Urban, city, and town planning is the integration of the disciplines of land use planning and transport planning, to explore a very wide range of aspects of the built and social environments of urbanized municipalities and communities.
The first part of this lesson will include a keynote presentation to introduce you to new urban planning terms such as urban consolidation, urban renewal, gentrification, counterurbanisation and exurbanisation.
Following this, you will look at current issues associated with urban planning and urban sprawl in Melbourne. The following articles were published in the The Age on the weekend. They provide an overview of what current issues are experienced in Melbourne, and also some solutions.
Your Task
The Age – No Need to Expand Melbourne’s Boundary: Experts
1. Is the Victorian State Government considering a policy of expansion or urban consolidation? Use evidence from the article to support your answer.
2. What are the suggested alternatives to urban sprawl in Melbourne, as outlined in the article?
3. Why does Michael Drapac say that industrial zones within 10km of the CBD outdated? What evidence does he use to support his argument?
4. Why does the Planning Minister Justin Madden believe that the urban growth boundary needs to be extended?
10 Big Ideas for Housing Melbourne
5. Read through the ten differing opinions from planning experts in Melbourne. Categorise each of their opinions as either in support of an Urban Growth Boundary, support of Urban Consolidation or support or Urban Renewal. Use a table to show this.
6. Choose your three favourite opinions and explain why you believe these three options would be most successful.
7. Choose your least favourite option and explain why you believe that it will not work.
8. Read the article as it provides an overview of empty sites and how urban consolidation can provide more housing options for Melbourne.
Select one of these sites (Burnley, West Melbourne or North Melbourne). Create a powerpoint, keynote, poster or podcast that describes how you would redevelop this area. Use the following steps to guide this task:
- Use google maps and zoom into the area. Print off a copy of the site and then using a key, indicate the differing types of land use (commercial, business, residential) and where it would be located.
- Put together either a written piece explaining why this would occur, or do a piece to camera or voiceover. This task will make up your notes on urban planning.
- Make sure you are very specific about the types of land use, where these will be zoned, and the density of the buildings (high, medium or low). Include images to show the types of housing that will be constructed. Will you keep any of the existing buildings?
For some ideas on how to redevelop the spare piece of land, look at the resources below:
