Population Growth and Infrastructure Development in Melbourne

Melbourne’s growth predictions coincide with a global shift in rural and urban populations, expecting a population increase from 4.3 to 6 million people within the next 30 years. This imminent increase places Melbourne in the category of an emerging megacity, which are front-runners in terms of economic growth, urban-development, industrial transformation, lifestyle changes and policy implementation. A common characteristic of an emerging megacity is the deliverance of infrastructure at a slower rate than the growth experienced, and so, cities such as Melbourne face severe societal issues in the near future if proactive planning management does not occur. Transport infrastructure is seen as the biggest infrastructure challenge, being a crucial aspect of employment opportunities, accessibility and ease of lifestyles. Failures in this area therefore have the ability to negatively affect the economy and functionality of a city, the environment and also alienate suburban areas. The potential for urban transport infrastructure projects such as metro, regional rail and tram, to provide a catalyst for the development and redevelopment of urban areas in European cities is examined in this paper. In addition, the successes of a rail transit development in a low density city in Perth Australia is discussed. The paper suggests that there are important lessons to be learnt from the European examples and particularly the Perth Southern railway in designing urban rail systems for making travel in dispersed cities such as Melbourne more sustainable.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.2495/SC140431
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.witpress.com/books/978-1-84564-820-6
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from WIT Press.
• Corporate Authors:

  WIT Press

  Ashurst Lodge
  Ashurst, Southampton  United Kingdom  SO40 7AA
• Authors:
  • Craven, J
  • Horan, E
  • Goulding, R
• Conference:
  • 9th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability
  • Location: Siena , Italy
  • Date: 2014-9-23 to 2014-9-25
• Publication Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: 12p
• Monograph Title: The Sustainable City IX: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability
• Serial:
  • WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment
  • Volume: 191
  • Publisher: WIT Press
  • ISSN: 1743-3541
  • Serial URL: http://www.witpress.com/elibrary/wit-transactions-on-ecology-and-the-environment

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; City planning; Infrastructure; Population growth; Rail transit; Sustainable development; Transit oriented development; Urban development
• Geographic Terms: Melbourne (Australia); Perth (Australia)
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01583218
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9781845648213
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 23 2015 8:08AM