Amid Australia's housing crisis, land-supply slogans are once again dominating discussions about the solutions. Governments and private developers often blame housing crises on lack of land for new housing. Their solution? Rezone farmland for housing on the suburban fringe.

These suburbs all provide stark reminders to governments of the problems associated with the suburban sprawl they have encouraged.

But these policies get sidelined when governments promote suburban sprawl and build more freeways.

Given the pro-sprawl political advocacy, the prospects of Adelaide’s largest ever greenfield development being good for children are rather poor, despite some encouraging steps by the government to ensure the new suburbs get adequate infrastructure.

If governments are serious about the needs of families with children, they could start by acknowledging children’s needs and rights to be able to get to their daily destinations without a car.

  • smegger
    4·
    10 months ago

    Sounds about right. I live in the suburbs and there’s little to no public transport available within walking distance. Would never survive without a car.

    But people keep fighting higher density housing coz they don’t want their property values impacted

  • ZagorathEnglish
    4·
    10 months ago

    Having a backyard doesn’t meet all children’s needs

    What does a truly child-friendly neighborhood look like? It allows for safe and convenient active travel—walking, cycling and “wheeling” (using mobility devices)—as well as public transport, to conduct daily activities. Child-friendliness is embedded in the everyday places, in streets, parks, square and public transport.

    But all too often children’s play opportunities are reduced to the tiny backyards that are now common in fringe suburbs. These suburban restrictions are at odds with globally recognized principles of child-friendliness. Backyards alone cannot make up for the lack of access to child care, schools, shops, recreation and health services.

    So much this. As Jason Slaughter from the YouTube channel Not Just Bikes said,

    Suburbia may be a good place to shelter toddlers, but as soon as a child is more than about 6 years old, being trapped in a McMansion on the edge of town seriously inhibits their growth and independence…They’re unlikely to be able to walk to school, or anywhere else for that matter.

    This is just yet another reason why medium density developments are so much better than the ever expanding suburban sprawl, and why all the FUD about “packed like sardines” is an inaccurate way to characterise things. They’re actually a nicer place to live.

    • Treevan 🇦🇺OPEnglish
      3·
      10 months ago

      Concentrating people and then integrating and expanding wild areas is the only way to do it. You get all the ecosystem services as well as population density.

      I posted an article a ways back that suggested a vegetation corridor needed to be at least 450m wide on average. Never going to happen when we sprawl.