No abstract

No abstract

A core contemporary planning approach is the promotion of transit-oriented developments (TODs) and in recent times cities have committed substantial financial investment to encourage sustainable precincts around public transport. Evaluation of the success of TODs is key for continuing the planning efforts. A frequently applied framework for characterizing TODs draws on Bertolini’s Node-Place (N-P) model, enriched through application in various contexts. We offer here an extension to the N-P model, using a case study in a low-density city, Perth, Western Australia. A typology of railway stations is developed using 43 indicators and then linear models are applied to ascertain the association between patronage and station precinct features. The results show that various types of measures are required to increase public transport ridership for the four clusters that emerged from the analysis. Density alone does not lead to increased use of public transport; it must be associated with city-wide accessibility, as well as access/egress to and from the station.

The evolution of urban form is a slow and complex process driven by various factors which influence its pattern of occurrence (time, shape and directions) over time. Given the ever-increasing demand for urban expansion, and its negative effects on travel efficiency and environmental quality, it is imperative to understand the driving forces behind this complex process. This study investigates the role played by transport developments in the expansion of Perth's urban footprint. Since transport developments are influenced by prevailing economic developments and planning regulations, our analysis starts by deconstructing a timeline of milestones under these three themes, from an urban land development perspective. An overview of the eras of transport evolution is provided, and we discuss the pattern of urban form changes as they relate to these transport advancements. The paper ends by mapping and quantifying changes in Perth's urban land over the past five decades. The results show that transport had a strong influence on the pattern of urban expansion for a long time, but that trend has now been reversed. Rail constructions have been playing catch-up to residential expansion since the late twentieth century. Meanwhile, the rate of urban expansion has gone down in the twenty-first century, as the city goes for compact growth. outcome of urbanisation, and is usually the term used to denote unsustainable urban expansion [5]. The phenomenon of urban sprawl/expansion has been discussed extensively in the literature. Several studies have also investigated forces that affect urban growth and shape the urban form, however, this is neither uniform nor constant. Catalán, Saurí [16] assert that the study of urban form "must be approached and understood taking into account specific geographical and historical contexts in which particular urban forms shape cities" (p. 174). A polarisation of case studies on North-American urban expansion and transitional urban patterns of some European cities (e.g., Barcelona and Athens) is noted in the literature. An overwhelming amount of studies ascribes sprawling largely to increasing automobile usage and road network expansions [17][18][19][20][21]. Also evident in the literature is the wealth of theoretical discussion highlighting the debate between compact and dispersed urban forms. There is limited study on the evolution of dispersed urban form in different contexts outside these trends. Studies of urban growth drivers interwoven along the trajectory of city development are imperative.Perth presents a good opportunity to study the pattern of expansion in post-colonial cities. The evolutionary journey of Perth from a small colonial town of 1829 to a modern metropolis has attracted the interest of urban scientists due to its rapid and dispersed suburbanisation that made it one of the most sprawling cities in the world (see, among others, Alexander and McManus [22]; Alexander, Greive [23]; Falconer, Newman [24] Curtis and Mellor [25] and Troy [26]). In 1970, the Perth Metropolitan Region...

The level of commuting in cities is an important indicator of the efficiency of urban spatial structure. Recent research has come out in support of land use policies that promote balancing the number of employment opportunities and residents in local geographical units to reduce excess commuting. This study explores three employment self-sufficiency indices: job-worker balance (JWB), employment self-sufficiency (ESS) and employment self-containment (ESC), as measures for reducing the level of commuting. Using the case of Perth, Western Australia, we perform a trip-based evaluation of these three variables and investigate their effect on commuting time through statistical correlation. The results reveal that JWB, ESS and ESC levels are relatively poor across the metropolitan region. Higher ESS correlates with lower inflow travel time, but better JWB and higher ESC do not necessarily lead to shorter travel times. The findings of this study suggest that policies solely relying on these measures may not be effective in reducing commuting times. ESS and ESC do not account for the component of the trip outside the zone, which can misrepresent the level of commuting in an area. Incorporating travel time in these measures can complement their reliability, and better represent overall commuting levels within an urban structure.