Article in The West Australian, Wednesday 10 October 2012

By Kim Macdonald

Perth may be growing at more than three times the rate of Adelaide, but it seems our neighbours have got one up on us when it comes to curbing urban sprawl.

Sleepy Adelaide, which some joke may one day close down through lack of interest, is more densely populated than Perth, the fastest-growing State in the nation.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, metropolitan Perth had 320 people per square kilometre at last count, in June last year.

In comparison, metropolitan Adelaide has about twice the population density, with 660 people per square kilometre.

Melbourne, Sydney and probably every other major city in the world are more densely populated than Perth.

It wouldn't be such a problem if WA wasn't growing at an incredible 200 people each and every day.

According to the ABS, new residents and newborns boosted the State's total population by 3.1 per cent – or 73,300 people – in the year to
March.

So with this rate of growth, we need to decide rather urgently where we are going to house all these people.

Option one is to continue on the State's current trajectory, which is to give in to urban sprawl with growing number of three-car garage McMansions on the suburban fringe.

Just as we have overtaken Americans for the size of our waistlines, so too, have our homes become the biggest in the world. New Australian homes are now 215sqm, compared with 202sqm in America and 76sqm in Britain.

The urban sprawl option would suck a great deal of money from public coffers to pay for new infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, roads and parks.

Just like the regions, we may one day need a "royalties for outer suburbs" fund to help develop the areas. Alternatively, we can embrace the State Government's Directions 2031 and Beyond policy, which aims for 47 per cent more housing over the next 20 years through urban infill and consolidation projects.

This would require 328,000 new homes for 566,000 residents with about half slated to fall within a 20km radius of Perth's CBD.

Most people favour the second option, but there are obstacles to turning that vision into a reality, namely the local councils which don't want to zone for high-density apartment blocks.

Many councils seem to take the NIMBY (not in my backyard) approach to high-density living by limiting the areas where multistorey dwellings are allowed to be built.

It is understandable that many councils fear that high-density living would change the character of their neighbourhood and make residents feel crowded.

I agree that it would be a shame to undermine the sense of space we enjoy in WA. But a new suggestion, by Perth Councillor and property developer James Limnios, seems to me to strike the right balance between respecting a general sense of space and putting some restrictions on urban sprawl.

The suggestion is for all major arterial roads, such as those along rail tracks and feeding on to highways and freeways, to be zoned for apartments.

Targeting these major roads as sites for multistorey dwellings appears a pretty good compromise between the infill proponents and those who fear higher-density living may undermine the character of their suburb.

The extra apartment blocks would provide a range of affordable housing options across many different neighbourhoods.

So empty-nesters looking to downsize would not necessarily have to leave the community they have grown accustomed to over their lives just to find a smaller property.

It also means people would not have to leave their neighbourhood just to find a home they can afford to buy.

And it needs to be remembered that multistorey complexes do not have to resemble prison blocks these days. There are many talented designers creating some attractive complexes.

Those who own houses on main roads would probably see their land values rise if their blocks were rezoned for multistorey dwellings, giving them the option to buy into a quieter street if they don't like the change.

The move would also spare most quiet streets from having to cope with an influx of new residents under the infill programs.

Mr Limnios suggests that one way to get councils to impose appropriate zoning on major roads is to cull most councils and replace with a few super-councils charged with a brief to support the State Government's infill targets.

The issue of what to do with local councils seems a wider debate that the infill issue, but I agree there needs to be some pressure on councils to rezone for apartments on major roads.

There is also some need to debate what exactly constitutes a major arterial road.

In writing this column, I asked myself how it would make me feel to live near some big apartment blocks.

Would it make me feel crowded? Would it be noisy? Would it undermine by safety?

After all, I have worked hard for my home and love the neighbourhood where I live.

After a few moments thought, I realised that I actually do live near a few big apartment blocks on a nearby major road.

So I guess that's my answer. It's not something that I am even consciously aware of because it makes absolutely no difference to my life.

With a bit of familiarity, infill is not as daunting as it seems.