Next
Generation
Planning
Affordable Living
Smart Growth
Form-based codes
SEQ Place Model
A handbook for
planners, designers and developers
in South East Queensland
194
Next Generation Planning.
A handbook for planners, designers and developers in
South East Queensland
First published 2011 by the Council of Mayors (SEQ),
www.seqmayors.qld.gov.au.
Copyright © Council of Mayors (SEQ) and the State of
Queensland (through the Department of
Local Government and Planning) 2011. All rights
reserved.
ISBN 978-0-9870751-0-9
The Council of Mayors (SEQ) and the Queensland
Government support and encourage the dissemination
and exchange of information. However, copyright
protects this publication. The Council of Mayors (SEQ)
and the State of Queensland have no objection to this
material being reproduced, made available online or
electronically but only if they are recognised as the
owners of the copyright.
Copyright inquiries about this publication should be
directed to the Council of Mayors (SEQ) via email info@
seqmayors.qld.gov.au or in writing to PO Box 12995
GEORGE STREET QLD 4003.
Disclaimer:
Whilst the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and the Queensland
Government (the ‘Owners’) believe this
information will be of assistance to you, it is provided
on the basis that you are responsible for making your
own assessment of the topics discussed. The Owners
expressly disclaim all liability for errors or omissions of
any kind whatsoever or for any loss (direct or indirect),
damage or other consequence arising from your reliance
on the material.
The material is provided on the understanding that the
Owners are not, through the issuance of this
information, engaging in rendering to you any legal or
other professional service. Recipients are
encouraged to seek independent advice if they have any
concerns about the material.
Forewords
Council of Mayors (SEQ)
South East Queensland is a region renowned
for liveability, our tin and timber houses, leafy
streets and subtropical neighbourhoods.
We are blessed with pristine natural
landscapes, world class beaches and rural
settings.
Vibrant urban areas are part of our
surroundings as our region grows, changes,
diversifies and prospers.
Good planning is needed to preserve what
is best about living in SEQ while building the
communities of the future.
The Next Generation Planning handbook
provides a planning toolkit to address these
challenges. It is about improving affordability
while ensuring liveability.
It is about bringing more choice and better
housing designs to SEQ. These guidelines are
not statutory but provide ideas for people to
choose what may apply to their own situation.
Next Generation Planning will help planners
to strengthen the regions identity in future
development, especially new residential
communities and renewal areas.
Good planning today is essential to create the
liveable communities of tomorrow.
Councillor Campbell Newman
The Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor of
Brisbane, and the Council of Mayors (SEQ)
Chairman
State Government
Population and economic growth over recent
years has brought many benefits as well as
new challenges for South East Queensland.
Managing growth while maintaining our
regional character and enviable lifestyles is
the reason that the Queensland Government,
working with local governments, prepared
the South East Queensland Regional Plan
2009-2031. It is also the reason why the
Queensland Growth Management Summit
was held in March 2010, and why a new
dedicated agency - Growth Management
Queensland - was established to provide
leadership in growth management.
I am pleased that Next Generation Planning
continues this collaboration between local
and State governments. By studying
some of SEQ’s best housing, streets and
neighbourhoods, the designs, strategies and
references in Next Generation Planning will
provide invaluable guidance when developing
new planning schemes.
The Next Generation Planning handbook
forms another key step in the delivery of a
comprehensive suite of planning tools for
Queensland, delivered as part of Qplan;
Queensland’s planning, development and
building system.
Qplan incorporates all aspects of planning,
from state planning policies and regional
planning, right through to the local
government planning schemes and building
codes that influence the streetscapes in our
neighbourhoods. Qplan includes a series of
statutory tools to underpin Queensland’s
planning framework, as well as non statutory
guidelines such as the Next Generation
Planning handbook.
Next Generation Planning builds upon the
SEQ Regional Plan and provides the detailed
guidance necessary to ensure that our growth
is smart growth, and to make certain that our
lifestyles and housing remain affordable for the
next generation of South East Queenslanders.
The Honourable Paul Lucas MP
Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister
for Local Government and Special Minister of
State
Federal Government
Access to affordable and liveable housing is a
key to building sustainable communities and
a sustainable Australia. The National Housing
Supply Council estimates the shortfall of
housing supply nationally to rise to 308,000
dwellings by 2014. This pressure is particularly
acute in places like South East Queensland
that have experienced significant population
growth.
Improvements in land use and planning can
make a considerable contribution to housing
supply and affordability. I am pleased to be
able to work with my colleagues in the state
and local governments on this important
project that will assist in accelerating housing
and planning reform in South East Queensland.
The fund provides grants to local governments
and state and territory agencies to reduce
housing related infrastructure and planning
costs, and to pass these savings on to home
purchasers. It is an important component
in the Australian Government’s $20 billion
commitment to understanding and addressing
issues affecting housing affordability.
I am pleased to support this handbook
through the Australian Government’s Housing
Affordability Fund and applaud the work of the
Council of Mayors (South East Queensland)
and the Queensland Government who have
worked in partnership to produce it.
If fully adopted across the region, the
measures in the Next Generation Planning
Handbook can streamline the assessment
process for residential development by
reducing assessment complexity - thereby
reducing delays and costs.
One of the great challenges for local
governments across Australia is how to
deliver developments that are supported by
the community and efficient for industry. The
handbook illustrates how planning can be done
in a way that integrates the social, economic
and environmental needs of the community.
Funding for this project was provided through
the Australian’s Government’s $450 million
Housing Affordability Fund.
The Hon Tony Burke MP
Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities Table of contents
About this handbook
The need for a consistent approach
Affordable Living
Smart Growth in SEQ
Form-based codes
SEQ Place Model
Creating this handbook
How to use this handbook
1
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
PART A The guidelines
1.0 Sub-regional and district scale
1.1 The SEQ Place Model
1.2 Natural Places (P1)
1.3 Rural Places (P2)
1.4 Rural Townships (P3)
1.5 Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods (P4)
1.6 Urban Neighbourhoods (P5)
1.7 Centres of Activity (P6)
1.8 CBDs (P7)
1.9 Specific Use Places (P8)
7
8
9
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
2.0 Neighbourhood (local) scale
2.1 Walkability
2.2 Neighbourhood structure
2.3 Block size and structure
2.4 Street Network
2.5 Subtropical design
2.6 Housing choice
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
3.0 Street Scale
3.1 Complete streets
3.2 Neighbourhood streets
3.3 Connector streets
3.4 Rear lanes
3.5 Intersections
3.6 Pedestrian crossings
3.7 Kerbs
3.8 Shelter and shade
3.9 On-street parking
3.10 Water Sensitive Urban Design
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
4.0 Lot and building scale
4.1 Detached houses on wide lots
4.2 Detached houses on narrow lots
4.3 The ‘plexes’ – duplexes/triplexes/quadplexes/quinplexes
4.4 Row houses
4.5 Secondary dwellings
42
43
44
45
46
47
4.6 Live/work buildings
4.7 Low rise apartments
4.8 Medium and high rise apartments
4.9 Consistent lot types and dimensions
4.10 Off-street parking
4.11 Addressing the street
4.12 Build to the slope
4.13 Height
4.14 Space around the house
4.15 Carports and garages
48
49
50
51
53
54
55
56
57
58
PART B Planning scheme modules
5.0 Sub-regional and district scale
5.1 SEQ Place Model in a strategic framework
5.2 SEQ Place Model in a strategic plan mapping
59
60
61
73
6.0 Neighbourhood (local) scale
6.1 Neighbourhood scale module
76
77
7.0 Street scale
7.1 Street scale module
84
85
8.0 Lot and building scale
8.1 Performance outcomes for lot and building scale
8.2 Detached houses on wide lots
8.3 Detached houses on narrow lots
8.4 Duplex
8.5 The ‘plexes’ (triplex, quadplex, quinplex)
8.6 Row house or terrace house
8.7 Live/work (dual street frontage)
8.8 Low rise apartments
8.9 Medium and high rise apartments
8.10 Secondary dwellings (granny and Fonzie flats)
8.11 Consistent lot types
90
91
93
95
97
99
101
103
105
107
109
110
PART C The study behind this handbook
9.1 The Next Generation Planning Project and Model Code for Smart Growth
9.2 Choosing a methodology
9.3 The study and its results
9.4 Illustrated case studies
9.5 Selected results
111
113
114
117
121
155
References and further reading
Glossary
Acknowledgements
183
189
191
About this handbook
Next Generation Planning is about new ways
of planning for the suburbs, towns and cities of
South East Queensland (SEQ). This handbook
identifies four Next Generation Planning
concepts:
- Affordable Living
- Smart Growth
- Form-based Codes
- SEQ Place Model.
At their core, these concepts are about making
places great for people, and ensuring they can
afford to live there.
The key products in this handbook are
strategic and statutory planning tools, in the
form of the SEQ Place Model and supporting
neighbourhood, street and lot and building
scale planning techniques; including planning
scheme modules designed to promote easy
delivery of a range of housing.
The inspiration for this handbook came from
the great places of SEQ, studied in detail in
its preparation. It deliberately focuses on the
key variables which really make a difference.
Where other good work has already been
undertaken on urban development standards
in Queensland, it cross references to them.
The Next Generation Planning handbook is a
joint project of the Council of Mayors (SEQ)
Next Generation Planning initiative under the
Australian Government’s Housing Affordability
Fund (HAF) and the Queensland Government’s
Growth Management Queensland, based on
the Smart Growth directions in the South East
Queensland Regional Plan 2009 – 2031 (SEQ
Regional Plan).
1
The need for a
consistent approach
Inconsistencies in planning scheme
requirements can cause delays and contribute
to the costs for housing. Sometimes,
housing products common in one area are
not permitted in another. Even apparently
innocuous matters can have major implications
for house builders - floor plans can require
redesign for small variations in widths and
setbacks.
South East Queensland varies from coastal
to rural hinterland to capital city, but local
variation does not need to be at the expense
of common sense. The size of a door, width
of a room, or the size of a garage do not vary
across the region.
Focussing on residential development, this
handbook promotes a consistent
approach to planning and gives detailed
examples and appropriate criteria to allow
Councils to explore such an approach for
themselves.
Consistency in criteria such as lot frontages,
street widths and building setbacks does
not mean standard local character. Features
such as the topography of a place, building
materials, tree species and architectural
style can be more effective in creating local
character.
For common development like housing,
lengthy application processes add cost, but
often have little effect on outcomes. This
handbook advocates the use of Form-based
codes which strictly regulate key outcomes
of new development, while at the same time
providing a greater certainty for all involved
about the appearance of buildings allowing
quicker, more cost effective development
assessment.
2
Affordable Living
Smart Growth in SEQ
Affordability of housing is a challenge in most
high growth regions and SEQ is no exception.
In 2009, the Council of Mayors (SEQ)
secured HAF funding for its Next Generation
Planning project, designed to address housing
affordability.
