Transcript Michael Buxton

Securing ecosystems and
urban food supply
Thriving Neighbourhoods
Conference
Michael Buxton
RMIT University
Melbourne peri-urban region
• Melbourne,
population 4.2m;
Australia 2013
population of
23m moving to
42-46m, 2056
• Melbourne’s
peri-urban region
– inner and outer
areas:
population
700,000
Peri-urban land
• This century, cities which protect the resources of their
hinterlands will be the best economic performers
• Productive peri-urban land one of our scarcest and
most valuable resources
- broader aims now to include health, food security.
• Importance of peri-urban agriculture will increase –
vital to retain future options
• Corporate control of production and distribution of food
incompatible with the necessary alternative futures
needed.
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Biodiversity
Environmental impacts of metropolitan and
peri-urban development
• Much remnant biodiversity in peri-urban areas
– over 50 per cent of threatened or rare plants
and animals
• Most vegetation and wetlands around and in
cities lost; remainder declining in value
• Increasing risk to fresh water systems and
estuarine areas
Loss of farming land
• Peri-urban regions comprise less than 3 per
cent of the land used for agriculture, but
account for over one quarter of the stated gross
value of agricultural production (probably 40%
in total)
• Australian agriculture based on unsustainable
harnessing of natural resources in broadscale
and irrigation districts
• Meanwhile, we continue to build over some of
our most valuable soils and productive land
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Potential for new industries
• Viticulture: area under vineyards
- 1973/74: 43 ha
- 1977/78: 17 vineyards
- 1998: 114 vineyards and 50 wineries, with
2,500 ha cultivated with an annual turnover of
$100 million
• Tourism and recreation
- By 1998, 600,000 visitors annually
• Other industries developed – ie education
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Peri-urban agriculture
• Melbourne’s green belt (inner peri-urban area)
is second highest producer of agricultural
products in Victoria with a gross production in
about $890 million from 4010 farms
(underestimate)
• Agriculture on 64% of land but declined by 18
per cent between 1986-2001
• Agricultural output per hectare highest in
Victoria, at four times the state average
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Peri-urban agriculture
• Outer peri-urban agriculture still important
- risen from 4.1% (1997) to over 5% (2006)
of Victoria’s $7.5 billion farm output
• Almost 2,500 farm businesses (output
>$5,000)
- underreports production
• Average regional EVAO for all farms (2006)
was $157,613 and for farms with an EVAO
<$100,000 was $36,450
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Impact of land use planning
• Land use planning an independent factor
affecting:
- land supply and therefore land price
- capacity for lot amalgamation, rate of return
on farm investment, and therefore farm
viability
- incompatible uses
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Median Price/ha by Property Size (Victoria $2006)
Source: Barr & McKenzie 2007
Impacts of planning regulation
• In 1970s, State government used planning
system: limit urban growth, protect farming in
Mornington Peninsula and Upper Yarra Valley
• 1971 SPP3 and SPP4
• Legislation to protect natural values
- ie 1976 Upper Yarra Valley and Dandenong
Ranges Act
• Regional authorities and strategy plans to
implement SPPs and legislation.
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Threats
• Metropolitan and regional development
• Extensive land fragmentation
• Rural subdivision
• Inadequate use of planning provisions
• Zone changes expand development in Green
Wedges and Farming zone
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Metropolitan development
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Loss of
peri-urban
values
will lead to
catastrophic
impacts
this
century
Regional development
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Land fragmentation and
subdivision
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Solutions
• Break cycle of reactive, incremental, approvals
based on market/landowner preferences
• Retain larger properties:
- properties 40ha and above comprise almost
28% of total, contain 49% of remnant
vegetation (over 100 ha 22%), and are critical
for the future of agriculture
• Prevent development on fragmented lots and
subdivision
• Shift development pressure to townships
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Use of tenement control
Development capacity “BAU–rural preservation scenario” by zone
87,000 additional dwellings (BAU); 112,000 additional dwellings (RP)
Achieved through transfer and promotion of high densities in TZ, UGZ, CDZ
in RP compared with BAU.
Key findings: Bendigo
SCENARIO
FUTURE
GREENFIELD
DEVELOPMENT
DUAL OCCUPANCY
INFILL
ACTIVITY CENTRE
INFILL
RESIDENTIAL
INFILL
OTHER
REDEVELOPMENT
Greenfield
/ broadhectare
Maximum
yield
Two
lot development
possible on all parcels on existing occupied
over one hectare
and vacant residential
parcels between 700
and 1,000sqm
Development
occurs
Infill
on sites within 400m
radius of business
zoned parcels
Development occurs
on residential sites
identified as
appropriate for
development by CoGB
Core Development on
Residential
development occurs on sites determined as
infill sites outside CBD appropriate, to
and zoned Business
heights defined by
and Industrial
CBD Strategy
Supply
770 hectares
555 hectares from
6,756 parcels (220
vacant)
322 hectares from
4,154 parcels
344 hectares from
1,129 parcels
275 hectares from 209
parcels
14.4 hectares from
138 parcels
Density
25 dwellings per
hectare
almost 13 dwellings
per hectare
35 dwellings per
hectare
35 dwellings per
hectare
35 dwellings per
hectare
Average 140
dwellings per hectare
Dwelling
supply
19,250
6,536 + 440 = 6,976
11,270
12,040
9,625
2,000+
Sample of lots
available
Bendigo’s total dwelling supply = 62,561
CBD
DEVELOPMENT
Solutions
• Importance of regional planning and a
settlement policy which integrates metropolitan,
township and rural spatial planning
• Cross-sectoral planning and institutional
integration critical: interrelationships between
land use, water supply, agriculture,
biodiversity, costs etc.
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