Written by
07/05/2024
With the Minns Government recently introducing the controversial Transport Oriented Development model into the planning system, there is a lot of talk about this turbocharging housing supply across Sydney.
Whilst this will be the case in areas where it is feasible to build apartments (i.e. the inner suburbs of Sydney and not Woy Woy or Cardiff), Sydney’s other challenge is how to improve housing supply while simultaneously creating dynamic, characterful residential centres large enough to provide ‘the flow’ of people attracted by its ambitious new employment precincts.
The idea that transport can generate settlements is not a new one, as port towns around the world and the boroughs of New York reflect. Low population densities and suburban sprawl increase infrastructure and maintenance costs and cause additional social costs by requiring people to travel longer distances. Transport Oriented Development can overcome these hurdles through its integrated mixture of housing, office, retail and other commercial amenities.
By improving development density around transport hubs, one can encourage non-car-based methods of travel and capture the value to businesses presented by station users. This can be seen in places like Tokyo where developers have mapped the activities of residents and workers along rail corridors, subsequently establishing assets and businesses that capture a high daily proportion of passenger spend.
Green Square’s Transport Enhanced Neighbourhood
Whilst the policy reform introduced by the Minns Government is progressive, urban planning should begin with neighbourhoods first, placing transport in a secondary role. In this way, we naturally move from Transport Oriented Development to Transport Enhanced Neighbourhood.
Too many Transport Oriented Developments in the past have seen the placement of high-rise development over or near a new railway station and not enough attention was given to the creation of the neighbourhood, as under this model, people end up travelling somewhere else to find entertainment, recreation and culture – a situation that flies in the face of the polycentric city.
As such, instead of Transport Oriented Development, the Transport Enhanced Neighbourhood of tomorrow must be designed as the kind of place people want to stay close to, the home they love coming to. When they return from school or work, they should be able to walk out of their front door to fulfil most of their needs and desires. This includes a neighbourhood of wide-open spaces, plentiful of green pockets and access to nature, along with places to sit, play and exercise. It also includes places of cultural significance, places to make art, see exhibitions, hear music and celebrate events.
A progressive Transport Enhanced Neighbourhood can just as easily include four-to-six storey residential structures with a mix of wonderful services and retail on the ground floor. Smaller intimate open spaces such as plazas, squares and laneways are suited to these neighbourhoods because they promote walkability and facilitate activation, eyes on the street and safety in numbers. Small urban squares in gateway locations such as those adjacent to transport nodes and with retail edges offer the greatest direct economic benefit to local businesses and greatest social opportunities by mitigating crime and anti-social behaviour to local communities.
Green Square is a modern example of a thriving Transport Enhanced Neighbourhood in Sydney. The neighbourhood was designed to be a place with a minimal environmental footprint and a vibrant and well-connected community where it is easy to walk and cycle, use and enjoy well-connected streets, public spaces, cultural and recreational facilities, use convenient and integrated public transport connections and services, celebrate high quality public spaces as the focus of activity, have access to high quality housing, including affordable housing, plus access to shopping, commerce, services and jobs.
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Propertied Insider is a planning and development digital publication dedicated to the NSW Market.
