centres are connected directly to each other, rather than going via the CBD, is a key part of achieving the 20-minute neighbourhoods,” Sara says.
“But it is also requiring a rethink of these suburban stations as they become precincts in themselves for business, education, healthcare and recreation.”
Melbourne has already begun planning this with the Suburban Rail Loop project with Clayton, Broadmeadows and Sunshine as ‘super hubs’.
“You want these precincts to be multimodal with as much of the community able to access it for a variety of needs, from students to pensioners, rather than just catering for commuters into the CBD,” adds Sara
“This means that people can use transport differently. Rather than simply going straight to and from work, they might walk to the station, see a doctor, jump on the train and do some shopping on the way. We’re re-thinking the use of street space and kerbside allocation for more outdoor dining, wider footpaths, cycleways and shade, which are key ingredients to liveable neighbourhoods.”
“Providing a highly convenient and attractive alternative to driving will also go a long way to reducing people’s carbon footprint.”
City shaping for the future
“Giving people more options for transport means reshaping how the city works and not just designing for cars or commuters; you want people to build incidental activity into their everyday lifestyle, like walking and cycling. These options are convenient and enable a healthy and more socially-connected local community.”
Feeder buses and bike sharing systems expand the size of the station catchment, allowing for newer suburbs with no rail connections to access transport hubs in adjoining suburbs.
“You also need to provide housing options with a range of densities and types which encourage a diverse population within the neighbourhood” adds Sara. “Numerous studies in Australia and overseas show that having a mix of housing and retail, with small block sizes or pedestrian through-links, makes a place much more walkable and liveable.”
“All these things facilitate local economies with businesses and services popping up across suburbs, and people walking, cycling and catching public transport to the places that suit them best – in their 20-minute neighbourhood.”
“For a Future Ready™ Melbourne to truly thrive and achieve these goals, it requires a great amount of understanding of how each infrastructure project works together in the big picture to make a liveable, sustainable and thriving city.”
For more information please contact Sara Stace.
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