Many observers are concerned urban sprawl is sterilising prime vegetable-growing land in the peri-urban areas around our major cities. For example, The Age’s editorialist, alarmed by reports the Bailleau Government is about “to extend suburban Melbourne to vegetable growing areas”, is seriously worried about food security. The paper says agricultural land in two outer suburbs in [...]
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CASEY
Who's buying homes on the fringe?
If you think that home buyers in the fringe Growth Area LGAs are predominantly young renters buying their first McMansion, then think again. A survey released today by property consultants Oliver Hulme profiles home buyers in the Growth Areas LGAs i.e. Wyndham, Melton, Hume, Whittlesea, Casey and Cardinia. Given the brouhaha in The Age today [...]
READ MOREAre there multiple 'Melbournes'?
The stereotype of people travelling long distances in Australian cities is wrong but persistent. The reality is that most trips are relatively close to home. For example, the accompanying chart and map show that 52% of all weekday trips (all purposes, all modes) by residents of the middle suburban municipality of Brimbank in Melbourne’s west [...]
READ MOREDo higher travel costs make the fringe unaffordable?
A common argument is that households who settle on the fringe because housing is more affordable end up worse off because of higher transport costs. They are forced to buy a second or third car and they use more petrol because they have to travel further. Of course there’s an assumption here – that ordinary [...]
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