ABPL 90319 – Final Project Lee Ka Sin Adelaide
Introduction
-Context
Literature
-History of urban growth in the Greater Bendigo
-Implementing planning strategy in the Greater Bendigo
-GIS in Planning
Project Objective
Planning Goal
Data Collection
GIS tasks and intermediate maps
-Well-connected transportation
-Accessible to amenities
-Healthy neighbourhood
-Risks avoidance
-Compact urban area
Weighted Overlay
The Greater Bendigo is located in north-central Victoria, 150km northwest of Melbourne CBD. The LGA is approximately 3,000 km2, with Urban Bendigo comprising 85% of the total population (Victorian Government n.d.).
According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, The Census usual resident population of the City of Greater Bendigo in 2021 was 121,470, with over 10% increased comparing to 110,477 in 2016 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021). It’s population for 2023 is forecasted as 126,348, and will grow 22.8% to 155,175 by 2036 (forecast.id 2023).
Currently, the city of. Greater Bendigo is the 3rd fastest growing regional LGA in Victoria (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2019). As one of the most rapidly growing councils in Victoria, it is evidently crucial to ensure sufficient housing is available to cater to anticipated population expansion. As outlined in the latest housing Strategy from the City of Greater Bendigo council in 2016, an increase of approximately 18,000 dwellings in the coming 20 years has been planned to accommodate such growth. This report presents a landscape assessment that identify suitable areas in Greater Bendigo that align with the council’s planning strategies and visions.
Home to the Da Da Wurrung and Taungurung People of the Kulin Nation, the city of greater Bendigo was founded during the gold rush period in 1851. Urban planning started to be more significant as a response to rapid growth and development.
During the 19th century, Bendigo evolved into a railway hub. A direct railway connection to Melbourne is established in 1862, and further to Echuca in the north on the Murray River by 1864, facilitated a significant conduit for passenger and freight transportation (Victorian Places n.d.). From 1876 to 1883, the network expanded to Bridgewater and Wycheproof, and subsequently to Heathcote, Swan Hill, and Boort. The railway system continued to stretch into the north-eastern wheat and irrigation areas during the 1890s. To mitigate the challenges related to the water supply for mining and residential purposes were persistent, reservoirs were constructed on the Coliban stream system, beginning from Malmsbury and extending northward throughout the 1870s, with continual enlargements until the 1930s.
Below map reveals the north-eastern expansion by comparing the current boundary of the greater with the Bendigo boundary in 1854.
2. Map of Victoria in 1854 vs current boundary of the
Tram services were initiated in Bendigo in the late 19th Century, by 1903, an electric-powered service had a route stretching from Eaglehawk to Quarry Hill, via Pall Mall, intersecting the line from Golden Square to Lake Weeroona (Victorian Places n.d.).
Beginning from the late 1940s, the urban territory of Bendigo started to spread into nearby areas, incorporating Flora Hill and Kensington from Strathfieldsaye Shire, Kangaroo Flat from Marong Shire, and Epsom from Huntly Shire. (Victorian Places n.d.). In 1994, with the municipal boundaries extending into the surrounding rural hinterland, the urban segment that makes up the statistical district now measures approximately 30 km by 30 km (Victorian Places n.d.). The map above show the north expansion from mid 19th Century to late 20th Century, with an increase of overlapping area compare to current boundary.
With continuous expansion, the Greater Bendigo is currently Victoria’s third-largest provincial city in Victoria and one of the fastest-growing regions, it has established itself as a regional activity center with a focus on education, health, and tourism.
Plan Greater Bendigo (Greater Bendigo City Council and Victorian Planning Authority 2018) is the predominant plan informing the future urban development of the region. Specifically in residential development, the Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy (Greater Bendigo City Council 2014) and Greater Bendigo Housing Strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2018) highlighted several key objectives for urban growth to accommodate the significant population growth in the LGA.
The Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy (Greater Bendigo City Council 2014) envisioned a well-connected and healthy region for residents. The retention of the region's reputation as a “City in a Forest” through reserving green spaces reverberates strongly throughout the planning strategies, alongside the promotion of interconnectivity through active and public transportation networks. Subsidiary plans including the Connecting Greater Bendigo: Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2015) and Greening Greater Bendigo (City of Greater Bendigo 2018) are also instrumental in defining the prospects of those strategies.
The Greater Bendigo Housing Strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2018) adopted in 2016 and amended in 2018 further elaborated on its latest urban development approach, emphasizing two key goals: compactness and the creation of 10-minute neighbourhoods, in order to contain urban sprawl and reduce risks associated with bushfires and floods. By restricting development within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and nearby towns, the strategy also seeks to enhance economic opportunities for residents, encourage healthier living, offer a wider array of transportation options, and mitigate environmental impacts (City of Greater Bendigo 2018).
GIS technology has played a pivotal role in urban planning since its inception in the late 1960s. In fact, the application of GIS was largely confined to industry professionals due to the high costs and specific hardware requirements during the 20th century (Maliene et al. 2011). With technological advancements in the 21st century, GIS became more accessible and widely used in especially urban planning (Maliene et al. 2011).
GIS-based land use analysis incorporates both hard data and soft information. Apart from the spital data, urban planning often involves decision making under overarching economical, social and political considerations (Malczewski 2004). GIS facilitate "integral“ analysis on planning matters over the past few decades.
Recently, the Greater Bendigo City Council has incorporated GIS to assist in decision-making on urban planning. GIS-generated maps are also included in the Greater Bendigo City Council's strategic plans, offering readers context and a visual representation of potential development opportunities. For instance, the 'Crown Infill and 10 Minute Neighbourhood Map' which included in the Greater Bendigo Residential Strategy (2018).
Moreover, the city of Greater Bendigo council operates a public GIS platform powered by POZI, which enables the visualization of data related to planning overlays, public facilities, and current tree-planting initiatives, aligning with the objectives of the Greening Greater Bendigo strategic plan. Despite the above, “little effort” has been made in the landscape evaluation of the Bendigo area (Siqing 2016, 50), thus, more GIS analysis on Bendigo's urban growth is worth exploring.
In order to accommodate the growing population, the City of Greater Bendigo council has adopted the suggestion from .ID data (Informed Decisions, home.id.com.au). It identified an increase of a total of 18,000 dwelling units in the coming two decades as one of the key objectives in its latest housing Strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2018).
Taking reference from the dwelling development in Caroline Springs, a similar density of approximately 10 DUs/ha or 1000 DUs/km2 is expected in the greater Bendigo (Chen 2022, 3), thus 18,000 dwelling units approximately requires 1800 hectares of land. The project seeks to identify two areas with at least 1800 hectares in total that are available for two future suburbs that are suitable to accommodate 18,000 dwelling units (DUs).
A land use suitability analysis will be conducted in this project utilizing ArcGIS Pro to input and analyze selected data with weighted overlap tool to determine the most suitable areas that can accommodate the new dwelling development in the City of Greater Bendigo. The suitability analysis will be based on multiple criteria under five selected main planning goals that align with the key planning strategies of the City of Greater Bendigo Council.
According to the Greater Bendigo housing strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2018) and the Connecting Greater Bendigo Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2015), building a well-connected transportation system is one of the key residential development objectives to provide residents with great accessibility to surrounding communities and a variety of transport modes.
Recent Victoria's Big Build project has upgraded the railway system with three new train stations at Huntly, Goornong, and Raywood. This further examines proximity to public transport is one of the great priority for Bendigo’s future growth (Victoria State Government 2022). While inconvenient transportation system can significantly impact quality of life and obstruct employment opportunities (Currie and Delbosc 2010), suitable growth areas should be located near established or growing roads and public transport infrastructure.