In the second half of the 20th century, much
of the western world catered for growth of
its cities by expanding outwards along major
roads. In SEQ, the result of this approach was
large, dispersed tracts of detached housing,
or ‘urban sprawl’. As a result, many parts of
the region are now heavily car dependent
and characterised by long commutes and
significant lag times in providing important
community infrastructure.
Affordable living is about more than just the
cost of housing. It brings to account a range
of factors, including the size, type and cost of
housing we choose, how we move around and
the resources we use.
Many factors can influence housing
affordability – the type of housing; the climate;
construction costs; land and infrastructure
costs; approval processes; the cost of
borrowing money; and the overall supply and
demand for housing.
But there are many other important influences
on the affordability of living in SEQ, such as
access to transportation options, access to
employment, services and education, and
the consumption of energy and other natural
resources.
Many households in SEQ need two cars and
travel long distances to work and services.
Their house may be ‘affordable’, but the
time and money involved in this travel can
cause financial stress. Many local areas
also don’t offer variety in housing choices
to meet household needs as their housing
requriements and lifestyle change over time.
This handbook focuses on Affordable Living.
It puts forward consistent Next Generation
Planning tools designed to contribute to
Affordable Living through better strategic and
local planning. It also promotes consistent
planning scheme provisions to reduce cost
through more certainty and more efficient
development assessment processes.
3
For many people, the Australian dream of
owning a home is achievable only at the fringe
of cities. The reality of the dream often means
significant travel time and cost for residents
to access their daily needs. The sustainability
of this approach has come into sharp focus
more recently, particularly with the challenges
of climate change, energy dependence,
demographic change, public health and
infrastructure funding.
New ways of planning have emerged to
address these challenges, including the
smart growth movement in North America. In
Queensland, the SEQ Regional Plan embraces
smart growth principles such as:
- a more compact urban form
- the need to create quality housing for
people of all income levels
- a focus on designing walkable
neighbourhoods
- creating distinctive, attractive communities
based on a mixture of land uses
- providing for a variety of transportation
choices and reduced car dependency
- protecting the region’s natural landscapes
- targeting new development to accessible
infill locations
- prioritising use of existing infrastrcture.
This handbook is also an outcome of the SEQ
Regional Plan program intent to prepare a
Model Code for Smart Growth to help achieve
these goals.
Form-based codes
SEQ Place Model
A code is a set of ‘rules’ used in planning
schemes and other regulating documents to
govern development. They are an important
component of the Queensland planning
framework, and deal with aspects like building
height, setbacks, car parking rates, street
widths and open space provisions.
The research underpinning this handbook
suggests that settlements in SEQ can be
understood as a series of place types, each
with common characteristics, similar land use
mixes and intensities of development.
Form-based codes are a new type of code.
They place an increased emphasis on the
physical form of buildings and infrastructure,
and use graphics to clearly illustrate the
required form of new development, such as
new buildings, streets or parks.
This emphasis on form provides more
certainty to planners and communities about
what new development will look like and how
it will function. In turn, this certainty can allow
assessment regimes to be streamlined, as
the impacts of development are known from
the start. For this arrangement to work, formbased codes tend to be more prescriptive in
nature.
The planning scheme modules in this
handbook promote a more Form-based
approach to codes; designed to create
consistency and certainty, to simplify and
deregulate housing approval processes, and to
promote affordable living and great places.
The SEQ Place Model identifies eight place
types in SEQ from the study of well known
locations around the region. Each place
type is recognisable by its function, special
qualities, intensity, character and housing
forms. These include natural areas, rural areas,
rural towns, next generation suburban and
urban neighbourhoods, mixed use activity
centres and CBDs. While the SEQ Place Model
is a useful framework, it is not suggested
that all place types will be found in all local
governments in SEQ.
The SEQ Place Model is designed to promote
a more compact urban form, including
increased availability and diversity of housing
for people of all income levels, walkable
neighbourhoods, attractive mixed use
communities, access to transportation choices,
reduced car dependency, and protecting our
natural landscapes.
The SEQ Place Model is designed as a way of
planning strategically about a local government
area and is a useful communication tool in
describing the elements that make up each
place. It provides a practical and useful tool
to plan strategically for a range of connected
communities based on Smart Growth and
Affordable Living principles.
The SEQ Place Model is described in more
detail in Part A of this handbook. The role of
the SEQ Place Model in the strategic planning
frameworks of SEQ planning schemes is
described further in Part B.
4
Creating this handbook
How to use this handbook
This handbook is based on research of best
practice and emerging approaches used
nationally and internationally; and uses an
empirical approach to the analysis of a wide
range of places and housing in the SEQ
region. The places in SEQ examined during the
preparation of this handbook were selected
based on the quality of the urban environment;
the community’s aspirations to live, work
and visit these locations; and affordable living
characteristics – the ‘best of the best’ urban
environments that SEQ has to offer.
This handbook identifies new planning tools
reflecting four key Next Generation Planning
themes of Affordable Living, Smart Growth,
Form-based codes and the SEQ Place Model.
It provides a practical resource for planners,
designers and developers to implement these
tools in planning schemes and when designing
or assessing development. It is also designed
to equip those people involved in creating new
communities in SEQ, with a more consistent
approach which in turn saves time and money
for all involved. The handbook is intended to
be used as a guide. It is expected that the
SEQ Place Model and neighbourhood scale
planning guidelines and modules will require
adaption depending on local circumstances.
Although not exhaustive, the street and
housing typologies in Part B summarise good
innovations to allow for their ready integration
into SEQ Council planning schemes. There
will be other innovations in housing, and this
handbook does not mean to exclude these.
Land suitability was not a key factor in
selecting these places as it was considered
that land constraints such as bushfire, flood,
landslide and cultural heritage had previously
been taken into account. This handbook
respects the wide range of useful work
already done and avoids duplication. Instead, it
focuses on SEQ as a distinct region and uses
empirical evidence based on SEQ’s natural and
built environment to inform the range of Next
Generation Planning themes.
This work establishes a sound basis for the
themes of the guidance including:
- diversity of housing types and lot
dimensions
- walkable neighbourhoods as the
appropriate urban structure tool for quality
neighbourhoods
- use of grid street pattern and rear lanes
- modest average dwelling sizes, allowing
increased vegetation in back yards
- consistent street designs
- simplicity and clarity is important – it is
more useful to focus on the key variables
rather than to regulate everything
- a level of prescription assists in achieving
desired outcomes
- a modular approach, involving a package of
issue based code modules
- reduced levels of assessment for
development due to increased certainty
and efficiency of the development process
(which can affect affordability).
5
The handbook has a particular focus on the
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods
(P4) and Urban Neighbourhoods (P5) in the
SEQ Place Model, as these are most relevant
to promoting Affordable Living outcomes (and
there is already a lot of great work being done
for other place types, including local area plans
for Centres of Activity (P6) and CBDs (P7).
Part A of this handbook provides detailed
guidelines on aspects of the four Next
Generation Planning themes. Part B provides
modular planning scheme provisions designed
to allow implemention of these concepts
into SEQ Council planning schemes. Further
adaption of these modules will be needed to
satisfy planning scheme requirements. Finally,
this handbook is structured by scale, which
is illustrated in the diagram on page 6. The
diagram indicates the relationship between
scale, the Next Generation Planning concepts
and their application to different chapters of a
planning scheme.
Scales of planning in SEQ
OUR
STATE
STATEWIDE PLANNING
OUR
REGION
REGIONAL PLANNING
MY
NEIGHBOURHOOD
MY STREET
MY HOME
Informs Planning Scheme
Zoning
LOCAL PLANNING
Levels of
assessment
Housing choice for affordable living
Complete streets
DISTRICT PLANNING
Local plans
MY
TOWN
Structure plans for declared master
plan areas
Strategic framework
SUB REGIONAL PLANNING
Neighbourhood structure, walkable
neighbourhoods
SEQ place model
NGP Guidance
OUR
COUNCIL
SITE PLANNING
Thinking about planning at different scales helps put planning scheme provisions in context, and
ensures the right issues are addressed at the right time. The planning concepts in this handbook
have relevance to different scales of planning, and to different parts of a Queensland Planning
Provisions planning scheme. The diagram above illustrates these relationships.
6
PART A
The guidelines
This part of the handbook provides
guidelines for governments and
industry about planning and
delivering affordable and sustainable
communities. They are arranged in a
simple format – one issue at a time.
The guidelines are informed by the
research undertaken in the preparation
of this handbook and include relevant
examples.
The guidelines are ordered by scale as
follows:
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
Sub-regional and district scale
Neighbourhood (local) scale
Street scale
Lot and building scale.
1.0
Sub-regional and district scale
The key sub-regional and district scale
concept is the SEQ Place Model – a
strategic planning tool that can also
be a powerful communication tool to
understand planning for an area.
This part of the guidelines covers:
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
1.9
The SEQ Place Model
Natural Places (P1)
Rural Places (P2)
Rural Townships (P3)
Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods (P4)
Urban Neighbourhoods (P5)
Centres of Activity (P6)
CBDs (P7)
Specific Use Places (P8)
Natural Places (P1)
Rural Townships (P3)
Rural Places (P2)
Next Generation Suburba
The SEQ Place Model
The research underpinning this handbook
suggests strongly that settlements in SEQ can
be understood as a series of places, which
have common characteristics, similar land use
mixes and intensities of development. These
range from natural areas, rural areas, rural
towns, areas with predominantly suburban
housing and more urban areas of significantly
differing densities, through to mixed use
activity centres and CBDs.
This handbook illustrates these place types
together in the SEQ Place Model. It identifies
a progression of much loved natural and
human habitats in SEQ, recognisable by their
function, special qualities, intensity, character
and housing forms associated with each place
type.
9
This SEQ Place Model is a handy way of
thinking about, and planning for, a local
government area, or a large scale planning
project such as a major new greenfield
community.
The model has potential application to urban
growth areas and existing suburbs at the
discretion of local governments. The model
can help organise different parts of a local
government area towards achieving similar
strategic planning outcomes, and inform the
distribution, balance and role of each place.
The SEQ Place Model drawing (above)
provides a snapshot of the main
characteristics. Each place type is further
described in sections 1.2 to 1.9.
Urban Neighbourhoods (P5)
an Neighbourhoods (P4)
CBDs (P7)
Centres Of Activity (P6)
Part B of the handbook explains how the SEQ
Place Model can be used in a planning scheme
to:
- describe a menu of quality place types
found across a local government area
- explain the recipe for creating each place
type, such as the housing mix, scale and
urban form that is characteristic of each
place type
- provide the ingredients in the form of
code provisions, zones and levels of
assessment
Note: The SEQ Place Model shows a series
of common, useful place types. Intensity of
development is indicated, as is residential
and non-residential uses and public transport.
The form and intensity of place types are
expected to overlap. The SEQ Place Model is
an illustrative concept and does not show the
non-linear corridors and special use places of
cities, nor does it indicate a quantum for any
place type. Further, depending on the strategic
context of each local government area not all
place types may be applicable.
