Suburban Futures, Density and Amenity: Soft Densification and Incremental Planning for Regeneration

This article explores practical aspects of the compact city agenda as it applies to the ongoing densification of car-dependent suburbs, focusing on Melbourne, Australia. While the idea of compact cities has widespread policy support globally, debate continues regarding the negotiation of compact urban form and its implications for issues like overcrowding, tree canopy, waterways, urban heat, and so forth. Irrespective of the debate, Australian cities are experiencing rapid urban infill, with all areas becoming denser. Some areas of strategic attention afford master planning and planning forethought; however, most of the land in these cities, and at least half of the dwellings being redeveloped, has suburban form, with little or no strategic planning consideration, despite doubling and, in some cases, tripling population density into the future. Significantly, many areas are or will soon achieve population densities that can support vibrant commercial centers, but with little capacity or interest in top-down planning for adding necessary amenities and services. This article shows how, with minimal effort, planning authorities could subtly alter land use planning to allow incremental, but planned, growth of commercial areas, create the destinations the suburbs need to make them vibrant, and deliver less car-dependent local centers.