As stated in the Greater Bendigo housing strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2018, 5), one of the visions is to be the most livable regional city in Australia. Aside from building an integrated transport system, improving accessibility to amenities is another key housing goal. Specifically, the housing strategy introduced a concept of 10 minutes Neighborhood such that residential areas should be proximate to health, educational services, and activity centers or node (City of Greater Bendigo 2018, 10). In fact, health and education have long been key industries in the Greater Bendigo For instance, the largest public hospital in regional Victoria, Bendigo Hospital and La Trobe University, occupy over 33 hectares of land within the UGB (Greater Bendigo City Council and Victorian Planning Authority 2018). Thus, suitable growth should be situated near existing clusters of amenities for optimal accessibility.
“Compact Bendigo” is another key residential development objective stated in the housing strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2018, 11). Aligning with the statelevel strategic plan, urban growth boundaries have been established to reduce urban sprawl.
In response, the “Compact Bendigo” objective emphasizes the efficient use of land within the urban growth boundaries. (City of Greater Bendigo 2018, 16). Such objective also supports the version of achieving the 10-minute neighborhood in which residents are accessible to important amenities and transportation systems. Moreover, according to the “Healthy Greater Bendigo” (City of Greater Bendigo 2021), only 8% of residents in Bendigo currently adopt the active transport network. Thus, it is important to locate new developments approximate to established urban areas or towns to better utilize the existing built network.
The “Compact Bendigo” in the housing strategy also highlighted the importance of avoiding development in areas with higher levels of risk from natural disasters, including bushfires, flooding, or threats associated with extreme slopes (City of Greater Bendigo 2018, 11; Greater Bendigo City Council 2014). While Bendigo has been identified as a “city in the forest”, driving development towards the urban outskirts can entail risks associated with fire and flood hazards. (City of Greater Bendigo 2018, 5).
Historically, bushfires in Australia have notably affected communities, leading to loss of human lives, injuries, property destruction, and other socio-economic repercussions (Australian Journal of Emergency Management 2019). In order to improve public safety, the bushfire management overlays have been significantly expanded in 2017 (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2017). Thus, suitable areas for new dwellings development in Bendigo should not be locating in areas that are prone to those risks factors.
Finally, the residential development objective of “Healthy Bendigo” emphasized promoting a healthy lifestyle through reserving public open space, improving walkability within the neighborhood, as well as increasing community facilities that amplify opportunities for physical activity and well-being of the community (City of Greater Bendigo 2018, 18).
According to the “Healthy Greater Bendigo” from (City of Greater Bendigo 2021), 90% of Bendigo residents use public open spaces while 57.3% of residents meet physical activity guidelines (City of Greater Bendigo 2021). Bendigo has been successfully taking it’s advantage as “a city in the forest” to create a health community, thus suitable growth areas should continually provide residents with accessible open green areas, sporting facilities, and walkable tracks.
Under each of the five planning goals, multiple criteria with similar natures are established, those criteria are then transformed into different GIS tasks. In order to conduct a more comprehensive analysis, multiple layers of tasks are supported by diverse data sources. On top of data provided through the assignment resources on LMS, additional data are collected and extracted. Moreover, supplementary data are collected to aid the selection of the most suitable growth areas and included in the output maps for better presentation.
