Liveable Neighbourhoods Research Articles

A Spatial-Indexing Model for Measuring Neighbourhood-Level Land-Use and Transport Integration

Significant attention has been given in urban policy literature to the integration of land-use and transport planning and policies—with a view to curbing sprawling urban form and diminishing externalities associated with car-dependent travel patterns. By taking land-use and transport interaction into account, this debate mainly focuses on how a successful integration can contribute to societal well-being, providing efficient and balanced economic growth while accomplishing the goal of developing sustainable urban environments and communities. The integration is also a focal theme of contemporary urban development models, such as smart growth, liveable neighbourhoods, and new urbanism. Even though available planning policy options for ameliorating urban form and transport-related externalities have matured—owing to growing research and practice worldwide—there remains a lack of suitable evaluation models to reflect on the current status of urban form and travel problems or on the success of implemented integration policies. In this study we explore the applicability of indicator-based spatial indexing to assess land-use and transport integration at the neighbourhood level. For this, a spatial index is developed by a number of indicators compiled from international studies and trialled in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The results of this modelling study reveal that it is possible to propose an effective metric to determine the success level of city plans considering their sustainability performance via composite indicator methodology. The model proved useful in demarcating areas where planning intervention is applicable, and in identifying the most suitable locations for future urban development and plan amendments. Lastly, we integrate variance-based sensitivity analysis with the spatial indexing method, and discuss the applicability of the model in other urban contexts.

Evaluating the Implementation and Active Living Impacts of a State Government Planning Policy Designed to Create Walkable Neighborhoods in Perth, Western Australia

Evaluate the implementation of a government planning policy (Liveable Neighbourhoods Guidelines) and its impacts on residents' walking behaviors. Cross-sectional study of participants from the RESIDential Environments project (RESIDE). Nineteen "liveable" and 17 "conventionally designed" housing developments across Perth, Western Australia. Five hundred ninety-four participants from RESIDE who resided in 36 housing developments. Developed in geographic information systems to assess the on-ground implementation of 43 policy requirements. Policy compliance was defined as the degree to which construction of the developments adhered to the standards outlined. Walking behaviors were measured using the Neighborhood Physical Activity Questionnaire. K-means cluster analyses identified groups of homogeneous developments with respect to policy implementation. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations estimated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the likelihood of undertaking any and ≥ 60 minutes of transport and recreational walking associated with (1) policy compliance and (2) different clusters of developments. There were few significant differences in on-ground outcomes between the two development types. Despite incomplete implementation, the odds of walking for transport increased with overall levels of policy compliance (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.13-2.08) and compliance with the community design (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.13-1.42), movement network (OR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.38-4.50), and lot layout elements (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.06-1.50). Consistent with the aims of the policy, residents in walkable (i.e., liveable) neighborhoods may be more physically active.

A new urban planning code's impact on walking: the residential environments project.

We examined whether people moving into a housing development designed according to a state government livable neighborhoods subdivision code engage in more walking than do people who move to other types of developments. In a natural experiment of 1813 people building homes in 73 new housing developments in Perth, Western Australia, we surveyed participants before and then 12 and 36 months after moving. We measured self-reported walking using the Neighborhood Physical Activity Questionnaire and collected perceptions of the environment and self-selection factors. We calculated objective measures of the built environment using a Geographic Information System. After relocation, participants in livable versus conventional developments had greater street connectivity, residential density, land use mix, and access to destinations and more positive perceptions of their neighborhood (all P < .05). However, there were no significant differences in walking over time by type of development (P > .05). Implementation of the Livable Neighborhoods Guidelines produced more supportive environments; however, the level of intervention was insufficient to encourage more walking. Evaluations of new urban planning policies need to incorporate longer term follow-up to allow time for new neighborhoods to develop.

Protecting Public Places

The authors introduce reports within the issue on public health policies that improve public places, including an article by Christian and team on a livable neighborhood program, a report on school recess by Chin and Ludwig, and an article by Perron and team on a bridge suicide prevention barrier.

