Melbourne then and now

[Petals]

http://theage.domain.com.au/design-and-living/building-pride-in-our-city-20130725-2qk68.html Interesting article in the Age today.

 

I am not sure that everyone of us wants to live in a high rise apartment and the people who are saying that is the way to live, well I can be sure they are not living in a box high in the sky, they will be living on their quarter acre block in Kew Hawthorn, Camberwell or Toorak or in a very large apartment in a swish building. Amazing how they always think others should do it.

[starlight7]

Its getting more and more like Shanhai or Beijing. They used to be called slums and at one stage they said no more high rise would be built. Personally I think they are totally hideous- and not cheap, either.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

They are running out of land though so I suppose have to build up. Look how much the metro area has grown. Lyndhurst was all fields when we first moved over, now they are building out at Pakenham and past there

[ItchyFeet76]

They are running out of land though so I suppose have to build up

 

This is probably going to sound stupid and I don't know the area that well, having only spent a few months there back in 2004, but looking at an aerial view of Melbourne (on Google Maps) there is HEAPS of space around it - how can they possibly run out of land?! Inbetween Caroline Springs and Williams Landing there's a mass of green with nothing built on; Wollert and Mickleham seem to have nothing but space, and from the airport going west to Taylors Lakes is MORE space.

 

Apologies if I'm missing something obvious here, but they can always build in the suburbs, can't they? Yes the commute would be longer, but the prices would be lower and people would be less cramped.

 

I-F

[Petals]

This is probably going to sound stupid and I don't know the area that well, having only spent a few months there back in 2004, but looking at an aerial view of Melbourne (on Google Maps) there is HEAPS of space around it - how can they possibly run out of land?! Inbetween Caroline Springs and Williams Landing there's a mass of green with nothing built on; Wollert and Mickleham seem to have nothing but space, and from the airport going west to Taylors Lakes is MORE space.

 

Apologies if I'm missing something obvious here, but they can always build in the suburbs, can't they? Yes the commute would be longer, but the prices would be lower and people would be less cramped.

 

I-F

 

The reason we are running out of land is that the land which is green and vacant is zoned farming or rural use. Therefore its not allowed to be developed. A lot is crown land as well. So the government has to decide to rezone land or release crown land before more subdivisional land becomes available for development.

 

Due to our infrastructure woes recent governments have tended to be tight fisted with land preferring to have inner areas cut up into postage stamps and developed into high rise developments. In their wisdom they see that this is a better use of land and infrastructure. Too bad when waiting for a tram and five go past when you have to get to work, but they are so crowded more people cannot get on. The train lines are bursting at the seams, the roads are grid lock.

 

We have an extra million people who have chosen Melbourne as their home in the past just over ten to fifteen years and I have not noticed one new tram line or one new rail line. So how they think we are going to cope all living in the ten square kilometres of Melbourne who knows.

 

Of course politicians tend to live on a quarter acre block in a nice renovated, federation/victorian home in a suburb in their electorate or just near and of course development of high rise will not affect them.

 

Lets face it most young families want a garden to have a kick around of the footy, its the Aussie dream and always has been.

 

Sad that paper pushers seem to think they know how we want to live, shoulder to shoulder, I don't think so.

[Melb3000]

Melbourne's urban sprawl is amongst the most extensive and poorly planned of any city in the western world. There are hardly any rail lines or public transport in many of these suburbs. It is full on LA style out there, McMansions and all. If you don't have a car or are much of a driver then you are in big trouble living in Melbourne outer suburbs. Even pedestrians are left out in the cold for the most part.

 

To develop the city and inner areas more extensively is a better way to go than to keep eating up agricultural and environmentally significant land and turning it into a human zoo. You only need to look at the Caroline Springs/Melton/Werribee triangle to see an example of what I am talking about.

 

I will concede though, one thing I am passionate about which is generally at odds with inner urban development, is the protection of built heritage. Most of Melbourne's grand buildings from the Victorian era were recklessly destroyed in the 1950s-1970s to make way for modern skyscraper and high rise development as well as car parks etc. Luckily there are still some of these grand buildings left and they need to be preserved, as well as the Victorian era terraces and Edwardian/Federation housing.

 

A balance needs to be struck.

[Petals]

Melbourne's urban sprawl is amongst the most extensive and poorly planned of any city in the western world. There are hardly any rail lines or public transport in many of these suburbs. It is full on LA style out there, McMansions and all. If you don't have a car or are much of a driver then you are in big trouble living in Melbourne outer suburbs. Even pedestrians are left out in the cold for the most part.

 

To develop the city and inner areas more extensively is a better way to go than to keep eating up agricultural and environmentally significant land and turning it into a human zoo. You only need to look at the Caroline Springs/Melton/Werribee triangle to see an example of what I am talking about.

 

I will concede though, one thing I am passionate about which is generally at odds with inner urban development, is the protection of built heritage. Most of Melbourne's grand buildings from the Victorian era were recklessly destroyed in the 1950s-1970s to make way for modern skyscraper and high rise development as well as car parks etc. Luckily there are still some of these grand buildings left and they need to be preserved, as well as the Victorian era terraces and Edwardian/Federation housing.

 

A balance needs to be struck.

 

I don't believe that high density housing goes hand in hand with heritage, you either have heritage and medium density or new and high density. To have new in the inner areas requires going up and up and then we have overshadowing, wind tunnels and more demand on the public transport system. I think people should be able to have their house and land if that is what they want and where I live we have plenty of transport and good infrastructure. We also have restrictions on building and green wedge areas so we retain the amenity. The problem with high density in the city is that the city loses its identity, people move in and complain about the noise, the after hours venues etc and demand they go and this is happening all over Melbourne. So these people would be better out in the sticks where they can have their early to bed lives with solace and quiet.

 

I was listening to talk back and they were talking about neighbour disputes and these are on the rise in inner Melbourne and they put it down to the density of dwellings these days and the fact that its not in our psyche to live that densely in Aus. Our citizens of Asian heritage are more used to it so hence there are more of these citizens making the inner city developments their homes. Aussies want their quarter acre bottom line. Maybe not when they are young but when the children come that is what they want.

[Nikey]

Sorry, first time on here and trying to figure out how to post a msg!!

 

http://theage.domain.com.au/design-and-living/building-pride-in-our-city-20130725-2qk68.html Interesting article in the Age today.

 

I am not sure that everyone of us wants to live in a high rise apartment and the people who are saying that is the way to live, well I can be sure they are not living in a box high in the sky, they will be living on their quarter acre block in Kew Hawthorn, Camberwell or Toorak or in a very large apartment in a swish building. Amazing how they always think others should do it.