10
Lookout at O’Reilly’s
Natural Places (P1)
Areas essentially untouched by human habitation
Natural Places are areas dominated by the
natural environment. They perform essential
functions as green space, ecological and
regional landscape areas which are vital
to protecting our ecological assets and
biodiversity, provide access to natural
experiences and a landscape setting for their
surroundings, including many towns and cities.
Typical examples include national parks and
similar publicly owned, relatively undisturbed
areas. Some privately owned land will have the
same attributes.
In the SEQ Regional Plan, Natural Places
are usually found in the Regional Landscape
and Rural Production Area, although natural
features like rivers, beaches and bushland in
urban areas can also be Natural Places.
11
Sunshine Coast Hinterland – one of the rural places of the region
Rural Places (P2)
The broad rural parts of the region
Rural Places are mostly used for rural
production, from less intense activities like
cattle grazing, to more intensive cropping and
animal husbandry. Some are used for forestry
and carbon sequestration. Non-production
functions such as small scale tourism and rural
industries are also present.
These places are important for their rural
production and contribute to the landscape
setting of the region. Housing is mostly single
dwellings on farm properties for those who
live and usually work on the land. Some of
these places are used for rural living, where
people live on large lots but don’t use them for
any substantial rural production.
While rural living is an element of rural places,
this is secondary to rural production in smarter
communities. Rural Places are predominantly
in the Regional Landscape and Rural
Production Area of the SEQ Regional Plan, but
are also found in the Urban Footprint (e.g. rural
in nature but identified for urban development
in the future) and Rural Living Area.
12
Rosewood exemplifies rural townships
Rural Townships (P3)
Small settlements surrounded by rural places
Rural Townships centre on a mixed use, low
scale main street, usually with traditional
awnings over the footpath. The mix of uses
is often eclectic, with shops, halls, churches,
schools, industry, a park and housing jumbled
together, bound together by the character of
the street and the buildings.
Rural Townships are characterised by a range
of housing, predominantly detached on lots
larger than found in suburban and urban
neighbourhoods. Other types of housing
in Rural Townships, such as duplexes and
aged care facilities, cater for people in these
areas as their housing needs change. Rural
Townships have a range of local community
facilities and services but rely on larger centres
for higher order uses such as employment,
hospitals, education and cultural facilities,
universities and theatres, as well as major
shopping centres.
13
They are, and should continue to be, based
on a traditional grid street pattern, which
give them a robust structure which is easy
to navigate. Rural Townships with public
transport, like railway towns, can have
potential for further urban development. Urban
expansion of these places would extend
existing grid pattern to reflect the traditional
character of the place.
North Ipswich exemplifies the next generation
suburban neighbourhood
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods (P4)
Characterised by walkability between a range of housing and a central focus
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods
(P4) offer housing choice, from detached
houses and duplexes to row houses, shop-top
housing and even live/work buildings. While
detached houses are most common, many
detached houses are on smaller lots.
Attached housing in these neighbourhoods
are often on lots with particular attributes,
like corners, lots with rear lane access and
locations close to open space, centres or
public transport. Non-residential uses in P4
neighbourhoods meet the day-to-day needs
of residents. Housing in these places is within
easy walking and cycling distance to a wider
range of facilities including shops, schools,
parks and public transport. Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhoods (P4) are generally
low in scale and comprise well landscaped
environments. These neighbourhoods provide
15–30 dwellings per hectare, as envisaged
by the SEQ Regional Plan for significant
greenfield areas.
P4 streets are characterised by street trees
providing shade and character, and shared
use by cars, bikes and pedestrians. They are
usually grid-based, making it easy to find your
way around.
P4 neighbourhoods are mostly located close
to Urban Neighbourhoods (P5) and Centres
of Activity (P6) where residents can readily
access higher order services and facilities.
They are always in the Urban Footprint in
the SEQ Regional Plan. P4 neighbourhoods
are different from many existing suburban
areas common throughout SEQ and can be
distinguished by their walkability, housing
choice and access to public transport,
jobs and services. Greenfield and existing
areas identified by local governments for
urban renewal are most likely to exhibit
characteristics that make them suitable for P4
neighbourhoods. It is not expected or intended
that all existing suburban areas will transition
into P4 neighbourhoods.
14
Urban renewal areas of Bulimba exemplifies
Urban Neighbourhoods
Urban Neighbourhoods (P5)
Higher density, walkable, mixed use neighbourhoods
Urban Neighbourhoods may be older
suburbs closer to centres or parts of new
communities that are planned to achieve this
outcome from day one. They have good public
transport access and have been developed or
redeveloped over time at higher densities and
with a greater mix of housing and uses than
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods
(P4).
Detached houses are found in these areas, but
usually in small pockets and with a more urban
setting. These neighbourhoods take different
forms, from areas where medium density or
low to medium scale buildings are dominant to
higher density places with high rise buildings.
Urban Neighbourhoods provide greater than
30 dwellings per hectare, and sometimes as
many as 100 dwellings per hectare. They are
often transit oriented. Higher density Urban
Neighbourhoods usually have a number of
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods
(P4) nearby.
15
Urban Neighbourhoods are characterised
by mixed use, providing ready access to a
range of shopping, community and other local
services and places of employment such as
small to medium scale offices. Housing not in
a mixed use setting is within easy walking and
cycling distance to these other uses and public
transport.
Urban Neighbourhoods have a sense of
enclosure at the street level provided by
small building setbacks, with the built form
character usually dominant. Their streets are
characterised by street trees, which provide
shade and character, footpaths for walking and
roadways shared by cars and bikes. They are
usually grid based and connected in a way that
make it easy to find your way around.
Urban Neighbourhoods are always in the
Urban Footprint in the SEQ Regional Plan
and usually near Centres of Activity (P6),
CBDs (P7) and Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods (P4).
South Bank exemplifies this place type
Centres of Activity (P6)
Concentrations of non-residential activities at the focus of transport networks
These centres have concentrations of nonresidential activities like shopping but are also
centres for employment, higher education
and entertainment. They come in various
scales, from local to district and regional, and
are more varied in character than suburban
and urban neighbourhoods. They are a focus
of transport networks, and a hub for public
transport and local pedestrian and cycling
systems.
Centres of Activity also contain housing,
usually apartments. They provide residents in
and around the centres with ready access to
the range of uses and employment they offer.
Vibrancy flows from their mix of uses,
particularly at the street level. They are
important meeting places and focal points
for their communities. Their streets are lined
with mature trees, which provide shade and
character, footpaths for walking trips and
roadways shared by cars and bikes. They are
usually grid-based and connected in a way that
make it easy to find your way around.
Regionally significant Centres of Activity are
identified in the SEQ Regional Plan. Many
more local, district and neighbourhood centres
exist across the region.
They have a strong sense of enclosure at the
street level, with little or no building setback to
the street. The man made part of its character
is dominant, but punctuated by squares and
urban parks.
16
Toowoomba CBD
CBDs (P7)
The centre and heart of a city
CBDs are the centres of cities. They are the
biggest centres, with the widest range and
greatest intensity of activity in the city. They
are also the heart of a city, and usually the
place that most people think of when it is
mentioned. They are laid out in a grid, and at
the centre of transport networks, for public
transport, cycling and pedestrians.
They are urban environments. Buildings
dominate the streets, although the streets are
important elements of their character. Their
large scale and intensity provides a vibrancy
unlike any other part of the city. They are the
key focal point for their communities, as places
to work, do business, for entertainment or
just to enjoy. They are meeting places, with
squares and urban parks. CBDs are important
to the economy of the city, both as centres of
production and consumption.
17
Their streets are lined with street trees, have
hard footpaths for walking trips, and roadways
shared use by cars and bikes.
The Port of Brisbane is a typical Specific Use Place
Specific Use Places (P8)
Limited use, often large places that do not fit into other place types
These places are restricted to a small number
of locations where a large single use or focus
does not fit into other place types, and takes a
quite different form to those other place types.
In these places, housing usually has a very
minor role, if at all.
Particular examples include places such as
industry areas, ports, prisons and large sport
and recreation facilities including stadiums.
They are recognised as a different place,
because their scale and nature mean they have
a quite different form that does not integrate
with the other place types in the SEQ Place
Model.
The purpose of this place type is to recognise
these particular places, rather than to
encourage the continued use of single purpose
zonings for places such as large shopping
centres, which have the ability to be integrated
into other place types.
18
2.0
Neighbourhood (local) scale
The creation of walkable mixed
use neighbourhoods, in contrast
to sprawling, single use residential
development, is fundamental to
the more sustainable urban form
which Next Generation Planning
aims to achieve. This means each
neighbourhood contains a mix of
uses and housing types, organised
with a street network, block size,
and structure which is appropriate
to its place type and maximises its
walkability to its key focal points
including public transport.
This part of the Guidelines covers:
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
Walkability
Neighbourhood structure
Block size
Street network
Subtropical design
Housing choice
The design of Varsity Lakes town centre promotes walkability
Walkability
A key attribute of Next Generation Planning
The climate of SEQ is ideal for walking
most times of the year. Walkability
is a fundamentally important part of
neighbourhood design.
Walking is encouraged and enhanced when
there is something to walk to (destinations
such as shops, jobs, public transport stops,
community facilities, parks, open spaces or
just neighbours), something to walk on (a
footpath) and an easily understood direct route
to get there.
Streets need to have appropriate shelter from
the sun with street trees or awnings, and
be overlooked by development with casual
surveillance to improve safety. High fencing
adjoining streets, parks and public spaces
should be avoided as these create unattractive
environments with little opportunity for passive
surveillance.
21
Appropriate street network design makes
walking easy with direct routes and
memorable vistas, which might include
distinctive buildings, parks, open spaces and
distinct landmarks.
Five minute walking catchments promote a more sustainable urban form
Neighbourhood structure
Neighbourhood design is fundamental to sustainable, walkable urban form
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods
(P4) and Urban Neighbourhoods (P5) are
designed for walkability using a five minute
walking catchment (400 m) around a focal
point or centre. This central focus is also a
key part of neighbourhoods and can involve a
mix of local shops and offices, and/or some
community uses, such as library or primary
school, and local parks. The mix of nonresidential uses depends on the context. For
many suburban locations, a small park and bus
stop might be all that is expected, while many
Urban Neighbourhoods (P5) demonstrate a
wider range of amenities. Most parts of the
neighbourhood are within a five minute walk of
this central focus.
Note that in transit orientated development
precincts, walking catchments of five, 10 or 15
minutes may be an appropriate structuring tool
(Queensland Government, 2010e).
All housing is part of a neighbourhood and all
neighbourhoods provide a variety of housing
types, with the range and balance of this
housing reflecting their place type in the SEQ
Place Model (see 2.6).
The centre of the neighbourhood is located
close to or adjacent to an existing (or planned)
public transport routes, on the local through
street network in accessible and visible
locations. This street network connects to
nearby centres and larger neighbourhood and
town centres. These routes are also efficient
public transport routes for buses, light or
heavy rail.
Neighbourhood design respects natural
landform and systems, including drainage. This
means minimising cut and fill when designing
streets and lots and integrating with the
existing landscape.