Disparities in residential environment and satisfaction among urban residents in Dalian, China

Rapid socio-economic development in China has increased social inequalities in various areas. So far, there has been considerable literature which studied objective residential disparities, but little research has investigated the differences in residents' satisfaction. Using large-scale 2006 residential survey data from Dalian, this paper examines the degree of disparities from three aspects: residential location, housing characteristics, as well as residential satisfaction. Results suggest that significant income-based disparities in residential environment do exist in Dalian. An investigation of the most vulnerable group yielded results consistent with existing knowledge of inequalities. It is shown that a higher ratio of low-income residents live in less livable neighborhoods and smaller housing space, while having a lower rate of homeownership and satisfaction than other groups. Further, the paper examines how housing reform in China influences residential disparities. Results indicate that low-income residents are faced with housing affordability problems under the market system as they have a lower ratio of owning commodity housing. However, the housing market provides them the much needed housing supply and choices, and is thus likely to increase their likelihood of satisfaction. For the high-income group, although their housing space increases greatly through the housing market, it may not outweigh the various locational and pricing advantages often associated with the past work unit housing. It is found that owning commodity housing has a lower probability of residential satisfaction for them. As home ownership does not necessarily improve the residential satisfaction level for low-income residents, it is suggested that adequate provisions of low-rent housing together with strict implementation of income criteria to be eligible for applying subsidized housing might be helpful to reduce residential disparities.

Aging of suburban population and issues of related to the creation of livable neighborhoods

Aging of suburban population and issues of related to the creation of livable neighborhoods

Unity in Environmental Design and Livable Neighborhood

The over resemblance of architectural features often creates a built-environment with monotonous and placelessness. This research attempts to examine the perception of both architects and non-architect persons on their perceptions over design element configurations. A set of simulated photographic stimuli embedded with relevant variables are utilized to persuade answers between two groups of respondents on their perceived unity in the neighborhood. The research suggested that, in order to create a united appearance, architect must pay close attention to wall color consistency and uniformity of roof and pavement color which could help create environmental harmony without boring side effects.

Enacting an Equitable Agenda: Exploring Community Strategies in Milwaukee's Inner-City Redevelopment1

Due to the increasing importance of alternative visions and practices for redevelopment and difficulties with enacting these agendas, scholars call for more examination of progressive practices in the current constraining economic and political environment. By focusing on a major redevelopment initiative in Milwaukee's inner city, I explore how a coalition of local groups managed to represent the interests of disadvantaged residents in this project. I show how Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods (GJLN) successfully responded to multifaceted challenges to fostering organizing capacity and community engagement in the redevelopment of the 30th Street Industrial Corridor by forging extra- and intra-local multisector alliances, manipulating spaces for public participation, and positioning its efforts at both the project- and city-wide scales. I argue that this politics of scale eventually fostered an altered space of mutually beneficial engagement between social action groups and local government agencies that allowed GJLN to advance its equitable agenda in the Corridor.

Is practice aligned with the principles? Implementing New Urbanism in Perth, Western Australia

New Urbanism is a recent American reform approach to urban development, which attempts to reduce car dependence through traditional design qualities such as connected streets with paths, higher density and mix with local centres. The Western Australian State Government has developed ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’, which is a context-specific design code based on new Urbanist principles. This design code has been applied in the development of several dozen new neighbourhoods in Perth over the last decade. This paper shows that these developments do create more local walking but are no different to conventional suburban development in their regional car dependence. The causes of this are pursued in terms of a gap between principles and practice.

Can the impact on health of a government policy designed to create more liveable neighbourhoods be evaluated? An overview of the RESIDential Environment Project

There is growing interest in the impact of community design on the health of residents. In 1998, the Western Australian Government began a trial of new subdivision design codes (i.e. Liveable Neighbourhoods Community Design Code) aimed at creating pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods to increase walking, cycling and public transport use. The trial provided a unique opportunity for a natural experiment to evaluate the impact of a government planning policy on residents. Nevertheless, evaluations of this kind present a number of methodological challenges in obtaining the highest quality evidence possible. This paper describes the RESIDential Environment Project's study design and discusses how various methodological challenges were overcome.

Municipally Operated Charter Schools

Many cities throughout the United States are experiencing rapid population growth and an increased demand for public services delivered in safe, livable neighborhoods. Some of those cities have recognized the need to offer an improved urban school system for their residents and have begun to embrace the charter school movement through the use of innovative local partnerships. There is a nexus between these educational strategies and the principles of community education. Advocates of community education emphasize the importance of community agencies and local residents becoming active partners in community concerns, including the school system. Schools are viewed as localized and community based. This study was undertaken in an attempt to identify the number and location of municipally operated charter schools in the United States, examine the potential nexus with municipal economic development strategies, and measure the schools against community education principles.

