Contested urban streets: Place, traffic and governance conflicts of potential activity corridors

Abstract

Activity Corridors have emerged as one redevelopment form for accommodating growth within dispersed, car-centric cities. This has seen a new interest in the form and function of urban arterial roads. Efforts to increase development intensity in established suburbia, however, are often highly contentious among local stakeholders. It is unclear whether the offer of improved public transportation infrastructure - a central component of the Activity Corridor concept - influences residents' support for taller or denser built form. This dynamic was explored using a case study along an urban arterial road in Perth, Western Australia. A household survey identified residents' attitudes to increasing development intensity in exchange for varying public transport provision scenarios. The results informed interpretive interviews with planning practitioners. Residents were more supportive of increasing development intensity if public transport was improved. Planners questioned whether recent land use and transport planning approaches adequately reflected community expectations for local “amenity”, and noted several key governance constraints to developing urban Activity Corridors.