18 minute read
06 // PRINCIPLE 2: 20-MINUTE NEIGHBOURHOODS
06 //
PRINCIPLE 2 // 20-MINUTE NEIGHBOURHOODS
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PRINCIPLE 2 // 20-MINUTE NEIGHBOURHOODS
STRATEGY 2.1 //
TRANSPORT
Stimulate active transport and reinvigorate public transport ridership resulting in reduced car dependency Action 2.1.1 // All community destinations are accessible via separated bicycle lanes and footpaths and provide sufficient bike parking Action 2.1.2 // Implement car-free streets and shared streets where possible Action 2.1.3 // Parking provision to be split 50/50 between vehicles and bicycles Action 2.1.4 // New tram and bus lines will connect the site to important employment hubs in the area STRATEGY 2.2 //
SCHOOLS
Walking and cycling access to local
state schools Action 2.2.1 // State Primary and Secondary Schools will be provided according to VPA benchmarks
Action 2.2.2 // All schools will accessible via a shared path or dedicated cycling infrastructure
Action 2.2.3 // Schools to be located near the neighbourhood activity centre or park STRATEGY 2.3 //
HEALTH CARE & SPORTS
Access to a diverse range of health facilities which support all stages of life (e.g. dietist, maternity care, age care, optometrist) as well as sports facilities
Action 2.3.1 // The neighbourhood activity centre will accommodate a variety of allied health and wellbeing facilities
Action 2.3.2 // The neighbourhood park will include an oval and opportunities for local sports clubs or a open space will be provided at a range of scales to facilitate a range of functions and activities including down time, team sport and personal exercise STRATEGY 2.4 //
LIFELONG LEARNING
Community hubs/facilities/library which facilitate a variety of learning activities for all backgrounds, e.g. english learning classes, community gardens, IT lessons for the elderly
Action 2.4.1 // The site will have one tech (STEM) school with potential allied higher education provider
Action 2.4.2 // The site will have one community library hub, with a variety of spaces to accommodate a variety of community and educational purposes
STRATEGY 2.1 // Transport //
Action 2.1.1 // Active Transport Network //
As part of making the site a 20-minute neighbourhood, access is considered for a variety of modes more than private motor vehicles. To prevent the site from becoming a thoroughfare of road vehicles, no road links are proposed to cross the Maribyrnong River. However, cross river access is facilitated via the provision of bridges carrying shared trails.
A number of protected bike lanes are provided to facilitate safe east-west and north-south access for cyclists. A variety of shared trails are provided so the community can reclaim the river bank as a public space.
Figure 6.0 Proposed Transport Infrastructure
Figure 6.1 (Top left) Shared trail bridge in Utrecht, The Netherlands Figure 6.2 (Bottom left) Protected bicycle lane on Wellington St., Melbourne
Figure 6.3 Local Street (Residential Interface)
Figure 6.4 Neighbourhood Activity Centre
Streets within the Sybil Craig will prioritise walking and cycling over vehicular movements. As seen in Figure 6.3, shared streets will be used in residential areas where possible. The Austroads Guide to local area traffic management advises a maximum vehicle speed of 20 km/h for shared streets (Vicroads, 2015). The remainder of the site will have a maximum speed of 30km/h, following the Dutch approach. This policy has proven to achieve great road safety. The OECD advises countries to lower the speed limit in all areas where interaction with pedestrians is possible, such as shopping centres and residential areas (Mooren, 2014). The Sybil Craig Quarter would be the first residential area in Melbourne with a maximum speed of 30km/h, after successful trials have been undertaken in parts of Fitzroy and Collingwood as part of the Towards Zero initiative (Lawrence et al., 2020).
In addition, the neighbourhood activity centre will be developmented as a vehicle free zone, with widened footpaths and dedicated bike lanes to encourage sustainable transport. The footpaths within this zone will be wide enough to support comfortable pedestrian movements as well as outdoor dining. All streets are to be line with native trees to encourage natural habitats for local fauna, and alleviate the pressures of urban heat island effect.
Action 2.1.3. // Equal Bicycle and Car Parking //
In order to encourage cycling and to discourage car use, parking provision will be split 50/50 between bicycles and vehicles. Inspired by The Commons project from Breathe Architecture, apartment buildings in close proximity to public and active infrastructure could provide no car parking at all (Sharam, 2015). Less car parking requires the City of Maribyrnong to waive car parking requirements. This will save a significant amount of money as there are large hidden costs to car parking. It should be noted that car parking is a politically sensitive issue and there are no guarantees in the current planning system that requirements will be waived (Taylor, 2018).