Planning
Well-connected transportation
(authority)
Accessible to amenities
Proximate to major roads (the shorter distance to existing major roads, the more suitable the land)
Easy access to current and future public transport (the shorter distance to bus stops and train stations, the more suitable the land)
line
Proposed train station Pdf Map image from the Greater Bendigo Housing Strategy Use of Georeferencing tool and digitize the Pdf map to from a point layer showing the proposed train station
Easy access to major amenities (the shorter distance to schools, hospitals and shopping centres, the more suitable the land
(FOI_Point)
by attributes to form new feature class of point layer showing School and Hospital (in separate layers)
Select by attributes to form a new feature class of polygon layer, then transform to a point layer showing shopping center using the polygon to point tool
Healthy neighborhood
Proximate to existing or future green open spaces (the shorter distance to the Public Park and Recreation Zone, the more suitable the land)
Easy access to Health related facilities (the shorter distance to sport facilities and walking trails, the more suitable the land)
Risks avoidance
Avoid development in area with high risks of nature disaster (overlay identified as high risks on bushfire and flooding are restricted for future development)
Park and Recreation Zone (Planning scheme zone polygon)
Shp
Data Victoria Select by attributes to form a new feature class of polygon layer showing the PPRZ
Compact urban area
Avoid development in area with steeper slope (not steeper than 1 in 5 (approximately 11.31 degrees) as stated in the landscape design guideline from the city of Bendigo council)
Proximate to urban area (the shorter distance to the urban land, the more suitable the land )
Proximate to established towns (the shorter distance to the existing towns, the more suitable the land)
Sport facilities (FOI_polygon)
Walking trails (TR_Roads)
Shp
Data Victoria Select by attributes to form a new feature class of polygon layer showing Sport facilities
Bushfire management overlay (Planning scheme overlay polygon)
Land subject to (Planning scheme overlay polygon)
Shp
Data Victoria Select by attributes to form a new feature class of line layer showing walking trails
Shp
Data Victoria Select by attributes to form a new feature class of polygon layer showing BMO
Shp
Data Victoria Select by attributes to form a new feature class of polygon layer showing LSTIO
Elevation Raster LMS Use the Slop tool to calculate the slop value from the evaluation raster
Urban
Towns
Proximate to established UGB (ideally the area is within the UGB, if not completely possible, the shorter distance to the UGB, the more suitable the land )
Urban growth boundaries Shp Planning platform from the city of Bendigo council /
Newly planned and potential expansion of UGB
Map image from the Greater Bendigo Housing Strategy
Use of Georeferencing tool and digitize the Pdf map to from a polygon layer
Other
Proximate to future key development (the closer to the key area, the more suitable the land)
Key development area in the latest housing strategy
Map image from the Greater Bendigo Housing Strategy
Use of Georeferencing tool and digitize the Pdf map to from a polygon layer
Victoria Map shp LMS (assignment two) /
After collecting and preparing all the necessary data, maps included all compontents were created to illustrate the existing context regarding different planning goals. A new toolbox, named toolbox.atbx, was established by accessing the catalog view and right-clicking on the linked folder. Within this new toolbox, a fresh model was generated by right-clicking on toolbox.atbx.
Prior to initiating the Model Builder process, it's crucial to set the Environments to this specific configuration: Import Coordinate Systems are set to Bendigo.shp, Processing extent to Bendigo.shp, Mask to Bendigo.shp, and Cell Size to elevation. Those settings are necessary to ensure the accuracy
The Euclidean Distance was selected as the main intermediate processing tool because it computes the distance from each cell to the nearest source. Each compontent was individually inputted into the Euclidean Distance tool to calculate the distance from the feature. Those distances are presented by resymbolising to 10 classes that are divided into 10 equal intervals and rounded up to whole numbers by manually adjusting the classification value. The output rasters were then fed into the Reclassify tool, divided into intervals from 1 to 10, with 1 being the most desirable value and 10 being the least. This procedure was repeated for all criteria except for the BMO , LSTIO and slope which were assigned values of 1 (Not suitable) and 0 (Suitable). This is to achieve the criteria such that areas under the BMO , LSTIO, and slope above 11.3 degrees should be excluded from the suitable growth areas.
Finally, a weighted overlay tool was used to analyze areas with different levels of suitability based on all the criteria each with a designated percentage. Afterward, within the areas with the highest suitability value, the two most suitable areas were selected for this project. Detailed procedures are explained in the following and in the Model Builder flowchart.
