Geo 3A: Directions2031 Perth

Question 1

Liveable Neighbourhoods description

Answer 1

• Policy of West Australian government to combat the high car dependency, lack of public transport and poor walking conditions in suburban sprawl
• Ellenbrook, Butler and Jindalee
• Overcomes the disconnected street system, lack of footpaths, unsafe routes and long walking distances to most destinations that characterize conventional suburban developments
• Encourages people to walk by providing an environment of high pedestrian amenity and efficiency, one that is stimulating and safe for pedestrians
• The primary pedestrian network is the street system, which is detailed to support pedestrian movement

Question 2

Benefits of Liveable Neighbourhoods: Employment and services

Answer 2

• Calls for an urban structure based on walking, mixed use neighbourhoods with locally based employment and facilities
• Reduces use of private motor vehicle usage and the associated problems
• Neighbourhoods cluster around a town centre to give sufficient population catchment to support main street retail, offices and community facilities
• For TODS (Butler and Clarkson), rail station anchors one end of the town main street
• Traffic lights provide for safe pedestrian crossing across arterial roads to neighbourhood centres
• Town center acts as a district level community focus with a compatible mix of uses which provide a range of weekly shopping needs, community facilities and local employment
• Neighbourhood centre caters more for daily needs of a community
• Reduces need to travel to large regional shopping centres

Question 3

Benefits of Liveable Neighbourhoods: Lot design

Answer 3

• Lots are smaller than traditional lots
• Greater size variety
• Average lot 500m2
• Cottage blocks 300m2 encourages a broader demographic than typical young family in greenfield developments – retirees, single parents, single first home buyers
• Price ranges vary according to size – increases affordability, attempts to control urban sprawl
• Environmental – native plants used within the recent stages of Butler, reduced water consumption of the suburbs streetscape

Question 4

Benefits of Liveable Neighbourhoods: Movement network

Answer 4

• Emphasises connectivity, amenity and integration to achieve safe, efficient and attractive street networks
• Priority – develop street network that not only works for vehicles and public transportation provision but specifically aims to attract a high level use by pedestrians, cyclists and the disabled.
• Promotes health benefits by encouraging people to exercise more regularly and reducing car dependency
• Narrow pedestrian underpasses with poor sightlines discouraged because of personal security issues
• Traffic signal control rather than roundabouts is encouraged on major roads to improve pedestrian crossing opportunities both at the lights and in breaks of flow mid-block
• Footpaths should have ramps at all kerb corners for wheelchairs and pram access and cater for people with disabilities

Question 5

Benefits of Liveable Neighbourhoods: Safe routes to bus stops and stations

Answer 5

• Network of quiet local streets focused on school should be traffic calmed to ensure safe use by young pedestrians and cyclists
• Secondary and private schools should be located to benefit from good public transport access with safe pedestrian routes between transport stops and schools
• Safe routes to stations require more consideration of surveillance to provide night time safety
• Main routes should be fronted by housing and uses that are open at night e.g. recreation centres, with minimal gaps in surveillance

Question 6

Benefits of Liveable Neighbourhoods: Cyclist movement network

Answer 6

• Good cycling conditions and encouragement of cycling should be designed into the urban fabric
• Bike parking facilities, slower vehicle speeds and low traffic volumes, appropriate lane widths along local streets, wide kerbside lanes on busy streets.

Question 7

Shortcomings of Liveable Neighbourhoods

Answer 7

• Despite liveable neighbourhoods driving less and walking more, little else to indicate that LN is achieving its goals – transport and fuel use was identical due to regional transport requirements diminishing any local walkability advantages
• Conventional neighbourhoods actually had better access on average to key destinations e.g. shops
• In both CNs and LNs the time for public transport to get people to work was over 90 minutes compared to around 30 minutes by car
• Residential densities and land use mix appear too low to encourage community self-sufficiency
• Greenfield sites e.g. Ellenbrook and Butler continue the destruction of Perth’s greenbelts which contain rich areas of biodiversity, including wetlands and rivers (upper swan)
• Employment opportunities are limited to retail and small scale industrial, e.g. Ocean Keys shopping complex in Butler
• Ellenbrook 32kms from CBD, promotes urban sprawl with proposed rail and road extension

Question 8

Description of Transport Orientated Developments(TODs)

Answer 8

• Communities with high quality public transit services, mainly around train and tram stops.
• Good walk ability
• Compact
• Mixed land use
• Allows people to choose the best transport option for each trip – walking & cycling for local errands, convenient and comfortable public transit for travel along major urban corridors and automobile travel to more dispersed destinations
• People own fewer vehicles and drive less
• Density is high within the core of the development and decrease outwards to about 800m

Question 9

Example of a TOD

Answer 9

Subiaco – Subi Centro
• North south axis between railway station and Rokeby road has provided accessibility and activated the area into a fashionable and lively node of development

Question 10

Benefits of TODs

Answer 10

Benefits:
• Curbs urban sprawl – medium density housing around TODs promote a more compact city and can preserve resource lands and open space
• Traffic congestion reduction – 30-50% reductions per capita annual congestion delay are typical between transit-orientated cities and comparable size automobile-oriented cities
• Road and parking facility cost savings 0 worth hundreds of dollars annually per capita
• Consumer savings and improved affordability – often totalling thousands of dollars annual per household. Increase ridership on public transport
NOT FINISHED TODS AND EAST PERTH RENEWAL!