Action 2.1.4 // Public Transport Network //
To ensure the site is accessible for people of all mobility and ability, a new light rail (here after tram) route will be provided through the centre of the site. 6 new stops, all universally accessible, will ensure no dwelling or key destination is more than 800m from a stop. Extending the link south into Highpoint Activity Centre would directly tie the Quarter to the different employment and retail opportunities Highpoint provides.
Heavy rail has not been provided given it is typically considerably more expensive to provide then light rail (Department of Civil Engineering, 2020).
As part of stitching the Quarter into the surrounding urban form, we propose extending the tram north, across the Maribyrnong river to Buckley street, carefully negotiating the steep topography in this short stretch. This link will be of great benefit to our site and the surrounding regions as it greatly improves travel mobility between the north and south sides of the river. Keeping the link car free will give public transport a competitive advantage over cars, as road vehicles will still be required to travel via the existing east-west river crossings. If cars were allowed to use the link there is a high chance it would become a major through route due to its prime position and limited number of existing road crossings, which are congested.
That being said, the north link will be insufficient on its own to ensure public transport is the prefered mode for out of site trips. To maximise public transports mode share, a series of new tram routes are required to link the site to neighbouring employment hubs, activity centres and train stations.
Upgrade existing PT service with new tram between Avondale Heights and Essendon Tram service to Airport West
Upgrade existing PT service with extension of tram R57
Figure 6.5 Proposed Public Transport Infrastructure
R57 Defence Site - Flinders Street Station R57 and R82
Direct connection into the heart of Highpoint. New services to Footscray Station and Melbourne CBD via Flemington and new service to Sunshine station Ballarat Road
Figure 6.6 Important Employment Hubs Figure 6.6 shows three key employment hubs we have identified as likely to employ future residents and thus key destinations for improved public transport links. It can also be seen how little public transport is available in western Melbourne. Whilst an extensive bus network is present, we have omitted it because they are often uncompetitive with cars due to their indirect nature and are often slowed by road congestion.
Development of the Quarter has just as much potential to be city shaping as Docklands and Fishermans Bend. Both these projects recognised the need and provided direct and reliable public transport to desirable destinations.
Docklands ensured the site was accessible by building two new tram lines into the site at the time of development. Both of which linked back to the Melbourne CBD. Fishermans Bend will also provide two new tram lines through both connecting to CBD
Whilst the Quarter is considerably further from the CBD than either Docklands or Fishermans Bend, improved public transport connections still need to be made as it is a key employment hub. Not all residents will work in the CBD and thus tram routes need to connect to north to Airport West and Tullamarine, and, south west to Sunshine and the West State Significant Industrial Precinct. New east west routes on the north and south flanks of the Quarter will provide easy links to Melbourne's Metro rail network.
Providing these routes is not simply about achieving the best development outcomes for the Quarter. It is also an equality issue. Melbourne's west is significantly underserved by trams compared to its north, see figure 6.6. Thus the new routes, which will discuss further, should be provided as part of a western Melbourne Public Transport plan designed to provide direct, reliable and frequent public transport which competitive with cars for both local trips and cross melbourne trips, even those not heading to the CBD.
Sybil Craig Quarter to Footscray Station
Footscray is a key activity centre in the west and is a desirable destination. It’s primary importance though is that it is a key interchange station for metropolitan and regional railway services at only 4km from our site. R82 already runs from our site to Footscray. However it operates in mixed-traffic which means it is prone to road congestion, particularly along Ballarat Road. The current journey takes 22 minutes on average. We propose a new route which would utilise the parkland along the Maribyrnong River to operate in its own right of way. There are points where the route would need to use the road network. In these instances we propose that trams operate on road but have barriers which prevent cars from travelling in the tram lane, as is currently the case along most of R83. This new route would have the advantage of being faster, possibly taking 10 minutes on average, and connecting directly to Victoria Universities Footscray campus which R82 poorly serves.
Avondale Heights to Essendon
As mentioned previously, the Quarters transport needs could justify improved public transport in the western suburbs. Ensuring easy metro connections will minimise car dependency of residents in the Quarter. Craigieburn Line is the closest metro service however it is only accessible by bus on the north side and a slow tram on the south. We propose upgrading these services to light rail services with car free road space to minimise the disruption road congestion will have on providing a reliable and quick service.
