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SITE ANALYSIS
COMMUNITY PROFILE
Age and Gender Distribution
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47.5%
52.5%
Figure 2.01: Age and gender distribution within the precinct (data: profile.id, 2020a).
Median Age
Require Assistance with Core Activities
English Spoken at Home
Precinct: 71.9% Greater Melbourne: 62%
(ABS, 2016a; ABS, 2016b)
Born Overseas
Precinct: 40.2% Greater Melbourne: 33.8%
(ABS, 2016a; ABS, 2016b)
Overseas Population: Location of Birth
Figure 2.02: Distribution of the overseas population in the precinct (data: ABS, 2016b) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
Currently Undertaking University Study
Precinct: 11.9% Greater Melbourne: 6.4%
(ABS, 2016a; ABS, 2016b)
Obtained Bachelor Degree or Higher
Average Household Size
Median Weekly Household Income
Precinct: $1,385 Greater Melbourne: $1,542
(ABS, 2016a; ABS, 2016b)
Methods of Travel to Work
Figure 2.03: Methods of travel to work in the precinct and comparison areas (data: ABS, 2016a; ABS, 2016b) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
Precinct Travel to Work Method Change Since 2011
Train: +5.9% Walking: +0.2% Car: -2.0% Bike: -0.6%
(Profile.id, 2020a)
South Yarra is a young working-age diverse community that is well-educated. A low average household size means many locals are living alone, earning a fair level of weekly household income. While the community is seeing increases in using more sustainable methods of transport, travelling to work by car is still the most favoured option.
TRANSPORT
The South Yarra precinct has a well connected transportation system with many alternative options for transportation. 37.1% of residents travel by public transportation to work as trains, trams, and bus routes are available allowing easy travel within and outside of the precinct (ABS, 2016b).
However, roads surrounding and dividing the precinct area are zones of heavy usage for many Victorians, with both Punt and Toorak Roads recently being announced amongst the most congested roads in Melbourne, coming in at numbers three and five respectively (Saunokonoko
Road Distribution
and Blancato, 2020). Roads such as Chapel Street share space with trams and cycling lanes alongside its already popular activity centres, causing additional problems.
Figure 2.04: Distribution of road types (data: OSM, 2020) .
Metro Tunnel
Map 2.01: Transport connections in the precinct (data: PTV, 2020) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
South Yarra is a major link in the Metro Tunnel project and as a result, the area that was formerly the South Yarra Siding Reserve is currently a construction site as in Image 2.01. The site will provide an entrance for the tunnel for the rail to pass through the precinct, with no current plans for the rail to connect with the existing South Yarra Station. While the construction has been disruptive to some residents, it has also presented opportunities for local businesses, with many workers on site shopping locally (Metro Tunnel, 2020).
Image 2.01: Current works ongoing at the Sliding Reserve near to prepare for the Metro Tunnel Train Project (Metro Tunnel, 2020).
GENERAL ROAD SAFETY
Heavy activity, traffic and car usage combined with the precinct’s variety of transport options inevitably makes it a location filled with crashes and road accidents. Map 2.02 on the left represents this road usage alongside accident hotspots within the precinct. The modes of transport typically involved and the general severity of the incidents within the hotspot zone are also included.
A total of 429 incidents were recorded between mid-2014
and early-2019 within the precinct; around 75% of these incidents only caused minor injury (VicRoads, 2020). As seen below in Figure 2.05, these numbers are relatively similar to Melbourne’s over the same time period.
Road Incident Severity (2014-2019)
Precinct
Melbourne
Map 2.02: Road and traffic incidents within the precinct (data: Google, 2020b; VicRoads, 2020) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020). Figure 2.05: The distribution of road incident severity in South Yarra and Melbourne (data: VicRoads, 2020).
CYCLING SAFETY
The precinct does not provide many dedicated cycling lanes, with the Main Yarra Trail running alongside Alexandra Ave (see Image 2.09) being one of the few safe dedicated cycling paths. This has lead to many issues with safety for cyclists. Melbourne’s bike lane design guidelines recommend physically separated kerbside cycling lanes (see Image 2.02) on roads with speeds greater than 25km per hour, which is not in effect in the precinct - rather, the least desirable ‘simple bike lane’ design (see Image 2.03) is present along roads, subsequently resulting in road incidents (City of Melbourne, 2019).