22
The block sizes of North Ipswich provide for a range of lot sizes and housing diversity
Block size and structure
A basic tool of place building
Block sizes are scaled to create a mix of lots
that can accommodate development and
housing of varying scales and intensities.
Block sizes encourage walkability, but are
not so small as to create more streets than
needed as this impacts on affordability. Typical
blocks are 2-3 times longer than their width;
with lengths (in P3, P4, P5 places) between
160-200m and widths around 50-80m. This
allows flexibility for a range of lot sizes to
provide for a variety of housing which will vary
according to place type.
Centres of Activity (P6) and CBDs (P7) require
a wider range of block dimensions to suit
centre design. Streets surrounding blocks can
be of differing functions, scales and traffic
volumes, which allows each street to have
different forms of development. Blocks closer
to centres have higher intensity development
with land use and built form transitions across
rear boundaries.
23
Rear lanes are a feature of block size and
structure. Blocks that front onto busier
through streets that cannot have direct
driveway access can have higher density
development using rear lanes for vehicle
access, with the housing still addressing the
primary street frontage. These lanes can be
used in appropriate locations, for example,
opposite parks or centres, to create high
quality streetscapes and to provide pedestrian
safety and amenity through a consistent street
rhythm not disturbed by driveways and car
parking. Lanes also provide opportunities for
different housing forms that aid affordability,
such as row housing and ‘Fonzie flats’.
The ends and corners of blocks allow for
more diverse and denser housing types as
these sites have more street frontage and
more opportunities for pedestrian and vehicle
access. Streets along end blocks can be the
busier ones that lead to centres. This also
assists walkability and legibility.
An interconnected grid system provides direct routes for pedestrian, cyclists, public transport and cars
Street Network
Build modified grids fit for purpose, use laneways for walkability and amenity
This study indicates street networks work best
when they are interconnected, usually grid
based, and respond to the existing regional
street pattern and geometry, topography
of the site, waterway corridors, significant
vegetation and desired open spaces. Streets
orientated close to north/south or east/west
enable appropriate climate orientation of lots
and buildings.
Fine grained street networks encourage
active forms of transport, walking and cycling.
Streets closer to centres are generally closer
together to create a finer grain of smaller block
sizes.
A detailed method for designing a street
network is outlined in Complete Streets:
Guidelines for urban street design (Institute for
Public Works Engineering Australia, 2010).
Streets are different, each with a function
and scale to suit movement requirements
and to accommodate different scales and
forms of development. Busier streets can
accommodate a greater variety and density of
development.
The street network should provide direct and
easily understood choices of routes to walk,
cycle and drive to centres, public transport and
other community destinations in the locality.
24
Subtropical Design
in South East Queensland
A Handbook for Planners,
Developers and Decision Makers
Subtropical design
A defining characteristic of SEQ
Sympathetic design for climate creates a
more sustainable built form and lifestyles that
require less energy use, and provides for more
affordable living.
South East Queensland has a subtropical
climate which has become a defining
characteristic of design in the region,
responding to the lifestyles of its inhabitants,
while acknowledging the history and traditions
of the place.
Subtropical design places importance on
topographical features and natural drainage
processes in determining the optimal pattern
of development. In also includes design
features such as good shelter and shade,
indoor/outdoor living relationships, lightweight
construction, prominent roof forms and
overhangs, hoods on windows and design for
sun and breezes with good orientation.
25
For more information, refer to Subtropical
Design in South East Queensland – A
Handbook for Planners, Developers, and
Decision-makers, (Queensland University of
Technology, 2010a).
Broadbeach offers a range of housing options
Housing choice
Housing choice contributes to Affordable Living
Households in SEQ are becoming more
diverse and generally smaller. More than
half comprise only one or two people, while
families with children remain a major group.
Average household size has decreased from
five in the early 1900s to 2.6 in 2006, and
predicted to be 2.4 by 2031(Queensland
Government, 2010g). This creates an increasing
need for varying housing types and sizes.
At the same time, our houses have been
getting larger, so that Australia has amongst
the largest average dwelling sizes in the world
(ABS, 2005). This disparity has exacerbated the
affordability challenge. Smaller housing options
in the marketplace can address this issue, and
industry, government and consumer changes
are needed to allow this to happen. There is a
direct connection between providing a choice
of housing and affordable housing. Variety in
housing types attract a variety of household
types with different incomes, social and
cultural backgrounds and household sizes.
Providing a range of housing types in
more places means that affordable living
can be achieved more generally, rather
than concentrated in a few places. It also
means people can relocate in their existing
community as their housing needs change.
In later sections, this handbook identifies a
range of housing types for SEQ including
detached houses, secondary dwellings (such
as granny and fonzie flats), small multiple
dwellings (3-5 dwelling units), row houses,
live/work dwellings, low rise, medium and high
rise apartments. The diagram on the following
page indicates how housing choice can be
achieved across the SEQ Place Model. Many
housing types have the added advantage
of using land and materials more efficiently,
allowing flexibility to adapt to the changing
needs of households over time, including work
from home arrangements.
26
P2. RURAL PLACES
Detached
houses on
wide lots
Detached
houses on
narrow lots
Housing Typologies
The “plexes”
Duplexes/
Triplexes/
Quadplexes/
Quinplexes
Row House
Live/Work
Building
Low Rise
Apartment
Medium and
High Rise
Apartment
27
P3.RURAL TOWNSHIPS
P4. NEXT GENERATION
SUBURBAN
NEIGHBOURHOODS
P5. URBAN
NEIGHBOURHOODS
P6. CENTRES OF ACTIVITY
P7. CBDs
Detached
houses on
wide lots
Detached
houses on
narrow lots
The “plexes”
Duplexes/
Triplexes/
Quadplexes/
Quinplexes
Housing Typologies
Row House
Live/Work
Building
Low Rise
Apartment
Medium and
High Rise
Apartment
28
3.0
Street Scale
Street function and design depends
on its context in the SEQ Place Model
and the neighbourhood. Streets are
critical for movement, but have several
other important functions too. These
include access to properties, parking,
utilities and services, biodiversity and
most of all, placemaking. Depending
on the context of an individual street,
the priority of these functions will
vary, and street design must respond
appropriately.
This part of the guidelines covers:
3.1 Complete streets
3.2 Neighbourhood streets
3.3 Connector streets
3.4 Rear lanes
3.5 Intersections
3.6 Pedestrian crossings
3.7 Kerbs
3.8 Shelter and shade
3.9 On-street parking
3.10 Water Sensitive Urban Design
Grey St, South Bank incorporates cycle ways
in the road network
Scarborough St, Southport incorporates wide
pedestrian footpaths and crossing points
Complete streets
Successful streets are places for people, not just movement
Moving people and goods efficiently is
essential to maintaining prosperous,
sustainable communities. Our roads link
people and places all across the region and
form the backbone of the movement network
in SEQ, connecting suburbs, towns and rural
areas.
While streets are critical for movement, they
have several other important functions too.
These include access to properties, parking,
utilities and services, biodiversity and most of
all, placemaking. Depending on the context
of an individual street, the priority of these
functions will vary, and street design must
respond appropriately.
In this study, the most successful streets
blend their movement function with
placemaking. The best residential streets
were often simply designed and featured large
street trees.
31
Streets in Centres of Activity and CBDs were
carefully designed with footpaths, street trees,
lighting, seating and other elements that
collectively contribute to the public realm and
streetscape.
Complete streets in SEQ integrate with an
appropriate scale and form of neighbouring
buildings, and also exhibit that SEQ subtropical
essence, through materials, fences, shade,
landscaping and other elements.
More detail of the principles of quality street
design can be found in Complete Streets:
Guidelines for urban street design (Institute for
Public Works Engineering Australia, 2010).
Abbott St, New Farm – a classic neighbourhood street
Neighbourhood streets
The best neighbourhood streets are places in their own right
In SEQ, most residents live in neighbourhood
streets. They are the most abundant of
streets, stitching our residential and mixed
use neighbourhoods together and providing
access to homes and sometimes workplaces.
As the name suggests, these streets are local
in nature, providing access to properties in a
neighbourhood but having a relatively minor
traffic function. Neighbourhood streets also
have many other functions, they are used
to service properties with water, electricity
and other services and provide routes for
walking and cycling for recreation as well as
commuting. They are also used for parking and
maintain important stormwater conveyance
and local biodiversity functions.
The best neighbourhood streets identified
in this study did not have a prominent traffic
function. Even when neighbourhood streets
were wide, the space was often dominated by
substantial trees, not asphalt.
Other streets are narrower and lined with
attractive buildings and gardens, instead
of blank fences or empty unused yards.
Neighbourhood streets are as important to
placemaking and neighbourhood character as
they are to movement and property access.
Historically, street widths have been devised
for many reasons, but this study identifies
a common neighbourhood street typology
comprising of a 7-8 m wide carriageway in
a 15 m reserve (up to 20 m in older areas).
Where wider verges are found, they were
generously landscaped. Wider streets enable
plenty of space for walking and cycling, a good
relationship between buildings on either side
of a street, and adequate space for vehicles,
parking and trees.
32
Grande Ave, Springfield – a connector street
Connector streets
Connect people and places, don’t just collect cars
Streets with a more important connecting
function must be designed to accommodate
increased movement for all travel modes. The
goal in planning these routes is connecting
people with destinations, rather than collecting
cars.
What’s more, connecting streets are often
important people places. These streets house
public transport routes, are home to shops
and commerce (reflecting their accessibility
to higher numbers of people), and form well
known linear landmarks of our towns and
cities.
A connector street typology of a 12.5 m
roadway in a 20 m reserve was evident in this
study. This width allows on-street parking, bus
stops and cycle lanes to be accommodated
into the street. A median is sometimes
included with trees to form a boulevard.
33
More detail of street types can be found in
Complete Streets: Guidelines for urban street
design, (Institute for Public Works Engineering
Australia, 2010).
Varsity Lakes utilises rear lanes for vehicle access to row houses and secondary entry points for
home based businesses
Rear lanes
Use rear lanes frequently in neighbourhoods and centres
This study found examples of laneways in
every urban place type, serving a variety
of functions. A laneway in a suburban
neighbourhood can provide vehicle access to
rear loaded houses, increasing the amenity
of the primary streetscape and reducing
impacts on traffic from frequent driveways.
The relationship of buildings to the street is
the key to the success of this street typology.
For example, Varsity Lakes demonstrates how
well a residential lane can function as a service
and vehicle point for rear loaded housing
product as well as the primary street frontage
for secondary dwellings and fonzie flats. The
interface between the rear loaded dwellings
and those facing the laneway needs to be
carefully considered for this configuration to
succeed.
The position of buildings and windows must
allow overlooking of the lane to maintain
personal safety. Short lane lengths and views
from neighbouring dwellings also assist.
In Urban Neighbourhoods (P5) and Centres of
Activity (P6), laneways are an effective way to
address parking and servicing requirements for
businesses and residents. Continuous street
frontages of active uses can be maintained by
ensuring on-street parking is available, limiting
driveways and providing for a quality public
realm. Rear lanes were a frequent success
factor in centres visited during this study.