Engineering, Urbanism and the Struggle for Street Design

The making and upkeep of streets is a central task of urban design. In a critical review of the relation between urban design and highway engineering, the paper distinguishes two paradigms: on one side, the hierarchical model, pervasive and institutionally entrenched through design standards and traffic management; on the other, an alternative non-hierarchical paradigm which has developed piecemeal and experimentally on the back of policies for social exclusion, city centre regeneration, liveable neighbourhoods and neo-traditional urbanism. The paper discusses the tension between the two frameworks and highlights the health, safety and environmental arguments for reinventing the mixed-use urban street.

Design-led sustainable development: The Liveable Neighbourhoods experiment in Perth, Western Australia

The Western Australian Liveable Neighbourhoods Design Code is an ambitious and internally acclaimed initiative to introduce sustainable neighbourhood design principles into the design of new suburban subdivisions. This paper explores the issues surrounding its implementation over the period 1998–2002, examining the debates and further research undertaken on each of the design principles. A broad assessment is made of its significant impact on suburban design in the Perth Metropolitan Region, and note is taken of its arguably greater impacts on redevelopment and revitalisation projects in existing urban areas. The key barriers to its wider adoption have been both procedural (slowness in processing applications and deficiencies in the skills of development controllers and engineers) and substantive (issues of appropriate densities, lot sizes, retail and service provisions, culs-de-sac and biodiversity). The paper illustrates how debates about each of these issues have met developer resistance, which has dogged the implementation of the Code. More positively, however, it illustrates that where the Code accords with market trends there has been significant progress in developing potentially more sustainable patterns of development. However, the achieved densities remain low by all but Australian and North American standards, and have not increased significantly over the lifetime of the Code.

Redesigning cities: principles, practice, implementation

This book shows how urban design can direct the time and money that goes into development toward a more positive result. Design can reshape suburban growth, revitalize older cities, and retrofit the places in metropolitan regions where earlier development decisions went wrong. The book explains the five essentials of urban design: fostering a sense of community, creating livable neighborhoods and workplaces, reducing traffic congestion and providing parking that complements rather than undermines urban living, encouraging social equity, and achieving sustainability by preserving and restoring the natural environment. Good design practice in a variety of places in shown in this book including new neighborhoods that enhance developing suburbs, decrepit neighborhoods restored in older cities, commercial strips evolved into towns, edge cities upgraded to real cities, and downtowns, once faltering, transformed into lively centers where people live, work and are entertained.

The New Urbanism: an introduction to the movement and its potential impact on travel demand with an outline of its application in Western Australia

This paper focuses on the application of the principles of New Urbanism to two projects in Perth, Western Australia. The key features of New Urbanist street design are summarized as well as a consideration of how far the intention of reducing car dependence has been met in practice. Both projects used extensive participatory design processes to involve community and professional stakeholders in the production of ecologically sustainable design solutions. The paper describes both the production of the innovative ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods Community Design Code’ and the ‘Midland Revitalisation Charette’, held in 1997 to develop a strategy for a declining sub-regional centre. Using these two examples, Morris and Kaufman demonstrate the application of New Urbanist principles for both new urban growth and regeneration within existing towns and cities in an Australian regional context.

Redevelopment and race: planning a finer city in postwar Detroit

In the decades following World War II, professional city planners in Detroit made a concerted effort to halt the city's physical and economic decline. Their successes included an award-winning master plan, a number of laudable redevelopment projects, and exemplary planning leadership in the city and the nation. Yet in those same decades, Detroit was transformed from a city which enjoyed liveable neighbourhoods, healthy commercial strips, a bustling downtown and beautiful parks into the notorious symbol of urban decay that it is today. In Redevelopment and Race, June Manning Thomas shows what went wrong. She demonstrates how and why government programmes were ineffective and even destructive to community needs - and how social striving and class disunity added a further difficulty to their implementation. Examining the city she knew first as an undergraduate student at Michigan State University and later as a scholar and planner, Thomas argues for a different approach to traditional planning - one that places social justice, equity and community ahead of purely physical and economic objectives. A unique historical analysis of the interaction of redevelopment and racial issues in one city, this book offers an important contribution to both planning history and urban studies. Thomas's thoughtful solutions offer hope to citizens and government agencies alike who struggle every day with redevelopment issues in America's older industrial cities.