The received wisdom these days is the structure of big cities should be ‘polycentric’ rather than ‘monocentric’. It’s apparently so self-evidently desireable there’s no need to consult with the public!
READ MORE10 Results
JOBS
Agglomeration economies: are they exaggerated?
We’re increasingly being told we need higher job densities in our cities to exploit ‘agglomeration economies’ associated with the ‘knowledge economy’. But are the benefits exaggerated?
READ MORE
Why is Sydney’s CBD growing slower than Melbourne’s?
Jobs grew faster in Melbourne’s centre than in Sydney’s over 2006 to 2011. It might be that Melbourne makes it a lot easier for firms to locate in and near the CBD.
READ MORE
Decentralisation of CBD jobs: will it save the suburbs?
Bernard Salt had a fascinating but ultimately somewhat flawed article in The Australian last Saturday, Welcome to the Metropolis, which looks “at how Melbourne is narrowing the gap with Sydney in the contest to become the nation’s top city”. It’s gated, but well worth reading – I recommend doing what I did and taking out [...]
READ MOREWhat’s happening with suburban jobs in Melbourne?
The first exhibit shows the popular view of the geography of urban employment in Australia’s largest cities. It is commonly assumed the great bulk of jobs – and certainly virtually all “good” jobs – is located in the CBD. This is an understandable view given the first exhibit shows the spatial distribution of employment density in [...]
READ MOREDo trams provide better accessiblity than trains?
New research by the Victorian Department of Transport (DoT) shows Melbourne’s tram system provides access to 34% of metropolitan jobs, whereas trains only give access to 15% (see first exhibit). The analysis found trams also give better access to housing – 17% of metropolitan households are located close to a tram stop compared to 8% [...]
READ MOREIs this a sensible comparison of cars and public transport?
Many readers will have seen this now-ubiquitous chart before – it’s from Melbourne 2030 and has been republished countless times. It shows the proportion of metropolitan jobs accessible within 40 minutes travelling time from different parts of Melbourne by car and by public transport. I’ve never been happy with this chart because its simplicity is deceptive [...]
READ MOREDoes density matter for mode share?
The accompanying chart shows how public transport’s share of the journey to work varies with population density across 41 US and Australian cities. It is taken from the same article that I mentioned in my last post. The authors, Dr John Stone and Dr Paul Mees, find there is only a modest relationship between population [...]
READ MOREWhat is the inner city?
We all use the term “inner city” but I doubt we’re all talking about the same geographical area. For some people, the inner city means the area where cafe society thrives – probably a 10 km circle around the CBD in cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Or it might mean the extent of medium density [...]
READ MOREThe jobs are already in the suburbs
There was another good story published in The Age yesterday as part of the continuing series, Project Melbourne: Towards a Sustainable City. Titled The Great Divide, it compares living in a CBD apartment with outer suburban living. However there is a point where the writer, Julie Szego, goes too far. She contends that outer suburban [...]
READ MORE
