The reality of piecemeal mid-rise development

This is the reality of piecemeal, market-led redevelopment. Developers maximise the building footprint of individual sites, while the quality, cohesion and liveability of the surrounding streets become secondary. The question is whether these are the kinds of streets we want to create across Melbourne’s established suburbs.

Paris is often cited as a model for higher-density urban living. Yet the elegant streets and architectural cohesion of Haussmann’s Paris were the product of comprehensive master planning, consistent urban design and strict building controls.

Victoria’s planning changes rely primarily on piecemeal, market-led redevelopment and weak building codes rather than comprehensive master planning and strict building design. Beautiful, cohesive cities are rarely the product of uncoordinated, site-by-site development. They emerge through long-term planning, consistent design standards and careful attention to the public realm.

The photographs below illustrate the kinds of outcomes that result when redevelopment occurs incrementally under a predominantly market-led planning framework, including visual bulk, overlooking, overshadowing, hard-surfaced frontages, constrained tree planting, loss of gardens, poor transitions between buildings and the gradual erosion of neighbourhood character.

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