Urban or suburban? Examining the density of Australian cities in a global context

Abstract

Australia is regularly cited as one of the most highly urbanised countries in the world. However, a significant proportion of people living in Australia’s three largest cities live at relatively low ‘suburban’ densities. Analysis of the patterns of density in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver, Montreal and London highlights the fact that Australia’s reputation as a highly urbanised perhaps belies the predominance of low density development across Australia’s metropolitan areas. Australian cities have relatively lower proportion of their total populations living in areas on mid-density (between 60 and 200 pph). Instead they feature pockets of high density among a background of low density. Other comparator cities, Montreal and London in particular, have relatively low proportions of people living in very high density areas, but feature a high proportion living in middensity areas. This raises the question as to how the densification of Australian cities has been achieved, and whether there are alternative models that might be considered as they continue to grow.

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