Laneways in Centres of Activity and CBDs
can transform an empty space in between
buildings into a vibrant, attractive hub for
people to meet and pass through.
34
Un-signalised four-way intersection at Tedder Ave, Main Beach
Intersections
Use four-way intersections in P4 and P5 Neighbourhoods
Grid street networks have many advantages,
including great connectivity, legibility and
longer vistas. Grids also result in frequent
cross-streets, or four-way intersections that
must be managed appropriately.
For several decades, roundabouts have been
used to do this job. While efficient at moving
vehicles, roundabouts prioritise vehicles
over walkers and cyclists. When overused,
even drivers are inconvenienced. Two lane
roundabouts are almost never suitable for
places for pedestrians and cyclists.
Roundabouts are not common in most of the
SEQ places in this study, except in the busiest
centres and CBDs. In fact, un-signalised fourway intersections (often controlled by give way
or stop signs) are found frequently in most
place types (except in the much busier CBD
locations).
35
Unsignalised four-ways fell out of favour
because roundabouts are usually deemed to
be safer for traffic, but four-ways have benefits
too. They use less land, enable a grid street
layout to be easily built, and are usually easier
for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate. Fourway intersections are becoming accepted
again.
Complete Streets: Guidelines for urban street
design published in 2010 by the Institute for
Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA,
2010) suggests uncontrolled or priority
controlled four-way intersections are a valid
option, when validated by appropriate traffic
analysis.
Where four-way traffic movement is not
desired, four-way active transport movement
must still be achieved.
Pedestrian crossings prioritise pedestrian movement in Southport
Pedestrian crossings
Prioritise pedestrians especially in centres and CBDs
To increase the number of people getting
out of their cars and around their suburbs
and centres on foot, appropriate pedestrian
infrastructure and street crossings must be
planned and built.
A one-size-fits-all approach to pedestrian
crossings is not appropriate. The standard
of crossings is a function of the amount
of street traffic and the importance of the
pedestrian route. But few pedestrians do not
always mean that few crossings are required.
The opposite may be the case. Pedestrians
might stay away until a safe, comfortable and
interesting walking route exists.
In this study of SEQ places, few formal
crossings were found in suburban streets.
Pedestrians were certainly present at different
times of the day, but there was often little
traffic and pedestrians could cross at their
leisure.
Urban Neighbourhoods are denser and have
more people and traffic, but again formal
crossings were not common. However,
pedestrian refuges on busier streets and some
signalised crossings at major intersections
were needed, for both suburban and urban
contexts.
In service and employment centres (whether
Rural Townships, centres or CBDs) crossings
become very important to the successful
functioning of the place. Refuges, signalised
crossings and zebra crossings were commonly
present in these flourishing places. In CBDs,
shared zones were common. The lesson from
these busy and vibrant places is that high
pedestrian priority crossings, such as zebra
crossings and shared zones, are a critical
ingredient in making the place attractive to
people and successful centres need people
more than anything else.
36
Stand up kerb in a neightbourhood street
Kerbs
Use stand-up kerbs and tight kerb radii on street corners
The devil is often in the detail, and in street
design the detail includes things like kerb
types. Today, concrete kerb and channel can be
shaped into almost any profile and shape but,
as with many things, the old fashioned design
is often the best.
Stand-up kerb was the most common kerb
type across all place types in this study. In
suburban streets, stand-up kerb was used
more than 50 per cent of the time, while in
urban places and in centres the stand-up
kerb was almost universal. Flush kerb was
also used in some neighbourhood streets
and in CBD shared zones, where pedestrian
priority is achieved by blending the vehicle
and pedestrian space. Flush kerb is also
appropriate to achieve water sensitive urban
design, often in non-urban, suburban or park
side settings.
37
Stand-up kerbs define the edge of a roadway
better and keep vehicles away from the
footpath. Roll-over kerb, popular in late 20th
century suburban expansion, allows cars to
park easily on the verge, but the message to
pedestrians is that the whole road reserve
has space for cars. Parking on footpaths is
illegal and causes significant inconvenience for
residents.
Many of the surveyed places in the study
have corner radii much tighter than usual
under recent standards, with clear benefits to
walkability and safety. Relatively sharp corners
(such as 3 m radii on local streets) are a highly
effective speed control measure, removing the
need for bumps and traffic islands and the like.
A sharper corner radii makes the pedestrian
crossing narrower, shortening the time for
pedestrians to cross and making it safer and
easier to cross.
Streettrees provide shade over the footpath in Bulimba
Shelter and shade
Street trees provide shelter and create a sense of space and place
In the SEQ subtropical climate, shade and
shelter boost the walkability of a street. Shade
protects pedestrians from the elements as
well as reducing heat island effects.
In this study, trees were the most common
means of providing shade, although in
centres and CBDs building awnings and
other structures are important for shade
and weather protection. Some of the most
attractive and inviting streets were lined with
consistent and mature street trees spaced to
allow their crowns to touch to form a canopy.
Streets lined with consistent tree species,
with different streets planted with different
species, create visual interest. Selecting the
right species for local conditions ensures their
health and longevity in the urban environment.
Street trees can also be used to narrow the
carriageway width, in a physical sense and
a perceived sense, helping to slow traffic.
Tree lined pathways can provide useful visual
links between focal points within a place type
including areas of open spaces, and residential
and commercial areas that might otherwise
feel disconnected. A tree lined street helps to
create a sense of comfort and enclosure for
pedestrians.
Street trees in commercial areas can mimic
human scale and lessen the dominance of
taller structures.
Care must be taken to minimise clashes
between buried infrastructure and tree roots to
ensure enough space exists for both.
38
The car parking for this apartment complex is located at the rear via a shared access point which
improves on-street parking opportunity and the visual appeal of the building
On-street parking
On-street car parking is important to parking supply and vitality
In this study, on-street parking was well
provided for and provided the flexibility to
accommodate residents and visitors. On-street
car parking in neighbourhoods and centres
delivers a range of benefits, including reduced
on-site parking demands, slowing passing
traffic and activating the street as people move
from their vehicle to a destination.
A mix of uses within a neighbourhood or
centre tend to have varying peak times and
demand and allow parking spaces to serve
a range of surrounding businesses and
customers. In Grey Street at South Bank, a
diversity of uses that function day and night
including restaurants and cafes, cinemas and
offices share the parking.
In Next Generation Suburban (P4) and Urban
Neighbourhoods (P5), rear lanes and shared
driveways can increase on-street parking
provision where a higher demand is expected.
Rear loaded housing increases the amenity of
the primary street and promotes walkability.
Sensible use of on-street parking, which is a
feature of the streets this handbook promotes,
can also help reduce the need for on-site
parking, which can reduce housing costs. This
is further discussed in 4.10, off-street parking.
In mixed use areas, developments with
compact housing forms and transit oriented
development precincts, reduced car parking
rates and opportunities for shared car parking
work well.
39
On-street parking on major roads requires
separate consideration against road planning
objectives.
Springfield Lakes is a residential development that demonstrates several WSUD features
Water Sensitive Urban Design
Sustainable development protects and conserves the urban water cycle
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)
focuses on the efficient and effective
management of the urban water cycle and
ensures that natural water systems within
the urban environment are protected to allow
them to function more effectively. WSUD is a
desirable solution to stormwater management
and in this study it found that several
greenfield developments had integrated
the design objectives for managing urban
stormwater into the landscape.
Some WSUD applications include rainwater
storage tanks suitable for rural, suburban and
urban areas, grass or landscaped swales,
infiltration trenches and bio-retention trenches,
porous pavements, greywater harvesting and
treatment ponds.
In urban environments, WSUD is useful for
managing stormwater quality, improving
waterway stability and managing the
frequency of flows. Site conditions, climate,
catchment and pollutant characteristics will
influence the selection of WSUD applications.
This handbook supports the use of WSUD
principles and reflects the State Planning
Policy for Healthy Waters 2010 (Queensland
Government, 2010d), and Technical Guidelines Implementation Guideline no. 7.
(Queensland Government, 2009b).
40
4.0
Lot and building scale
The approach to development on
individual lots and buildings can do
much to promote the Next Generation
Planning concepts of Smart Growth
and Affordable Living. It also offers
the best opportunities to achieve
consistency in basic standards across
the region to reduce housing costs and
promote affordable living.
Note: The names given to dwelling types
in these pages describe types of buildings.
In Queensland Planning Provisions (QPP)
compliant planning schemes, dwelling types
are usually given definitions in the context of
material change of use (MCU) development.
More than one MCU definition may be relevant
to particular buildings (i.e. a row house may
be developed as either a dwelling house on a
separate freehold lot or as a multiple dwelling
on common property. In both cases the built
form is the same).
This part of the guidelines covers:
4.1 Detached houses on wide lots
4.2 Detached houses on narrow lots
4.3 The “plexes” – duplexes/triplexes/
quadplexes/quinplexes
4.4 Row houses
4.5 Secondary dwellings
4.6 Live/work buildings
4.7 Low rise apartments
4.8 Medium and high rise apartments
4.9 Consistent lot types
4.10 Off-street parking
4.11 Addressing the street
4.12 Build to the slope
4.13 Height
4.14 Space around the house
4.15 Carports and garages
A traditional Queenslander detached house on a larger lot at Rosewood
Detached houses on wide lots
An appropriate housing option for some households
Detached houses on traditionally sized lots are
a large part of the housing stock in SEQ. They
serve the needs of a wide range of household
types.
In SEQ, these lots are typically around 20 m
wide, and from 450 m2 to 2000 m2. When
they occur in large tracts without other forms
of housing, this housing type is highly land
consumptive and contributes to unsustainable
urban sprawl. Smart Growth means using land
more efficiently for this form of housing and
mixing it with other forms, particularly in Next
Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods (P4),
but also in existing urban neighbourhoods
(P5). It is also easy to design this housing to
incorporate secondary dwellings and still look
the same.
Some of the great examples in SEQ of
detached houses on larger lots challenge the
traditional front setback of 6 m, demonstrating
that smaller setbacks at the front and side of a
property achieve a more efficient use of private
land and provide great amenity or character.
Houses with smaller building footprints allow
space for deep planted gardens and vegetation
cover, natural drainage and stormwater flow,
treed back yards, cultivating crops and keeping
pets.
Detached houses of modest scale with
small site coverage are a robust and flexible
development form, allowing for the renovation
and expansion of houses over time to
accommodate more modern living choices,
changing household sizes and financial
circumstances.
Detached houses are easily owned individually
without the need for a body corporate.
43
Granville St, West End demonstrates a number of detached houses on 250 m2 lots
Detached houses on narrow lots
Small lot housing is found in some of SEQ’s most loved neighbourhoods
In recent times in SEQ, as elsewhere, single
and double storey detached houses are being
developed on much narrower and smaller
lots. This housing is also found in many older,
widely admired neighbourhoods. This housing
type can take a number of forms, including
those referred to as cottage and villa style
homes. They require some elements of the
building design to be carefully managed, such
as dwelling size, setbacks, private open space
and car parking.