A staggering 70 incidents along Chapel Street within five years involved at least one cyclist, with the overall percentage far higher than the average for Victoria (see Figure 2.06). Many cyclists have expressed their concerns with Chapel Street, stating that factors such as car turning lanes, potholes and poorly parked cars make the road extremely unsafe to cycle along (CrowdSpot, 2016). Improving bicycle movement was also identified by the local community as important (City of Stonnington, 2015).
Percentage of Road Incidents Involving at least one Cyclist
Image 2.02: A separated kerbside cycling lane in Melbourne (City of Melbourne, 2019).
Image 2.03: A simple cycling lane on Chapel Street, with no protection from traffic (Google, 2020a).
Figure 2.06: A graph showing incidents involving cyclists between 2014-2019 (data: VicRoads, 2020) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
Identified as the 5th most dangerous suburb for cycling in Melbourne (Booker, 2020) Image 2.04: Punt Rd & Toorak Rd intersection, one of the most dangerous intersections for cyclists.
LAND USE
As seen in Map 2.03, the precinct has a good mix of land uses with residential use being the majority. Commercial land use is concentrated along Chapel Street and Toorak Road, with higher density mixed use buildings such as hotels and department stores located along the north end of Chapel Street.
Major green spaces within the precinct include Como Park, located in the north-east. Smaller parks are also found around the residential areas, located
away from main roads and public transportation routes. Beyond the precinct, larger parks are also in close distance, with the Royal Botanical Gardens and Fawkner Park to the west of the precinct, perhaps providing enough to justify the lack of green space within the precinct itself.
Transportation is well-integrated with land uses in the precinct, as residents have access to a variety of public transportation choices. Tram lines are
Map 2.03: Land use and transportation within the precinct (data: Vic DELWP, 2020b) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
located along the busy commercial roads while two train stations are also available within the precinct, connecting to the local businesses and night life scene. With high access to public transportation, car ownership is lower than Greater Melbourne by 18.6% (ABS, 2016a; ABS, 2016b).
HOUSING
South Yarra has a high percentage of high-density housing and a much lower percentage of low-density housing, contrasting to Greater Melbourne (see Figures 2.07 and 2.08). Dwellings with two bedrooms are the most common in the
precinct, with 42% of households containing only one person (ABS, 2016b). These small dwellings offer lower rent, attracting a high number of young people such as University students, young professionals, and couples.
Other 0.1%
Separate house 7.1%
SOUTH YARRA
Semi-detached/Terrace/ Townhouse 14.4%
Flat/apartment 78.4%
GREATER MELBOURNE
Semi-detached/Terrace/Town house14.3%
Flat/Apartment 11.7%
Other 0.5%
Separate house 73.5%
Figure 2.07: Types of housing in South Yarra (data: ABS, 2016b) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020). Figure 2.08: Types of housing in Melbourne (data: ABS, 2016a) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
South Yarra and Greater Melbourne Median Rent
$800
Rent is relatively expensive in South Yarra compared to Greater Melbourne, with the median house rent at $750 and unit rent at $460, compared to Melbourne with a median rent of $430 (as seen in Figure 2.09). The high housing rent may be due to the precinct’s optimal location as it is in close distance with the CBD and is well-connected.
To accommodate population growth, housing is projected to grow by 352 dwellings per year on average (profile.id, 2020b). The increasing demand for housing may impact affordability as rent continues to rise; though new developments of diverse housing may allow more people to move into the suburb.
Rent Median $600
$400
$200
Unit Hous e
$0
2006
South Yarra 2011
Victoria Year 2016 2020
Figure 2.09: Median rent in South Yarra in comparison to Greater Melbourne (data: ABS (2006b, 2011b, 2016b), Vic DHHS, 2020) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
HERITAGE
South Yarra is rich in heritage with buildings and Victorian terraces dating back to the 1850s. Protecting these heritage sites is important in maintaining the unique character the suburb has.
Image 2.05: Melbourne High School.
Map 2.04: Map of heritage overlay and heritage sites in the precinct (data: Vic DELWP, 2020a) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020). Image 2.06: Jam Factory interior.