The transportation system of Greater Bendigo includes the major roads connecting to surrounding LGs with valuable connections, specifically the Calder Highway provides a direct link to Metropolitan Melbourne. While regional trains and bus networks connect different towns and areas in the LGA with predominant activity centered within the urban Bendigo area. Recently, as stated in the latest housing strategy published by the city of Bendigo Council (City of Greater Bendigo 2018), more train stations were planned to be built along the existing railway line with proposed train stations identified in the 10 Minutes Neighborhoods Map released (as below). Thus, the suitability analysis to achieve the wellconnected transportation criteria will be based on the proximity of the four main features, including the Major roads, Bus stations, train stations as well as the proposed train stations, using the Euclidean Distance tool. While the railway line overlap with the major road, and the bus routes are saturated in the urban areas at a relatively local scale, the calculation of the Euclidean Distances is not included but the data are used to provide a deeper understanding of the context.
Figure 4. The Greater Bendigo Transport Map
Figure 5. The Greater Bendigo Road network Map
Figure 6. Euclidean Distance from Major Roads
Figure 7. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Train stations are foreseeable to be extended along the four regional railway line within the greater Bendigo , including Eaglehawk-inglewood line, Bendigo line, Deniliquin line, and the Pangil line.
Figure 9. Euclidean Distance from Existing Train Stations
Figure 10. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 11. Euclidean Distance from Proposed Train Stations
Figure 12. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 14. Euclidean Distance from Bus Stops
Figure 15. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
As mentioned in the planning goals, the housing strategy from the greater Bendigo city council has identified the provision of accessible health, educational services, and activity centers or node for residents as the key objectives. According to the latest Census data, healthcare (17%). retail (11%) and education (9%) were three of the top sectors in greater Bendigo (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022).
Thus, three component, hospitals, shopping centers, and education centers (including all types of schools) are selected in the analysis.
The reason for not selecting smaller scale component, like clinics or retail stores is because the less clustered spatial data generated from the Euclidean Distance will be less significant to identify new growth areas with a size of a suburb.
Figure 16. The Greater Bendigo Amenities Map
Figure 17. The Greater Bendigo Amenities Map (Zoom in)
Figure 18. Euclidean Distance from School
Figure 19. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 20. Euclidean Distance from Hospitals
Figure 21. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 22. Euclidean Distance from Shopping Centers
Figure 23. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
As mentioned in the planning goal, the City of Greater Bendigo is renowned for its reputation as a city within a forest, While the Greening Greater Bendigo strategic plan has set an ambitious agenda to increase tree canopy within urban Bendigo by 45% by 2070 (City of Greater Bendigo 2021).
Furthermore, fostering a healthy community is at the forefront of Plan Greater Bendigo (City of Greater Bendigo 2018), the residential objective aims to promote the use of open space and healthy lifestyle habits, while emphasizing the importance of better walkability of the city.
Thus, the suitability analysis to achieve the Health neighborhood criteria will be based on the proximity of the three main components, including the parks and recreational zone, sporting facilities, and walking trails using the Euclidean Distance tool.
Figure 24. The Greater Bendigo Health Network Map
Figure 25. Euclidean Distance from Sport facility
Figure 26. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 27. Euclidean Distance from PPRZ
Figure 28. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 29. Euclidean Distance from Walking Trails
Figure 30. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
The Bushfire management overlay, Iand subject to inundation overlay, and the steeper slope areas are selected as the compotent in the criteria of the avoidance of the risk planning goals. This is because bushfires and flooding is the most predominant nature disasters, especially in the greater Bendigo area. While steep slopes might cause potential risks in landslide or housing collapse which is not suitable for dwelling development.
Thus, instead of using the Euclidean Distance tool to identify the different levels of suitability by calculating the distance, the null and con tool is used to eliminate those areas in the suitability analysis.