Cottages are small single storey dwellings
on small lots that are relatively compact and
usually have a single car parking space (or two
tandem car spaces), so car parking does not
dominate its streetscape. These houses can be
relatively small in size in some places, similar
to the size of traditional dwellings built during
the first half of the 20th century. Lot frontages
for cottage dwellings can be narrow
(10-12.5 m).
Allowing some setbacks to the front and side
for habitable rooms provides for natural light,
cross ventilation and better design outcomes.
Setbacks on one side of the lot can be very
small, while garages, service areas and
verandahs can be built to a lot boundary.
Double storey detached housing on small
lots will enable a smaller site coverage,
while retaining areas for private open space,
deep planting areas, trees, natural drainage,
vegetation and reusable gardens. Some
double storey houses can have car access
from rear lanes, allowing parking for two cars.
Double storey buildings create improved street
enclosure and definition, which works well in
Urban Neighbourhoods.
44
A modern duplex on a corner lot in Granville Street, West End
The ‘plexes’ – duplexes/triplexes/quadplexes/quinplexes
A compact housing form compatible with high quality streetscapes
Duplexes are paired dwellings sharing a single
internal wall, while triplexes, quadplexes and
quinplexes are similar but with three, four and
five dwellings in turn. They can be single or
two storeys and some, particularly duplexes,
can present to the street similar to a detached
house.
Plexes are often best sited on a corner, to
punctuate the street end and accommodate
more than one driveway. They are an effective
way to increase density, in both urban and
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods.
Sometimes two detached houses can be on
the one lot. These housing forms are generally
located in P4 and P5 neighbourhoods,
interspersed with other housing forms.
45
There are many good examples of duplexes,
triplexes, quadplexes and quinplexes in SEQ,
particularly in newer, integrated developments
such as Varsity Lakes.
Two storey row houses with semi-basement
parking Bulimba
Rear lane access to row houses, Varsity Lakes
Row houses
Row houses form great streetscapes and efficient housing
Row houses, also called terraces, are a
number of attached houses of two to four
storeys on individual lots. Usually more than
three to four row houses are located together.
Long rows of more than eight houses are
uncommon in SEQ.
Row houses should have car access and
servicing from a rear lane, creating high
quality streetscapes not compromised with
pedestrian safety and amenity by multiple
driveways over footpaths.
Private open space requires fencing for privacy
and is often located between the dwelling and
the rear garage or car port. To maximise the
area of open space and contribute to a more
urban streetscape, front setbacks are small.
To add privacy, main living areas or front
habitable rooms are elevated. Lot and building
widths can be as narrow as the width of one
bedroom or as wide as two bedrooms.
46
Pitt St, Toowoomba provides many examples of secondary dwellings utilising a rear lane
Secondary dwellings
Granny and Fonzie flats can provide low cost, flexible housing options for suburbs
The granny flat or secondary dwelling in a
backyard or under the house has been a
relatively common form of dwelling in SEQ
for many decades. Usually these dwellings
have remained in the same ownership as
the principal dwelling, and are used by
family members or students, sometimes for
temporary periods.
Some modern developments have taken this
concept further by developing loft apartments
or ‘fonzie flats’, usually above garages in rear
lane accessed houses. As well as providing
small, studio style accommodation, these
dwellings have the advantage of providing
casual surveillance of the lane from occupied
rooms. Sometimes these flats are used for
work instead of living, and can be kept in the
same ownership as the principal dwelling,
or be separately titled to create a low cost
purchase option for first home buyers.
47
Secondary dwelling and loft apartments are
unlikely to create additional infrastructure
demands or amenity impacts, and should be
made easily developable especially in Next
Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods and
Urban Neighbourhoods.
A fonzi flat/home office situated above a
garage in Varsity Lakes
Ground floor vet with residence above at
Moffat Beach
Live/work buildings
A flexible lifestyle option and transition between housing and commercial uses
Live/work buildings include a home and a
workplace. This is not a new idea - in older
residential areas small shops were common,
built in front of a house to the front boundary
with an awning over the street. These stores
often faced busier through streets and were
located on corner sites, hence the name
‘corner store’.
While the traditional corner store is generally
not part of new SEQ neighbourhoods, working
from home is recognised as an increasing
trend in recent decades. The result is that
offices and workshops are being incorporated
into residences, particularly in more urban
places. Home workshops and offices attached
to a residential use can back onto parking
areas used for retail or mixed use purposes,
allowing for shared parking arrangements.
Higher site cover is appropriate for buildings
of this type. Live/work buildings can provide
an appropriate transition from a residential
building to a commercial or retail space.
Houses are sometimes converted to offices
and shops, and vice versa. This can only
happen if the design is ‘robust’ enough to
be converted to a different use. Buildings on
street corners or near Centres of Activity are
more likely to be suitable for this approach.
Street patterns must also be robust enough to
adapt to changing uses. While knocking down
houses and rebuilding is not always desirable,
knocking down a cul-de-sac near to a centre
to allow for more intense land uses is next to
impossible.
Row houses can easily incorporate live/
work arrangements. In SEQ, there are good
examples of three storey row houses with
offices and parking at ground level and living
spaces above. More commonly, the ‘shop-top
housing’ model accommodates commercial or
retail space on the ground floor of a detached
dwelling with a second level residential use.
48
Two storey apartments with basement parking provided as part of an integrated development, Bulimba
Low rise apartments
A compact housing form appropriate for more urban places
Low rise apartments are generally two to
three storeys, often above semi-basement
car parking. Buildings of this scale can have
open stairs and balcony access, enabling
design for cross ventilation which is important
for subtropical and energy efficient design.
Alternatively, low rise apartments can be
accessed via a lift, although this usually results
in higher cost constructions and maintenance
with the additional costs being passed onto
the purchaser/resident.
An apartment building can be part of an
integrated development by a single developer
on an amalgamated site, or a separate
development. Apartment buildings usually
require community titling, with common
property managed through a body corporate.
49
Low rise apartment buildings in SEQ
demonstrate that small setbacks to street
frontages are possible and the quality of
the human experience relates to the height
of the building, width of the street and
front boundary treatment (e.g. fencing and
landscaping). Access to spaces for leisure and
recreation is an important consideration in the
design of low rise apartments, which includes
private, communal and public open space.
Mixed use retail/commerical to create a more ‘human scaled’ streetscape, Labrador
Medium and high rise apartments
Accommodate higher density living in urban places
Medium (4-10 storeys) and high rise apartment
buildings have an upper limit determined
by the context of the place. They are most
appropriate in Urban Neighbourhoods (P5),
Centres of Activity (P6) and CBD (P7) locations.
In Centres of Activity and CBDs, the ground
floor of an apartment building should
accommodate retail or commercial spaces.
This vertical mix of uses within medium and
high rise apartments is desirable in places
where there are busy streets and high levels
of accessibility and pedestrian activity.
Particularly for high rise apartments,
design is to be carefully managed to avoid
overshadowing of the street, which can be
achieved by towers above broad podiums. This
design feature is particularly evident in CBDs
across SEQ. Towers may have a narrow floor
plan to maximise north facing apartments and
cross ventilation.
50
Consistent lot widths of Granville Street, West End create a rhythm of the street
Consistent lot types and dimensions
Minimum lot sizes are used in most SEQ
planning regulations as the primary tool to
regulate dwelling type, but they can be a
blunt instrument impacting on the capacity
to accommodate diverse housing types.
The width and depth of a lot are much more
important to its suitability for different housing
forms and have a much greater effect on
streetscape outcomes.
The width and depth of a lot are important
determinants of the type of housing that can
be provided on it. As a general rule, a standard
sized lot is desirable as it achieves a more
efficient layout and is more cost effective in
terms of infrastructure provision and house
building (ULDA, 2010).
51
To achieve efficient use of land and services,
the width of a lot should be as narrow as
possible, while enabling appropriate design
and function for the desired dwelling type.
The quality of a street is more about the width
of the lots than their depth (which often cannot
be perceived).
Relatively consistent lot widths create a
rhythm of the street that works well in creating
neighbourhood character. But lots need to vary
to accommodate a range of housing types.
The depth and area of a lot needs to be
sufficient to allow for areas of private open
space, landscaping and, where applicable, rear
access.
Consistent lot dimensions across the region
are desirable for efficiency of design and
construction. Every time a house plan has
to be altered to suit moderate differences
in planning schemes, costs and delays are
incurred. This does not mean that local
governments and communities lose control
over which type of lots and houses are
appropriate, and where they should be located.
But when a ‘Villa’ or ‘Cottage’ allotment is
needed we use a consistent definition of what
a ‘Villa’ and ‘Cottage’ lot dimension is.
The Urban Land Development Authority
(ULDA) has developed a consistent typology
of residential lots for its projects. The lot
dimensions are appropriate for use across
SEQ, and this handbook adopts these
dimensions.
52
Residential development at Surbiton St, Carindale provides discreet access for vehicle parking
Off-street parking
Less car parking promotes Smart Growth and Affordable Living
Providing car parking can be highly land
consumptive and costly, and affects dwelling
yield. This has significant impacts on the cost
of housing. The use of limited space for vehicle
parking in more urban locations is an inefficient
use of land, particularly where other transport
options are available, and affects affordable
living.
In locations well served by public
transport, reference to the Transit Oriented
Development (TOD) Guide and parking rates
is recommended (Queensland Government,
2010).
Many successful housing products are
breaking the mould and challenging
the traditional need to provide a double
garage for every housing type. Innovative
solutions not commonly used in Australia
are recommended, such as ‘unbundling’ car
parking, which allows for buying car parks as
an option for the housing purchaser.
53
In a well designed mixed use neighbourhood,
people can live without a car and this should
be an available choice where there is an
efficient public transport system in place. A
mixed use neighbourhood will provide a variety
of destinations within comfortable walking or
cycling distance of one another, reducing car
dependency. Families are able to walk their
children to school or cycle a short distance to
work. This is in distinct contrast to conventional
single-use zones, which require people to
travel long distances to fulfil basic daily needs.
In Centres of Activity and CBDs, parking
structures are best connected directly to
the street rather than other buildings as this
increases pedestrian presence on the street.
Some parking can be located in multi-level
shared parking that is hidden from main
street frontages. Short Street at Southport is
an excellent example of shared car parking
sleeved behind a bustling main street making
this a successful and enjoyable place to be.
This house in Granville St, West End is built close to the road, presenting benefits such as
improved CPTED, streetscape quality and space at the rear for private open space or car parking
Addressing the street
Buildings address the street, with setbacks appropriate to the place type
This study indicates that buildings addressing
the street bring many benefits. It ensures the
street maintains its ‘people function’, rather
than being a road for the sole purpose of
moving through traffic; and promotes safety
through casual overlooking.
Often, the more urban a setting, the closer
a building is to the street. However, in many
places in this study, there is still a small front
yard. These spaces still play an important
function, with the examples in this study
indicating that these areas can complement
street trees to create a more integrated
streetscape. Low or see through fencing of
front boundaries also promotes the quality of
the streetscape.
