Activity Centre Built Form Frameworks
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Location
Multiple locations in Naarm / Melbourne &
Djillang / Geelong, Victoria - Traditional Owners Bunurong, Wurundjeri & Wathawaurong
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Client
Cities of Port Phillip
Darebin
Melbourne
Moonee Valley
Yarra
Greater Geelong - Service Urban Design Advice
The Challenge
Activity centres across Victoria have been identified for high-density housing and employment growth, taking advantage of their proximity to good levels of public transport and services.
Accommodating this growth needs to be carefully considered to make sure that it occurs in a way that is sensitive to the local place qualities and which prioritises the creation of high-quality public and private environments as each centre transforms.
Our approach
We have evolved our approach to densifying centres over the past 9 years. This has culminated in a sophisticated and simple method that connects an analysis of the specific place-drivers in each place – such as heritage, lot size, street widths and land use – with the feasibility of building requirements for high-density residential and commercial developments.
In each instance a combination of planning mechanisms is proposed to deliver on the preferred future character and scale of development sought. This includes using building envelope controls and density controls in tandem to optimise the design and planning outcomes sought in each place.
Our work has involved the preparation of Built Form Frameworks (Moonee Ponds, South Melbourne, Preston, Cremorne, West Geelong), and the provision of expert evidence to support the preparation of frameworks prepared by others (West Melbourne).
Impact
Effective planning mechanisms in activity centres will deliver multiple benefits such as better design quality, context-driven design responses, building diversity, land value certainty (avoiding speculation) and opportunities for value capture. Our approach has been industry-leading and is being considered in further activity locations across Victoria.