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Towards a new development model for housing regeneration in greyfield precincts (Investigative Panel)

Summary

This Investigative Panel investigated the processes required for an integrative development model capable of delivering more affordable and sustainable medium density housing through the regeneration of greyfield precincts in Australia’s capital cities.

Project Number: 50593
Research Theme: Housing_affordability, Urban_planning_and_development
Project Leader: Newton, Peter
Funding Year: 2010
Research Centre: Swinburne-Monash

Research & Policy Bulletin

Issue 150: How do we regenerate middle suburban ‘greyfield’ areas?

Regeneration of residential ‘greyfield’ areas in Australia’s capital cities aims to improve affordability and sustainability. Achieving these outcomes requires an integrated and strategic response from policy-makers and developers across the domains of finance, planning, design, construction technology and community engagement. This Research and Policy Bulletin provides details of the key findings and policy implications from the completed AHURI research project Towards a new development model for housing regeneration in greyfield precincts (Investigative Panel).

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496 KB PDF Document

Description

Greyfield residential precincts are defined as under-utilised property assets located in the middle suburbs of large Australian cities, where residential building stock is failing (physically, technologically and environmentally) and energy, water and communications infrastructure is in need of regeneration. The panel investigated how parcels of land could be assembled for higher-density redevelopment at the scale of the precinct and how innovative design and construction methods could make these developments more socially and environmentally sustainable. 

The panel found that a range of innovations are required to achieve a sustainable regeneration of greyfield residential precincts, including:

• New planning and policy frameworks to reduce the risk and uncertainty associated with larger-scale redevelopment in the middle suburbs.  
• A robust planning instrument or code (Regen Code) for the redevelopment of greyfield residential precincts.
• New regional bodies or authorities responsible for urban renewal (equipped with financial, statutory and planning power) to run over a long time frame (20 years) to drive change.
• Spatial information (e.g.  demographic, planning, infrastructure) to enable developers, investment, design and construction professionals to explore development opportunities and potential regeneration sites.
• Demonstration models of precinct design to play a role in communicating how these shifts in our urban environment could be envisaged, designed and delivered.
• Innovative construction processes that use industrialised and prefabricated components may provide attractive solutions to medium-density housing developments.
• Pro-active community engagement of citizens as 'partners' in development, in both planning/design and finance aspects rather than the 'placatory' or 'adversarial' models of engagement that are currently employed with populations targeted for redevelopment.

AHURI events involving this project

• Planning, development and supply: new AHURI research — Perth, 26 Sep 2012
  
  

Media mentioning this research

• Unlocking the greyfields to inhibit urban sprawl — The Conversation, 3 Jul 2012
  

More Information

Final Report: No. 171: Towards a new development model for housing regeneration in greyfield residential precincts
3.6 MB PDF Document

Research and Policy Bulletin: Issue 150: How do we regenerate middle suburban ‘greyfield’ areas?
496 KB PDF Document