Building frontages can contribute to the
creation of lively, active streetscapes (such
as shop fronts, indoor/outdoor cafes and
restaurants). They stimulate activities
that are likely to foster casual, social and
business interaction for extended periods and
encourage night time activity which increases
safety by having more people around. The level
of activation should correspond with street
and retail hierarchies, as not all streets can nor
should be fully activated. Active frontages are
desirable in at least some parts of most place
types, particularly in central, focal parts of
neighbourhoods and, of course, in Centres of
Activities and CBDs.
Service and vehicle entries are best located
off rear service lanes or secondary side
streets. In some instances, service access
can be achieved through a screened, narrow
entry at the front that is integrated with the
surrounding streetscape.
54
Using row housing to step down the slope at Springfield
Build to the slope
Design buildings to the landform, not landform to the buildings
The buildings, streets and neighbourhoods
explored during this study are built on
varied topographies. Many sites are flat,
others sloping, and a few locations can only
be described as steep. This reflects the
SEQ situation, but today more and more
development is taking place on sloping land.
A common response to slope is to cut and fill
sites and create flat pads for houses and other
buildings, and even to alter the landform to
enable streets to be constructed to preferred
standards. Some earthworks are to be
expected, but overuse of these techniques can
result in expanses of ugly retaining walls, the
loss of trees and vegetation and interference
with natural drainage systems. In more
compact settings, individual retaining walls
between buildings are harder and harder to
construct efficiently and aesthetically.
55
Few of the buildings in this study relied on site
retaining to overcome slope. Instead, elevated
and split-levels building construction is used
to achieve level changes in a more sensitive
manner. The classic ‘Queenslander’ house
is famous for being highset and built on the
flattest and steepest of sites with minimal
impact on natural landforms and stormwater
flows. That technique is integral to SEQ’s built
character.
Apartments in Duporth Avenue, Maroochydore are kept to three storeys on the street, with the
tower pushed further back into the site ensuring a more ‘human scale’ on the street
Height
Locate and design building height to maintain human scale
In most place types, maintaining a human
scale is important. This means having a scale
of building that is comfortable for people on
the street. This has implications for the height
and shape of buildings.
Human scaled components can reduce
building bulk and create people friendly
environments. Podiums are an effective way to
achieve this, with taller building elements set
back from the street. Semi-public attachments,
such as front entry spaces, verandahs,
balconies, bay windows and porches can
facilitate this in residential neighbourhoods.
Taller buildings are best located in centres,
and areas of high amenity such as near open
space. Locating taller buildings on corner
sites and around large public parks and plazas
enables longer views down streets and better
enclosure of the streetscape. Medium density
development works well when constructed at
similar heights to mature shade trees on the
street.
On buildings over two storeys, the level of
architectural detail required at the ground floor
is increased to add interest and depth to the
pedestrian environment.
Building height may also be influenced by the
need to design for flood events.
56
This small lot house in Murphy St, Ipswich demonstrates how larger rear setbacks accommodate
back gardens and mature trees
Space around the house
Bring back the backyard
Recent studies have documented the
disappearance of the backyard from Australian
suburban development in the 1990s and 2000s
(Hall, 2010). This phenomenon appears to have
accompanied the rapid increase in the size of
new suburban homes, rather than decreasing
lot sizes. In fact, several examples of houses
on small lots but with sizable back yards were
identified in this study. Modest house sizes are
the key to achieving this goal.
While local public open space may
compensate in some ways for smaller private
gardens on an individual lot, the backyard has
other roles too. It reduces impervious areas
such as roofs, allows greater stormwater
infiltration and preservation of natural
landform, enhances privacy and amenity, and
allows space for plants and animals, whether
they be veggie patch, pets, or native plants and
birdlife.
57
Smaller front setbacks may enable larger
setbacks at the rear to accommodate private
open space in back gardens with mature trees.
Some front of building elements, such as
verandahs and front porches, can encroach
on building setbacks as they promote
socialisation, passive surveillance, subtropical
living and improve street amenity.
Wide verandahs at the front, side and rear
of houses are an iconic feature of SEQ
neighbourhoods and are central to an indoor/
outdoor lifestyle. Their continued use is
encouraged.
This side setback allows for driveways along one side to a garage at the rear and reduces car
dominance on the street
Carports and garages
Providing for car accommodation in a pedestrian oriented streetscape
While vehicle access to each dwelling is
a part of residential design, managing the
locations of car parking has a positive impact
on streetscape character, pedestrian access
and amenity.
The best examples from this study are
buildings with garages located in a way that
does not dominate the streetscape and often
hardly visible at all.
Garages and carports can be located at the
rear of the site with driveway access along
the other side boundary. A side setback can
be wide to allow vehicle access to the rear
of the site and views past buildings to rear
gardens can provide outlook from the sides of
the buildings to green areas. These spaces are
normally oriented to the north or east of the
dwelling.
Carports and garages are best located towards
the rear of the house, or well integrated into
the surrounding streetscape and architecture.
Reduced side setbacks enable informal side
driveway access to the rear of the house.
Narrow lots are best accessed via a rear lane
or otherwise have single or tandem car spaces
only.
58
PART B
Planning scheme modules
This part of the handbook provides
modular planning scheme provisions
which can be used to implement
and regulate the concepts in Part
A: the guidelines. These provisions
are designed to be readily imported
into planning schemes, and for use
in formulating and assessing new
development proposals.
Like the guidelines, the planning
scheme modules are ordered by scale
as follows:
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
Sub-regional and district scale
Neighbourhood (local) scale
Street scale
Lot and building scale
5.0
Sub-regional and district scale
Planning at the sub-regional and
district scales can be articulated
through the strategic framework
in local government QPP planning
schemes. Within the QPP structure,
one of the important themes of the
strategic framework is the Settlement
Pattern.
The SEQ Place Model provides a good
basis for the settlement pattern theme.
The following sections are designed to
assist in the drafting of QPP planning
schemes through the adaption of the
SEQ Place Model into the settlement
pattern.
The content provided here is exemplar
and will require further development
and adaptation to suit local
circumstances.
This part of the planning scheme
modules includes:
5.1 SEQ Place Model in a strategic
framework
5.2 SEQ Place Model in a strategic plan
The QPP indicates the strategic framework
in local government planning schemes is to
comprise the following sections:
- Theme heading
- Strategic outcomes
- Elements
- Specific outcomes
- Land use strategies
Further explanation of the QPP requirements
for each of these sections is provided in the
QPP. The following sections of this document
describe how the SEQ Place Model can be
used within this framework.
SEQ Place Model in a strategic framework
Theme:
Compact settlement
For local governments that have a regional
plan in place, theme headings for the strategic
framework are to be derived from the Desired
Regional Outcomes (DRO) in the regional plan.
The SEQ Regional Plan settlement pattern
DRO heading is ‘Compact settlement’.
QPP Strategic Outcomes
Strategic outcomes represent the ‘big picture’
policy direction for the local government area
as a whole, relevant to the particular theme.
The SEQ Place Model provides a framework to
articulate strategic outcomes for the Compact
settlement theme, and linked to the intent of
the DROs in the SEQ Regional Plan.
Examples of Strategic outcomes that support
the SEQ Place Model within the compact
settlement theme are:
1.
Urban development in the (…) LGA occurs
in existing urban areas and planned urban
extensions that are contiguous with
existing urban areas.
2. Higher density development is focussed
around centres of activity and public
transport nodes and corridors.
3. Greenfield areas are developed in a way
that makes efficient use of land.
4. All new development is adequately
serviced by and integrated with the public
transport network.
5. Connectivity is achieved between
residential uses, employment
opportunities and services through
the provision of walkable communities
integrated with efficient public transport
services.
6. Centres of Activity are the focus of
employment, infill housing and community
services that meets the needs of
residential communities connected by a
high frequency public transport network.
7.
Development is designed and located
to achieve high quality urban design,
subtropical design and smart growth
principles.
8. Housing choice is available to meet the
needs of a diverse community and located
to achieve affordable living outcomes.
9. An integrated and high quality greenspace
network caters to the needs of residents,
particularly in and around Centres of
Activity and higher density areas.
61
Element 1:
SEQ Place Model
The SEQ Place Model can be used for the
broadscale planning of a local government
area. It divides the LGA into broad place
types that share common characteristics,
development forms and quality planning
outcomes.
The model is intended to describe ‘best
practice’ places of the future, rather than
existing places. Hence, it outlines a future
desired outcome for an area.
The model is particularly useful as a strategic
planning tool used for the high level planning
of a LGA as a whole. In addition, it is an
effective communication tool that can be easily
understood and interpreted by the community.
Consistent with QPP requirements for the
strategic framework in local government
planning schemes, the accompanying table
provides examples of specific outcomes and
land use strategies under the SEQ Place
Model element of the compact settlement
theme.
Place Types
Overview
P1
Natural Places
Areas dominated by the natural
environment and other lands
containing mostly undisturbed,
natural conditions.
P2
Rural Places
Rural production and
landscapes, rural living.
Rural living is an element of
rural landscape but in smarter
communities is secondary to
rural production.
P3
Rural Townships
The range of smaller rural
townships in SEQ.
P4
Next Generation
Suburban
Neighbourhoods
Walkable local areas, which
are people (rather than car)
focussed and contain a choice
of housing types and some
other local uses in a mixed use
setting.
P5
Urban
Neighbourhoods
Walkable, high density local
areas, which are people (rather
than car) focussed and contain
a wider choice of other housing
types and more mixed use than
suburban neighbourhoods.
P6
Centres of
Activity
Vibrant and intense mixed use
centres including housing, retail,
employment, education and
entertainment facilities. Some
taller buildings are part of the
built form character.
P7
CBDs
Central business districts e.g. of
Brisbane, Ipswich, Toowoomba centres of production as well as
consumption.
P8
Specific Use
Places
Large single use/focus
places that don’t fit into other
place types e.g. industry,
ports, prisons, major sport &
recreation.
62
Element 1: SEQ Place Model (cont.)
Natural Places (P1)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. Natural Places are dominated by the natural
environment. They perform essential functions as
green space, ecological and landscape areas, which
are vital to protecting our ecological assets and
biodiversity, provide access to natural experiences and
a landscape frame for other places.
2. Natural Places include national parks and similar
publicly owned, natural areas, together with some
privately owned land with similar attributes.
3. Natural Places do not experience development other
than low key activites that allow appropriate access
for recreation and maintenance, including walking and
maintenance access tracks.
4. Development in these areas is undertaken in a way
that ensures protection of the ecological and visual
values of the Natural Places.
5. On privately owned land, rural or other activities do not
intrude on the ecological values of these places.
63
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
1. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the (…) LGA in Schedule
2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
Rural Places (P2)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. Rural Places are mostly used for rural production,
from less intense activities like cattle grazing, to more
intensive cropping and animal husbandry, forestry and
carbon sequestration.
2. Rural Places are important for the protection of
valuable agricultural land and its rural production.
3. Rural Places provide traditional farm lifestyles, although
many residents have other employment off the farm.
