MAV Smart Urban Futures Conference 2016

1. Peter Seamer 22 March 2016 MAV Smart Urban Futures Conference 2016

2. Key drivers for a great city Successfully meeting the challenges of urban growth Economically productive polycentric city Efficient transport systems Attractive public domain and character Housing Quality, Diversity, Affordability Unlocking Supply Sustainable Open Spaces Infrastructure and Services Innovation and Streamlining

3. To remind us all …. the scale of growth:Melbourne’s projected increase in dwellings per year Inner and middle ring precincts identified for growth in Plan Melbourne Greenfield precincts within UGB

4. And we need to plan for change: ageing, our locational preferences, housing preferences, congestion, climate change, the way we work etc.

5. The Metropolitan Planning Authority • We are: • Urban planners, engineers, architects, a range of technical specialists and designers • Masterplanning and facilitation generally in specified precincts • Infrastructure coordination partners • Local government planning partners • Facilitators of private sector investment to support State urban outcomes • Statutory Authority reporting to the Minister of Planning • We are not: • Developers • Builders • Policy makers • Local Government regulators

6. MPA’s role – bringing a whole of government approach We co-ordinate inputs from state and local government: • Government Agencies (eg. VicRoads, Melbourne Water, water authorities, DHHS, DEDJTR, VicTrack, PTV) • Local Councils

7. MPA’s role: Planning and co-ordinating growth Greenfield precincts Urban renewal Regional precincts In Greenfields, NECs and MACs: Planning Authority Role Framework/Structure Plans Planning Scheme Amendments Planning Permits We advise on infrastructure priorities to support growth in precincts: Inner City Framework Growth Area Infrastructure Contribution Infrastructure Contribution Plans Subregional Planning

8. MPA Involvement in Healthy Design research

9. MPA Involvement in Healthy Design research • Peter Seamer - Co-chairs the Victorian Advisory Group for the Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) in Healthy Liveable Communities (with Professor Tom Kvan) at the University of Melbourne (since December 2014). • Annual seminars (joint MPA/CRE) for local government and industry. • Selandra Rise Longitudinal Study (2012-16) – funded by MPA with VicHealth, RMIT, local government. • 20 minute neighbourhood case studies 2015-16 (MPA with DHHS, Heart Foundation and local government).

10. Planning for open space

11. Making the most of our green public spaces We need more street trees for beauty and biomass, grand boulevards throughout Melbourne and to see this all as ‘green infrastructure’.

12. Open Space is critical for quality of life • We need open space for: • Human health and wellbeing. • Urban amenity • Stimulating local economies • The urban environment & biodiversity • City comfort and safety • ‘Approximately 85% of activity in public open space is passive.’ • (Cohen et. al. in the American Journal of Public Health (2007))

13. Melbourne’s Open Space Planning Legacy • Strong legacy of quality planning and network development from previous • 1929 – Metropolitan Town Planning Commission • 1954 and 1971 – Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works 1954 MMBW Plan 1929 MTPC Plan

14. Most people inside developed UGB are within 400 metres of open space (as crow flies) • Measures of quality also important

15. Mapping public open space accessibility - defined as within 400 metres – at precinct scale – highlights gaps

16. Assessing the performance of Greenfields PSPs

17. Our Greenfield areas… MPA delivers: • Well designed and affordable suburbs. • Walkability: all dwellings are within 1 km of a local town centre that has all the things you need: supermarket, primary school, clinic, wine bar! • Many greenfield suburbs are denser than many established Melbourne suburbs. • Extensive cycle and walking trails. • 20% of total area being delivered as open space - waterways, conservation, sports-fields and local parks. • BUT - Need to attract more local businesses and jobs

18. PSP Status Assessments - Key Goals of MPA’s current exercise • All about learnings. • What has worked. • What has not worked. • What planning improvements could be made. • What implementation improvements could be made.

19. Jobs in the suburbs – matching employment and transport

20. Jobs in the suburbs: creating the new ‘opportunity cities’ of future Melbourne Only 14 per cent of Melbourne’s total employment is located in Melbourne’s CBD. Servicing these jobs is expensive. As population grows - more local jobs in suburban areas. Suburban locations have advantage of cheaper rents, more affordable housing, less travel. Need amenity and better connectivity:including circumferential PT. For the clusters to take the greater share of new jobs they need infrastructure priority.

21. Suburbanisation of employment across Melbourne

22. Transport

23. Metro wide transport movements‘Towards’ the city – 58% of all trips … but only half of these go into final 2 km to GPO

24. Movements ‘perpendicular’ to the city – 23.5%: roads, buses- Need ‘radial’ bus routes feeding into key NECs and MACs

25. Movements as ‘contra flow’ to the CBD – 9% - This can be much higher to use spare capacity

26. Localised, close movements ‘within 1 km’ of home – 9%. - Plenty of people do it where there are jobs. We want more!

27. MPA Town Centres Program

28. Critical role of Local Town Centres • LTC’s provide a fundamental service to and are symbolic of their community. • Well designed, economically viable and vibrant local town centres become the community focal point, the social heart and economic core of the suburb they serve, now and for decades to come. • LTCs set the locational identifiers, character and image of the area – for local residents, businesses, community organisations, visitors and wider Melburnians.

29. MPA Town Centres Program • The MPA - with its local government and private sector partners - is planning nearly 100 new major, local and convenience town centresin Melbourne. • Key learnings from a review of new centres in suburban locations are being applied to current planning. • A major objective is to embed new centres with the local sense of place.

30. What might a place based Local Town Centre include?

31. Creating a place - Local Town Centres • Local Town Centres need to be attractive for businesses to invest in and for people to visit. • We need to get new model right as we are planning nearly 100 Major, Local and Convenience Town Centres in Greenfields, established and urban renewal areas. • Their importance and sheer number require key principles to guide their design.

32. MPA - Local Town Centre Principles Key principles, but not a ‘cookie cutter’ approach THE 10 KEY PRINCIPLES – HIGH LEVEL DESIGN ‘CHECKLIST’ IN ALL PSPs • Fine grained distribution pattern • ~1 local town centre per 8,000 to 10,000 people • ~1 for every ‘square mile’ • Located on arterial /connector intersection – or key ‘feature’ • Attractive settings: 80-90% people within 1 km walkable catchment • Accessible by all modes, including pedestrian friendly & public transport • Supermarket and range of local services, eg clinics, schools • Capacity for longer term employment / office (1,000 – 2,000 sqm) • (need more capacity for ‘white collar’ jobs) • Medium and higher density housing • Focussed on a public space with a green heart • High quality, engaging urban design creating a sense of place • Promotes ‘localisation’, ‘sustainability’, and ‘adaptability’

33. An example on the ground … Laurimar Town centre

34. In summary … • MPA has a key role in co-ordinating state and local government agencies involved in planning Melbourne’s growth and delivering infrastructure to support this growth. • Balancing movement and place-making must involve creating more jobs in the NECs and MACs and the Greenfields employment areas. • Planning for growth areas – MPA is delivering the 20 minute neighbourhoods of the future in Greenfields PSPs – the key is to increase investment in jobs in and close to these areas.