Liveability ranking under threat

Melbourne’s status as one of the world’s most liveable cities is under threat, as it struggles to accommodate the needs of its growing population, according to Melbourne School of Design Director Alan Pert.

“The notion of liveability has been widely contested over recent years following Melbourne’s consistent ranking at or near the top of a variety of global indices,” Professor Pert says. “The issue with these rankings is the vagueness of the term liveability and the data used to determine a city’s Global ranking.

“All it takes is for the population to start to feel disenfranchised and the stability that maintains a position at the top of these tables begins to unravel.”

All of this has to be considered in the context of Melbourne’s predicted population growth, lack of infrastructure, ageing population, suburban sprawl and rising property prices. 

“Liveability means different things to different people; determined by age, health, ethnicity, income and connectedness to the basic needs and desires of everyday life. Whether it be work, care, education or leisure time amenity we all perceive our cities and our neighbourhoods differently,” Professor Pert says.

“Whether we travel as pedestrians, cyclists, on public transport or by car, our experience of the place where we live can alter significantly. Liveability as such becomes a generalised term that, for a 26-year-old in the CBD, varies considerably from a family with little alternative but to move to one of the outer suburbs where property in relation to family needs is more appropriately priced.

“Liveability is all about choice, affordability and proximity and I don’t think there is enough choice out there,” Professor Pert says.  “It’s a developers’ market right now marked by a predominance of one and two bedroom flats in and around the city. If we leave it to the developers, the market will be driven by profit and not choice. 

“The CBD is rich in character and urban grain but it is a very small part of a typical Melburnians experience of everyday life. Melbourne needs more family housing closer to the city, it needs neighbourhoods which cater for young and old, and a model of housing which allows a community to grow rather than constantly drift beyond the edges of our existing infrastructure.”

Professor Pert recently ran a seminar with Scotland’s Chief Architect Ian Gilzean as guest speaker on the topic “Towards a Housing Expo”, which explored the idea of a similar event being held in Australia to act as a catalyst for housing innovation.

A Scottish Housing Expo in 2010 was modelled on similar Finnish events, where around 50 prototype houses were built in a bid to show how innovative, sustainable and affordable housing can be built using locally produced materials. 

Professor Pert says Housing Expos have become proven models for stimulating the construction industry to consider affordable high quality designs for high volume or mass housing, with more thought being given to the places in which houses are built.

“Importantly such expos don’t simply consider housing design but also procurement processes, the supply chain and the collective endeavour that is required to demonstrate alternative ways of living.”

The Expo provided government, builders, industry, housing associations and the community with an outlet to present new ideas, and challenge and debate issues of housing delivery and construction. 

Some outcomes included a rural architectural design practice and a library of building materials. 

“The Scottish Housing Expo was about celebrating and sharing good design so the community could feel more involved in a process which most of the time is the domain of developers,” Professor Pert says.

But it’s not all about importing ideas from overseas. Professor Pert says there is much to be learnt from Australian architects and builders. 

“There are some great things going on in practices around Australia such as seven or eight storey buildings being built in the inner city that complement the city landscape and provide good housing options.”

Australia has a lot to share with the rest of the world at a time when other cities are in decline.

Professor Pert warns that if we leave it to the developers the market will be driven by just selling off plots of land. 

“We need to generate smarter ways of building, using better construction technologies and considering cost and place, and I hope a Melbourne Expo one day in the future might help achieve this.

“Personally I’d like to see more input into developments that make the most of the natural environment such as how to best let sunlight into kitchens, or how housing can fit in more with the landscape.”

Professor Pert says there was an important element of government buy-in to the expo project to make it work. The launch of the Melbourne Plan is a good example of state investment in planning for future growth. It does draw criticism that it will fast track development, and may not be comprehensive enough to accommodate the expected growth. But liveability ultimately means different things to different people depending, on where they are in life, whether they are young hip singles, a growing family or an older couple in retirement. 

“I am positive we can provide them all with some new ideas about how to live.”

www.abp.unimelb.edu.au