Figure 31. The Greater Bendigo risk area Map
Figure 32. Reclassified Bushfire management overlay Map
Figure 33. Reclassified Land subject to inundation overlay Map
Figure 34. The Greater Bendigo Slope Map
Figure 35. Reclassified Slope Map
The vision of the 10-minute neighborhood is heavily enshrined throughout the Greater Bendigo Housing Strategy (City of Greater Bendigo 2018), wherein residents are able to access their needs within a 10-minute walk or cycle. Furthermore, the strategy outlines the need to contain future urban development within the Urban Growth Boundary to avoid further sprawl. Thus, existing towns and urban areas are selected as the component in the criteria such that the Euclidean Distance tool was used to identify areas that are near to the two features.
Due to the rapidly growing population, the latest housing strategy from the city of greater Bendigo council has expanded the urban growth boundaries to Marong and Junortoun areas to accommodate the growth until 2050. Instead of purely using the existing UGB.shp data from the council website, this analysis adopted UGB 2025 by adding the newly expanded boundaries through the digitalizing tool, while the Euclidean distances were calculated based on the updated UGB as well.
Figure 36. The Greater Bendigo Urban network Map
Figure 37. The Greater Bendigo UGB expansion Map
Figure 38. Euclidean Distance from urban areas
Figure 39. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 40. Euclidean Distance from towns
Figure 41. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Figure 42. Euclidean Distance from towns
Figure 43. Reclassified Distance by Values 1-10
Weighted overlay is a widely used method in GIS suitability analysis (p.50). Unlike Boolean overlay, which only offers binary (true or false) criteria, similar to the Con tool used in the BMO and LSTIO reclassification, weighted overlay allows for a more detailed approach to determining the suitability (Siqing 2016). This is because each criterion can be individually assigned a weight percentage. As such, to identify the most suitable Urban Growth Areas in Greater Bendigo, the weighted overlay method was employed. Weighted overlay analysis involved inputting each reclassified criterion raster into the weighted overlay table and assigning a weight percentage based on its perceived importance. The Weight % was assigned as below:
Proximity to the transportation system was given the total highest weight as 30% since accessible transportation is a key planning goal and as the output maps show, amenity clusters are often located within dense transit corridors, the transportation system highly supports the compact city and 10 minutes neighborhood versions in the housing strategy. While Bus network has more flexibility to chances, unlike the railway which requires larger infrastructure development. Bus stops was given a lower percentage of 5%. Meanwhile, the proposed train stations are not fully constructed and likely face chances, it was weighted as a lower percentage.
Risk avoidance and compact urban areas are weighted as 20% as their importance is just behind the transportation system. Reducing risks of nature disasters and potential accidence should be placed in high priority to ensure a safe living environment for residents. As bushfire and flooding are considered as higher risk factor, higher weight % were assigned.
In line with the compact city goal, it is important to saturate the urban growth in established areas. In fact, some of the towns are far from the urban growth boundaries and with less convenient access to main transportation system, for instance, Sedgwick and Drummartin are not lined on the major road or railway line. Some of the towns are also far away from the cluster of urban areas and the UGB, thus the town competent was given a lower weighting as 5%. Urban area was also weighted as 5% due to it’s a high density that are insufficient to accommodate excessive development. The areas were eliminated using the erase tool from the suitable areas identified afterward. Relatively, urban growth boundaries established larger areas planned for future growth, as a significant identifier, 10% weighting was given out of 20%.
The final two criteria, Healthy Neighborhood and Accessible to Amenities were each assigned 15%, as most of those components have already fell within established transit corridors and urban areas. In addition, community facilities with a smaller spatial scale provide more flexibility such that their construction might not require a very large scale of urban development The small operation scale is also likely to face changes so the data might change more frequently. For instance, education centers or sporting facilities have a higher turnover rate in operations. Thus, those two criteria are assigned as a relatively lower percentage.