Sybil Craig Quarter to Melbourne Spencer Street
Melbourne CBD is a major employment and lifestyle destination. R57 currently runs between the Quarter and Elizabeth street in Melbourne CBD via Ascot Value and North Melbourne. R57 also operates in mixed traffic condition resulting in the journey on average taking 37 minutes. A new route is proposed between the Quarter and Spencer Street in Melbourne CBD via Highpoint, Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne. The service will share the new Maribyrnong river alignment with the new Footscray service before diverging to follow the river around Flemington Racecourse, then using ROW B along Smithfield Road, Epsom Road, Macaulay Road, Dryburgh Street (stop close to new Metro Tunnel North Melbourne station), and Spencer Street. Due to its extensive separation from cars, this service should be able to complete the journey in around 20 minutes. Implementation of this service is particularly important due to the heavy overcrowding on R57. An already overcrowded route will not be attractive for the new residents plus the overcrowding is resulting in R57 developing a reputation as unsafe for women due to high rates of sexual assault in the crowds (XYX labs, n.d.).
Sybil Craig Quarter to Tullamarine and Airport West
Tullamarine and Airport West provide a variety of light industrial and big box retail employment. This region is served by buses and a tram, R59, links Airport West to Flinders Street station. These existing public transport is not suitable for our suite though. We have proposed extending the tram network north from the Quarter connecting in with the existing R59 Keilor Rd via Hoffmans Road. We also propose extending R57, on the southern edge of the Quarter, northwest into Avondale Heights. From here a Express bus service is proposed to service industrial area around Tullamarine before meeting the tram at Airport West. Whilst the tram will offer a frequent service throughout the day, the express bus will be designed to provide convenient services for peak travel periods which reliable pulse timetables off-peak. This will require liaison with the employers to understand shift patterns and to define appropriate peak and off-peak periods.
Sybil Craig Quarter to Sunshine and the State Significant West Industrial Precinct
South west of the Quarter is Sunshine. Sunshine is a key activity centre identified in Plan Melbourne. It is also a major interchange station between metro services and regional rail services. The stations importance will grow in the future when Airport Rail to Tullamarine and the Suburban Rail Loop are completed as it will become a major interchange station. .
10km south west of the Quarter is the West State Significant Industrial Precinct (West SSIP). This region has been identified and protected by the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning to ensure sufficient room in Melbourne for large scale manufacturing. Light Rail is unlikely to be justified into the West SSIP. As for the Airport region, we propose three express bus routes, timetabled to be convenient for shift patterns in the precinct.
STRATEGY 2.2 // Schools //
In the 20-minute neighbourhood, kids should not have to walk more than 800m to their local school. According to the Grattan Institute (Goss, 2016), more than 200 new schools will be needed between 2016-2026 to fulfill the requirements of establishing 20-minute neighbourhoods in Melbourne. An additional concern is the lack of walking and cycling access to schools. The number of kids walking or cycling to school has been plummeting since the 1970s, from 8 out of 10 to 2 out of 10. With 1 in 3 kids being obese in Victoria, it is important that they get encouraged to get physically active (Cancer Council Victoria, 2018). The majority of parents says to prefer active modes of travel to school, but are constrained by social, policy and environmental factors (Garrard, 2019). Prahran High School and South Melbourne Primary School, both pictures on this page, are Melbourne’s newest vertical schools.
The aim of the Sybil Craig Quarter is to give all children the opportunity to safely walk or cycle to school within 10 minutes. As the masterplan on page 24 outlines, three primary schools and two state secondary school will be established on the site, including a STEM school. The schools are strategically located to serve an as wide as possible community.
Figure 6.9 Elderly getting exercise classes in their courtyard
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STRATEGY 2.3 // Health Care & Sports //
Access to primary health care has changed under COVID-19 circumstances. The Victorian Government has published a draft ‘General Practitioner Practice Plan’ which outlines the rules health clinics now have to follow (Victoria State Government, 2020). To suffice healthcare demand in the region, the Sybil Craig Quarter aims to deliver a 24/7 bulk billing healthcare service in the neighbourhood activity centre. This service will fulfill the underlying principles of 20-minute neighbourhood, COVID-19 and inclusivity as it will be available to both residents and non-residents in the neighbourhood.The plan also provides an aged-care facility on the site (building 1, figure 6.10). This facility would house senior residents that cannot live independently. This facility provides accommodation, 24/7 personal care, and mental and physical wellbeing services.
