Beyond the Edge: La Trobe's First National Peri-Urban Conference La Trobe University Oct 2013

1. Amenity, landscape and forms of periurbanisation around Melbourne, Australia
Andrew Butt (La Trobe University)
Bill Fish (Spatial Vision Innovation Pty Ltd)
Beyond the Edge 2013 – La Trobe University, Melbourne

2. Peri-urbanization? Counter-urbanization? Multifunctional landscapes?
 A broad conception of a region:
̶
Areas directly ‘urbanising’
̶
Areas influenced by urban-generated land markets
̶
Areas influenced by various modes of ‘counterurbanization’
̶
Amenity, accessibility, affordability – an interplay of factors
Peri-urban Conference October 2013
2

4. -

5. Socio-economic processes are varied…
 A series of processes emerge from the literature and empirical
work, including:
̶
Exurbanisation: higher cost land markets, purchasing an
accessible rural lifestyle
̶
‘Displaced’ suburbia – suburban growth performed beyond
the fringe
̶
Retiree mobility – at varied income levels
̶
‘Welfare-led’ migration, especially in the high-cost
Australian metropolitan housing markets
 These overlap socially and spatially
La Trobe University
5

7. -

9. -

10. Our approach
 Considering a geography of these processes of change in a
geographically wide ‘peri-urban’ field
 Using a set of proxy indicators to test change – based on
inward migration 2006-2011
 Considering the relationship between these, and relationships
with a set of location factors of ‘attraction’
 Testing indicators and concepts – are they fit for purpose?
La Trobe University
10

11. The data sources
 Census 2011:
̶
usual residence 2011 for those with a different SA2
address in 2006
̶
Cross-tabulated with selected socio-economic
categories (age, income, occupation)
 Location database (GIS):
̶
Developed from a lot/property-based attractiveness
index of development ‘pressure’
̶
Average scores (indexed) aggregated for all within each
SA2
La Trobe University
11

12. The indicators
 high income
 ‘professional’ occupations
 average proximity to main
roads
 low income
 …proximity to rail nodes
 unemployed
 …proximity and density of
native ‘woody’ vegetation
 age 55-74
 not in labour force
 age under 15 years
 …proximity and density of
‘landscape’ features (SLO,
ESO, Parks)
 ‘driver/labourer/machinery
operator’ occupations
La Trobe University
12

13. Geography of Indicators
 Clusters of each type; good correlations between them
La Trobe University
13

14. Relationships and Indicators
 Clusters of each type; good correlations between them
La Trobe University
14

15. Geography of Indicators: Inward Income >$1250/wk
La Trobe University
15

16. Geography of Indicators: Inward Income <$300/wk
La Trobe University
16

17. Geography of Indicators: Inward 55-74 years
La Trobe University
17

18. Geography of Indicators: Density of Landscape
La Trobe University
18

19. Geography of Indicators: Rail Node
La Trobe University
19

20. Location and socio-economic change
 Regression models: location factors as dependent, all models
show significance, but..
̶
Some variables (professionals, higher income,
children/families) show better influence than others
̶
Professionals – landscape
̶
Higher income/u15 – non-vegetated regions
̶
Lower income and rail, retiree and non-rail
La Trobe University
20

21. The limits to attractiveness
• Issues in understanding aggregate ‘attractiveness’ factors
• Complexity and inter-connections of social and economic
processes
• New in-migrants and relationships to extant populations
• Relationships between peri-urbanization, counter-urbanization
and the formation of multi-functional landscapes
21