After incorporating the Weighted Overlay table into the Model Builder, all criteria were inputted. For each criterion, excluding the BMO , LSTIO and slope , the values were inverted so that 1 became 10, 2 became 9, 3 became 8, and so on. This is because the Weighted Overlay function considers values closer to '10' as more suitable, unlike the previous Reclassify function which considered '1' as the most suitable. For the BMO , LSTIO and slope, weighted overlay, '1' values were restricted as these represented predetermined bushfires, flood-prone areas, and steep slopes that should be avoided.
The output map was generated and ranked values from '0' (least suitable) to '8' (most suitable). As the project's goal is to identify the most suitable areas for development, a new layer was created by selecting only the values of 8 (Refer to below).
Figure 45. The suitable areas Map
As urban areas are already established, the Erase function was used to exclude these developed areas. To determine two areas with a total of 1800 hectares, the shape areas from the attribute table of the most suitable areas are examined to identify the larger polygons.
In fact, given that the urban areas have occupied large spaces within the UGB, there is only one suitable land with area close to the project goal (1800 hectares) wholly located within the UGB. While the area is only 1049 hectares, at least 751 hectares more are needed to fulfill the quantitative goal. Thus, the suitable area located in Morang was also selected.
Attempting to select only areas that are within the UGB, the large polygon of a suitable area in Marong is clipped with the UGB layer, unfortunately, the Land area is only 498 hectares which is insufficient.
Therefore, a buffer of 800 meters is created to add space to the site.. The 800 meters is designed reference from the Bendigo Housing Strategy. In the strategic plan, 800 meters was identified as appropriate distance for residents to reach out to daily needs or urban areas (City of Greater Bendigo 2018).
Suitable Area clipped with UGB 2050 with buffer of 800meters
49.
Finally, the buffer area is clipped by the larger suitable area to identify a more desirable area that meets the quantitative goals of total 1800 hectares but with an appropriate distance that exceeded the Urban growth boundaries.
Buffered Area clipped with suitable area
Marong Site
1128 hectares
Northeast Bendigo Site
1049 hectares
The final selected suitable area in the Morong is 1128 hectares while the one to the northeast of Bendigo city is 1049. The northeast site is also selected and exported as an new feature layer for map generation.
Final suitable area selected
Figure 51. Map with Final selected Suitable areas
Marong Site 1128 hectares
Northeast
Bendigo Site 1049 hectares
(Total Area : 2177 hectares)
The final suitable areas with a total 2,177 hectares include a 20% buffer to the 1,800 hectares goal, this allow excessive capacity to accommodate unpredictable population growth and construction of additional services and amenities. Within 2,177, there is 1,547 hectares (approximately 70%) of land locating inside of the Urban growth boundaries, this align with the compact development and 10-minute neighborhood versions outlined in the Greater Bendigo housing strategy. The two selected areas are accessible to major road and public transportation, including existing and proposed new train stations.
Marong Site
1128 hectares
Bendigo Site
1049 hectares
Map extracted from Figure 51. Map with Final selected Suitable areas Full Map refer to P.55
As shown on the map, most part from the northeast Bendigo site is within a 4km radius of Bendigo city center. While the site is adjacent to the existing urban area. The main part also flanked by the Midland Highway to the west. The site provides convenient access to different employment and business opportunities, as well as to major activity nodes like the hospital and university. The site is located west of the Bendigo Airport and extends southward to La Trobe University and Junortoun. Recent developments at Bendigo Airport have led to the introduction of commercial flights, with the potential for a related commercial precinct to be developed in the surrounding area (Greater Bendigo City Council 2014). Additionally, La Trobe University recently invested $50 million in a revitalization of its Bendigo campus, and a state-funded tech school, BTEC, has also been built on the site (Greater Bendigo City Council and Victorian Planning Authority 2018). This examined rapid growth on community infrastructure in the nearby area supports its suitability of dwelling development.
