Exploring infrastructure provision issues in greenfield and urban infill residential developments

Abstract

Australia is a highly urbanised country. Planning policy in most Australian cities is trying to divert development that would naturally have occurred on the urban fringe into inner established areas. A large part of the argument for this policy is that State and Local governments are challenged to provide appropriate standards of infrastructure and services in greenfield locations. This paper explores the extent of infrastructure provision issues and tries to identify the actual costs of provision in different situations. Three case studies in metropolitan Adelaide were chosen to explore the cost factors for developers and government. One case study is in the greenfield development within the Playford Alive project on the northern urban fringe; the second is within the renewal area of Playford Alive; and the third is the transit oriented development in Bowden, adjacent the Adelaide Park Lands. While some costs are able to be determined from a review of budget documents and annual reports of State and Local government agencies, the study has found it somewhat difficult to arrive at any firm conclusions about relative costs of infrastructure provision. The estimated costs for infrastructure for the infill development at Bowden are approximately one third that of both greenfield and renewal areas of the Playford Alive project. In established areas, the increased density of development implies a policy review of the capacity of existing infrastructure. In addition, there is concern about standards for streetscapes and transport infrastructure required to meet multiple objectives such as high quality urban design and active/healthy living.