Action 2.3.2 // Sports Facilities //
Victorian adult obesity rates have increased by 40% over the past 20 years. Two-thirds of adults and one in four Victorian children are overweight or obese due to a poor diet and physical inactivity (VicHealth, 2020). The Sybil Craig Quarter will provide plenty of indoor and outdoor sports facilities to encourage people to get active. The main part (figure 6.10) will cater for indoor sports in building 2, alongside outdoor tennis courts and badminton and netball courts. The park and the green space along the Maribyrnong river will provide for more than 5 kilometers of walking, cycling and running trails. The central park will also provide free outdoor fitness equipment and water taps.
In order to be inclusive, special consideration should be given to low-income households that might not be able to afford sports contribution. The sports clubs in the Sybil Craig Quarter are required to register with the Active Maribyrnong Grants Program. This program gives children the opportunity to join a club at very low costs. Besides, women should be encouraged to get physically active. One in two girls in Victoria stops doing sport at the age of 15, compared to 30% of the boys. Partnerships with VicHealth and the City of Maribyrnong are important, as they have campaigns targeting women to get involved in sports, such as the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign (VicHealth, 2020).
Figure 6.11 Bargoonga Nganjin North Fitzroy Library
STRATEGY 2.4 // Lifelong Learning //
Action 2.4.1 // STEM-school //
A key component of post-covid economic recovery is the up-skilling and training of existing and prospective employees. An important part of the job market which has been identified as a gap in the Australian education sector is the provision of STEM learning (Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematic). The number of students studying STEM has flatlined at 10% or less in most secondary schools, and around 40% of Australia’s year 7 to 10 mathematics classes are taught without a qualified maths teacher. In contrast, its predicted that jobs requiring skills in STEM will more than double in the next few years (Department of Education, 2020). The education precinct within the Sybil Craig aims to close this gap and better equip the next generation of workers.
Action 2.4.2 // Community hub with library //
Community centres play an important role in bringing people from around the neighbourhood together. At the same time, it recognises and celebrates culture and local identity. Spaces like flexible art studios and amphitheatres encourage social interactions and creative activities. The Sybil Craig Quarter will have 3 community centres; one utilising the existing centre on the southeast side, one in the central park (building 3, figure 6.10), and small satellite centre in the north. The central community centre will be a multi-storey sustainable structure inspired by the Bunjil Place in Narre Warren where different uses have been brought together in one large community hub. The other 2 centres will be comparatively smaller in size and mainly consist of interactive spaces for public gatherings.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the system of education and employment, whilst at the same time raising questions about the current planning system. Online access to resources and facilities has been more important than ever. One function of the main community centre in the central park on the site will be a library. Besides the facility itself, it will offer an extensive digital platform for distance-learning and access to books and programs. The library itself provides plenty of study/work spaces with free access to internet. In terms of design, it is inspired by the sustainable design of Bargoonga Nganjin Library (figure 6.11), using eco-friendly construction materials and methods. The library would comprise of open, semi-open and indoor space. It will be within 400 metre radius of the activity centre, the residential zone, education and employment hub.
Key Quote //
"Lifelong learning is defined as the provision or use of both formal and informal learning opportunities throughout people’s lives to foster the continuous development and improvement of the knowledge and skills needs for employment and personal fulfillment (Balsley, 2017).
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Figure 6.12 Community Infrastructure Master Plan
20-Minute Accessibility Map //
Plan Melbourne's 20-Minute Neighbourhood concept defines 20 minutes as an 800 metre one way trip (DEWLP, 2020). We have applied this definition when siting our community infrastructure.
Map A) shows how our three strategically placed Community Centres provide complete coverage of the Quarter. The Community Centres to the north and east, due to their position close to the edge the site, will be particularly useful as catalysts for mingalling between residents in the Quarter with those who live neighbouring the Quarter.
Map B) shows how our main Neighbourhood Activity Centre (NAC) is within easy walk distance. Whilst the north area does have tram access to the main NAC and small strip of shops is proposed to meet daily needs particularly food and medicine. The south eastern corner lacks coverage however, it is extremely close to the Highpoint Activity Centre and has tram access into the Quarters NAC.
Map C) shows how our site education clusters provide complete coverage of the Quarter. The new cycling and pedestrian bridges we have proposed to cross the Maribyrnong River will mean many of the schools are easily accessible from the existing residential land which surrounds the site. The movement of children into the Quarter for their education will help stitch the Quarter into the social fabric which exists around out site.
Map D) shows that our site is highly accessible for a range of green spaces. Comparison between map C and D shows that most green spaces are located adjacent to an education precinct. Schools will be able to benefit from the green space given theirs will be limited due to their vertical nature.