Furthermore, The Epsom Station next to the site connects to the Bendigo Station along the Bendigo line and Deniliquin railway line provides a valuable connection to Melbourne . The site highly achieves the planning goal of well-connected transportation and accessible to amenities. Moreover, it is located within the existing urban growth boundary which has been established long before the latest housing strategy and plans released in 2016. Prior to increasing development in the expanded urban growth boundaries, that is a need to utilize existing boundaries to achieve a more compact city. Thus, the selected site is very suitable for supporting such planning goals and facilitates the efficient use of land.
On the other hand, the suitable areas selected in the Marong site not only utilized the newly expanded urban growth boundary 2050, it overlap with the key development areas identified in the housing strategy. The site is also close distance to the west of the potential expansion of future UGB.
Marong Site
1128 hectares
Crown Infill and 10 Minute Neighborhoods Map
Northeast
Bendigo Site
1049 hectares
According to the greater Bendigo residential strategy (Greater Bendigo City Council 2014), Marong to the west of Bendigo city is a town earmarked for up to 15% future residential development. Marong was initially pinpointed as a growth area in the Loddon Mallee South Regional Growth Plan (Victoria State Government. 2014.) , with the potential to expand to 8000 residents by 2034. In 2021, the City of Greater Bendigo acquired 155 hectares of land in the western part of Marong with the intention of developing a business park (City of Greater Bendigo. 2021). This park is projected to create up to 3000 jobs across diverse sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and research.
Throughout overarching planning strategies, the city of the greater Bendigo council has recognized Moarong as a fast-growing town worth investing in new development and growth on housing and infrastructure. This can be justified given that a new railway station is planned to build in Moarong and the UGB 2025 has chosen Moarong as the expansion area. Thus, it is a very suitable area to accommodate the 18000 new dwellings.
Yet, this selected site has slightly exceeded the urban growth boundary established, it is recommended that the dwelling development should prioritize the areas within the urban growth boundary, while the exceeded areas should be developed at the last stage once the areas within the boundaries are insufficient. This recommendation aims to achieve the objective of the urban growth boundaries to the largest extent under the circumstance.
In conclusion, the two selected sites meet the five planning goals designed in the project which align with the latest housing strategy and other overarching planning visions of the greater Bendigo city council. They are both accessible to existing and growing transportation system, amenities, health facilities, and green open spaces. The selected sites are avoided from environmental risks including bushfires, flooding, and steep slope to ensure a safe area for residential development. The sites also support the version of 10-minute neighborhoods and compact city, given that a large part of the site is bounded within the urban growth boundaries 2050.
A GIS-based land suitability analysis using a weighted overlay incorporates multi-criteria evaluation, enabling the adjustment of different factors based on preference, thereby generating "nuanced degrees of suitability" (Siqing 2016, 50). The output result successfully identified a detailed and rational suitable sites for this project. The analysis is highly comprehensive which provides valuable insight and facilitates effective decision-making. Since a weighted overlay employs a combination of hard and soft information. By integrating a blend of spatial data and input criteria based on an established strategy, the final result aligns with the planning goals and meets the project objective.
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Australian Journal of Emergency Management. 2019. “AJEM July 2019 - Urban Planning: Historical Changes Integrating Bushfire Risk Management in Victoria | Australian Disaster
Resilience Knowledge Hub.” 2019. https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/ajem-july-2019urban-planning-historical-changes-integrating-bushfire-risk-management-in-victoria/.
“Bendigo | Victorian Places.” n.d. Accessed July 16, 2023. https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/bendigo.
City of Greater Bendigo. 2015. “Connecting Greater Bendigo: Integrated Transport and Land Use Strategy | City of Greater Bendigo.” 2015. https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/About/Document-Library/itlus-adopted-260815-pdf.
City of Greater Bendigo. 2018. “Greater Bendigo Housing Strategy - Amended and Adopted January 2018 | City of Greater Bendigo.” 2018. https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/About/DocumentLibrary/greater-bendigo-housing-strategy-adopted-jan-2018-pdf.
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