Image 2.07: South Yarra Station.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The Yarra River
The Yarra River is arguably Victoria’s most iconic waterway and is crucial to Melbourne’s identity (Parks Victoria, 2020). Its 242km stretch, seen along the northern end of the precinct, has changed a lot in recent history, as have the methods of interaction with it by the residents of the area (Parks Victoria, 2020). Concerns have been raised about the health of the Yarra River since the 1880s as
a result of illegal waste dumping - today, the water is so toxic it is illegal to swim in the river in the inner city (Parks Victoria, 2020). Despite this, it still provides exquisite natural beauty and rich biodiversity, adding significant value to the precinct area.
Over a four year period 1.29 million cigarette butts were (Dunstan, 2019) collected from the river (Dunstan, 2019) Nearly 180 tonnes of rubbish were collected over four years from the river
Image 2.08: The Yarra River from the Main Yarra Trail, located alongside Alexandra Avenue.
Bird Fauna in South Yarra
Common Blackbird
Trees in South Yarra
520 different tree species in the City of Stonnington Most common tree species include: Native, Exotic, Deciduous and Evergreen
Image 2.09: Diverse vegetation along the Main Yarra Trail.
Image 2.10: The Common Blackbird is prevalent in the area (Animalia, 2020).
Flora in South Yarra
Rytidosperma Fulvum (Wallaby grass)
Image 2.11: Wallaby grass, common in the precinct (Royal Botanic Gardens, 2020).
Tree Conditions
41% Full-grown trees
18% Young trees
94% of trees are maintaining good health
Image 2.12: Trees along Alexandra Ave. (City of Stonnington, 2017a)
COMMERCIAL ROADS
Commercial streets and roads within and surrounding the precinct are full of high activity, with features such as the Chapel Street Precinct and its nightlife or the Prahran Market providing shopping hotspots. They also commonly have multiple transport options, which can make the roads unsafe, particularly for cyclists. Figure 2.10 below provides an analysis on three major roads in the area. This was conducted by virtually walking these streets using Google’s ‘Street View’ function while taking note of each quality, and analysing user safety data reported via CrowdSpot.
Location
Description
Chapel Street
Activity Usage and popularity Traffic
Car usage, time stationary Safety Lighting, dangerous activity Cleanliness
Rubbish, graffiti Street Frontage property outlooks street Road
Road conditions Footpaths
Path conditions Amenities
Bins, benches, water, toilets
Toorak Road
Malvern/Commercial Road Figure 2.10: An analysis of various qualities amongst the precinct’s major commercial streets/roads (data: Google, 2020a; Crowdspot, 2016). Data Sources: Crowdspot (2016a), Google Maps (2020), Google Street View (2020) Google Traffic (2020).
Balance
Usage of all transport modes
Opportunity Room for growth, improvements
While these streets have high popularity and good store frontage shopping for pedestrians, there are insufficient amenities to service the population. The entire precinct only has 11 public toilets, hardly enough to service the high activity of the area, particularly at night (Australian Government, 2020). Other issues include poor cleanliness
and road/footpath conditions (see Images 2.13 and 2.14).
Figure 2.11: A section of Chapel St x Commercial/Malvern Rd, a busy intersection with high activity (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020). Image 2.13: Poor footpath and road conditions along the northern end of Chapel Street, impacting the cycling lane (Google, 2020a).
Image 2.14: Graffiti and empty beer bottles along Commercial Road Officeworks (Google, 2020a).
RESIDENTIAL STREETS & LANEWAYS
South Yarra has a high amount of residential area. Generally speaking, the most common features amongst residential streets is their poor lighting and affordability, while overall positives include natural environment, connectivity and population diversity. The quality of footpaths and roads are neglected in some instances (Image 2.18). An exquisite quality seen in several residential streets within the precinct is full tree-coverage running throughout the majority of the street, providing users with great natural scenery (Image 2.15). Though, this raises questions of safety, blocking out lighting and street surveillance.
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3
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Image 2.15: Davis Avenue, with lush green coverage (Google, 2020a). Image 2.16: Wilson Street, lined with trees and parked cars (Google, 2020a). Image 2.17: Avoca Street, with a steep change in topography (Google, 2020a). Image 2.18: A bumpy gravel footpath along Como Avenue (Google, 2020a). Figure 2.12: Residential street locations.
There are many laneways throughout the precinct. The majority of these are nameless, dead-end, bumpy paths providing little walkability, serving solely as an entrance to residential garages. Generally, lanes are relatively well-lit compared to the precinct’s other streets, with Inglis Way and Northampton Place also providing a good natural environment (see Images 2.19 and 2.21). However, their walkability is still poor, heavily prioritising vehicles and providing limited attractiveness for its current and potential users; though this is not their primary use.
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3
4
Image 2.19: Inglis Way, a nice, welcoming laneway in the precinct (Google, 2020a). Image 2.20: Snowball Lane, an unattractive service lane for cars (Google, 2020a). Image 2.21: Northampton Place, a rather nice shared space (Google, 2020a). Image 2.22: A nameless bluestone and asphalt lane off Alexandra St (Google, 2020a). Figure 2.13: Laneway locations.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The precinct has a variety of facilities in place to engage its community. Several European churches are present in the southern end of the precinct despite a religious decline of over 10% between 2011-2016, while educational facilities are located in the north-east (ABS, 2016b). Prahran Market, Melbourne’s highest ranked food market, acts as a local hub for fresh food and has continually served the precinct throughout COVID-19 (Prahran Market, 2020). The library located on Toorak Road has recently been refurbished, offering a clean and quiet environment to its users (Inspirock, 2020). However, given the percentage of
university students and young adult population living alone, there could be more public spaces such as libraries to provide a space for them to connect and feel like a part of the local community.
Additionally, the public transport network provides good accessibility to these churches, markets and educational facilities in the precinct. They also provide access along Malvern Road to the South Yarra Public Housing tenants.
Map 2.05: Community facilities and their public transport accessibility within the precinct (data: Google, 2020a) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020). During Stage 4 lockdown, local online communities have become increasingly important. In South Yarra this has taken the form of Stonnington Library Webinars, the Good Karma Network, and several online sermons run by churches in the area.
Image 2.23: A free bike maintenance webinar, one of many events (Eventbrite, 2020).
POPULATION FORECASTS
South Yarra Population Forecasts
As seen on the right in Figure 2.15, Stonnington’s population growth is fairly slow and steady, while Melbourne grows rapidly at a net increase of almost 4% each year. Stonnington’s slow growth is likely due to the expectation that housing affordability issues will continue to result in potential residents opting to live in surrounding areas, including the CBD (Forecast.id, 2020a). In 2016, the world population was recorded as 7.426 billion (Population Reference Bureau, 2016). By 2036, this is estimated to rise 18.6% to 8.952 billion (United Nations, 2019). It is clear that population growth is
Figure 2.14: The precinct’s population forecasts (data: Forecast.id, 2020b) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
expected almost everywhere in the world - the precinct is no exception. South Yarra is predicted to grow by 10,722 people between 2016 and 2036 at a rate of 1.95% per year, the highest rate within the City of Stonnington (see Figure 2.14). This may be a result of the precinct’s close proximity to the CBD (the closest within Stonnington), along with the high rental stock provided in the area (Forecast.id, 2020a).
Stonnington and Melbourne Population Forecasts
Figure 2.15: Forecasted populations for Stonnington and Melbourne (data: Forecast.id, 2020b) (Group 4 Site Analysis, 2020).
COVID-19 IMPACTS
– Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews on COVID-19
Job Changes in City of Stonnington: June Quarter, 2020 (Compared with 18/19 quarterly average)
Figure 2.16: Job losses between employed residents and local jobs within the City of Stonnington (data: Economy.id, 2020). COVID-19, or coronavirus, has turned the lifestyle of Victorians around since early March. The Victorian economy has felt the virus’ force, with the June 2020 quarter recording a GRP loss of 12.8%, with Stonnington sitting at an even higher decrease of 15.5% (Economy.id, 2020). Coronavirus case numbers and the consequent lengthy restrictions have led to many job losses within the local government area (refer to Figure 2.16).
During the peak of the outbreak between July and September, Chapel Street businesses struggled, with many forced to permanently close as a result (Booker & Eddie, 2020). The Chapel Street Precinct Association reached out to locals for support with a simple two word slogan: ‘Support Local’ (Chapel Street Precinct Association, 2020b).