4. Rural Places contribute to the landscape setting of
the region and its urban communities located in other
place types described below.
5. Housing is mostly dwellings on farm properties for
those who live/work on the land.
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
1. Areas used for rural living are
restricted to those identified
in the SEQ Regional Plan.
2. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the (…) LGA in Schedule
2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
6. Some of these places are used for rural living, where
people live on large lots but don’t use the land for any
substantial rural production.
64
Rural Townships (P3)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. Rural Townships are small settlements surrounded
by rural places. They centre on a mixed use, low scale
main street, usually with traditional awnings over the
footpath. The mix of uses is often eclectic, with shops,
halls, churches, schools, industry, a park and housing in
a harmonious mix, bound together by the character of
the street and the buildings.
2. Rural Townships provide a range of housing, mostly
detached, on lots larger than found in suburban and
urban neighbourhoods. Other types of housing are
present in the townships, including apartments,
duplexes and aged care, and cater for people in the
town and surrounding rural areas as their housing
needs change.
3. Rural Townships have a range of local community
facilities and services but rely on larger centres for
higher order uses such as employment, hospitals,
education and cultural facilities, universities, theatres
etc as well as major shopping.
4. Rural Townships are based on a traditional grid street
pattern, which give them a robust structure which is
easy to navigate. Urban expansion of these places
would extend that grid pattern to reflect the traditional
character of the place.
5. Urban development occurs in Rural Townships which
have public transport access and the new development
results in an extension of the existing grid street
network.
65
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
1. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the (…) LGA in Schedule
2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhood (P4)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods are
characterised by walkability between a range of
housing and a central focus.
2. Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods offer a
choice of housing types, including detached houses,
duplexes, row houses, shop-top housing and live/
work buildings. While detached houses are the most
common use of the lot, many detached houses are on
a range of smaller lots.
3. Housing other than detached houses in Next
Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods are often on lots
with particular attributes, like corner lots, lots with rear
lane access, and lots located near open space, centres
or public transport.
4. Housing in Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods
is within easy walking and cycling distance to a range
of local facilities, like shops, schools and parks, and
public transport.
5. Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods are
generally low in scale. They have a feel of openness
at the street level, and a sense of buildings within a
treed setting.
6. Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods streets are
characterised by street trees, which provide shade and
character, and shared use by cars, bikes and walkers.
Their streets are usually grid-based and connected in a
way that make it easy to find your way around.
7. Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods are
generally located close to Urban Neighbourhoods and
Centres of Activity where their residents can readily
access higher order services and facilities.
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
1. Development in local
government growth areas
A and B incorporates Next
Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods.
2. Development in existing
suburban areas supports
Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhood outcomes,
where identified for this
purpose in local plans and
precincts.
3. Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods are located
within the Urban Footprint
established under the SEQ
Regional Plan.
4. Development in Next
Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods provides for
a density of between 15–30
dwellings per hectare.
5. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the … LGA in Schedule 2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
66
Urban Neighbourhoods (P5)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. Urban Neighbourhoods are higher density, walkable,
mixed use neighbourhoods. They may be older suburbs
closer to centres or parts of new communities that are
planned to achieve this outcome.
1. Development in local
government growth areas
A and B incorporates Urban
Neighbourhoods.
2. Urban Neighbourhoods have good public transport
access and have been developed or redeveloped
over time at higher densities and with a greater mix
of housing and uses than Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods. Detached houses are found in these
areas, but usually in small pockets and within a more
urban setting.
2. Urban Neighbourhoods are
located within the Urban
Footprint established under
the SEQ Regional Plan.
3. Urban Neighbourhoods take different forms, from
areas where medium density or medium scale
buildings are dominant to higher density places
with major high rise buildings. They are often transit
oriented. Higher density Urban Neighbourhoods
usually have a number of suburban neighbourhoods
nearby.
4. Urban Neighbourhoods are characterised by mixed
use, providing ready access to a range of shopping,
community and other local services. Housing not in
a mixed use setting in these places is within easy
walking and cycling distance to non-residential uses
and public transport.
5. Urban Neighbourhoods have a sense of enclosure at
the street level provided by small building setbacks,
with the man made part of its character usually
dominant. Urban Neighbourhoods streets are
characterised by street trees which provide shade and
character, hard footpaths for walking trips, and through
pavements shared by cars and bikes. Their streets are
usually grid-based and connected in a way that make it
easy to find your way around.
67
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
3. Development in Urban
Neighbourhoods provides
for a density of at least 30
dwellings per hectare.
4. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the … LGA in Schedule 2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
Centres of Activity (P6)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. Centres of Activity focus on concentrations of
non-residential activities, like shopping, offices,
government, higher education and entertainment.
They come in various scales, from local to district
and regional, and are more varied in character than
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods and
Urban Neighbourhoods. They are a focus of transport
networks, and a hub for public transport and local
pedestrian and cycling.
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
1. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the … LGA in Schedule 2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
2. Centres of Activity also contain higher density
housing. They provide for residents in and around the
centres with ready access to the range of uses and
employment they offer.
3. Centres of Activity have a strong sense of enclosure at
the street level, with little or no building setback to the
street. The man made part of its character is dominant,
but punctuated by squares and quality urban parks.
Vibrancy flows from their mix of uses, level of activity
and urban qualities. They are important meeting places
and focal points for their communities. Their streets
are lined with street trees, which provide shade and
character, have hard footpaths for walking trips, and
through pavements shared use by cars and bikes. They
are usually grid-based and connected in a way that
make it easy to find your way.
4. Centres of Activity are surrounded by, and connected
to, Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods and
Urban Neighbourhoods
68
CBDs (P7)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. The CBD is the centre the LGA, its biggest centre, and
has the widest range and greatest intensity of activity
in the LGA. It is the heart of the LGA, and the place
that most people who know this LGA think of when it
is mentioned.
2. The CBD is important to the economy of the city, both
as a centre of production and consumption.
3. The CBD is laid out in a grid, and at the centre of
transport networks, for public transport, cycling and
pedestrians.
4. The CBD is urban. Buildings dominate the streets,
although the streets are important elements of their
character. Its streets are lined with street trees, hard
footpaths for walking trips, and pavements shared by
cars and bikes.
5. The large scale and intensity of the CBD provides a
vibrancy unlike any other part of the LGA. It is the key
focal point for our communities, as places to work,
do business, for entertainment or just to enjoy. It is a
meeting place, with squares and urban parks.
69
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
1. The CBD is located at (…)
as indicated on the strategic
plan map for the (…) LGA in
Schedule 2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
Specific Use Places (P8)
Element
Specific outcomes
SEQ Place Model
1. Specific Use Places are large single use/focus
places that do not fit into other place types. They are
restricted to a small number of locations with a large
single use/focus and take a quite different form to the
other place types. Housing usually has a very minor
role in Specific Use Places.
2. Specific Use Places are recognised as a different place
because their scale and nature mean they have a quite
different form that does not integrate with the other
place types.
Land use strategies
(Hypothetical examples only)
1. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the (…) LGA in Schedule
2.
Note: land use strategies are
very specific (e.g. they identify
locations where particular
development will occur).
3. Specific Use Places are not used for single purpose
zonings for places such as large shopping centres,
universities or hospitals.
70
Element 2:
Urban structuring for Smart Growth
The urban structure of a LGA is an assembly
of the place types in the SEQ Place Model
described under QPP element 1 above. The
key principles for the organisation of these
urban areas are based around walkable
neighbourhoods that provide access to a range
of employment opportunities, services and
public transport options.
Organising the urban areas of a LGA in a
logical and efficient manner will achieve a
compact settlement structure and an efficient
use of available land and infrastructure.
An urban structure that achieves these
outcomes is demonstrated by the
accompanying drawing and table.
Consistent with the QPP requirements for
the strategic framework in local government
planning schemes, the accompanying table
provides examples of specific outcomes
and land use strategies under the ‘urban
structuring for smart growth’ element of the
compact settlement theme.
71
The principles of organising the place types
Element
Specific outcomes
Urban structuring
for Smart Growth
1. Urban structuring for smart growth is consistent with
the accompanying diagram.
1. The CBD for this LGA is
located at …
2. The principles of organisation of the urban structure for
smart growth are as follows:
2. All Centres of Activity are
located on the … rail (or ..
busway) network.
a. CBDs act as the focal place of the region.
b. CBDs are dominated by a number of Urban
Neighbourhoods surrounding, mostly of high
density. In some instances, a Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhoods could be close to a CBD.
c. Centres of Activity are focal places outside of the
CBD. A range of housing types will be found in
their 400 m catchments around their mixed use
core.
Land use strategies
(hypothetical examples only)
3. Local and precinct plans for
large scale/growth areas are
consistent with this element.
4. Development is consistent
with the strategic plan map
for the … LGA in Schedule 2.
d. Surrounding the Centre of Activity are a series of
lower density Urban Neighbourhoods and Next
Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods.
e. Similarly, a cluster of Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods will generate a need and
opportunity for more Urban Neighbourhoods and
Centres of Activity.
f. The urban structure is framed and defined by
Natural Places and Rural Places which do not have
a walkable catchment. Some stand-alone Rural
Townships are located amongsth Rural Places.
3. Urban place types are linked to each other by public
transport, cycleways, pedestrian routes and the
primary through street network. Higher order public
transport corridors and other movement types directly
link the CBD and Centres of Activity and more urban
scale neighbourhoods along these routes. Lower order
public transport link the Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhoods to Urban Neighbourhoods and
Centres of Activity.
72
SEQ Place Model in a strategic plan mapping
The QPP require the strategic framework for
each local government area to be supported
by strategic plan mapping in Schedule 2
of the planning scheme. As stated in the
example land use strategies provided earlier,
development in the local government area is to
be consistent with the strategic plan map for
the LGA.
An example of what a strategic plan that
incorporates the SEQ Place Model might look
like is provided.
73
The SEQ Place Model as a strategic plan
74
6.0
Neighbourhood (local) scale
Neighbourhoods are the building
blocks of Next Generation
Neighbourhoods. This module
articulates how neighbourhood design
- scale, street networks, block size,
zoning etc. can be articulated in a QPP
planning scheme, in codes, levels of
assessment and zoning.
Exemplar performance outcomes are
provided along with ‘provisions for
acceptable outcomes’ in the form of
tables and drawings.
The content provided herein is
exemplar and will require further
development and adaptation to
suit individual planning scheme
requirements.
This part of the planning scheme
modules includes:
6.1 Neighbourhood scale module
Neighbourhood scale module
Overall outcomes or purpose
statement
Development results in a connected network
of walkable neighbourhoods supporting
affordable living and smart growth.
(Provisions for) Acceptable outcomes
Walkable neighbourhood structure
Scale
400m (5 min) walkable catchment to
focal point
800m+ (10 min+) walkable catchment
to major centre/quality PT/TOD
precinct
Focal point
P4: neighbourhood or local
centre, local park or PT (bus) on
Neighbourhood connector/Main
street
Performance outcomes
1.
Neighbourhood design results in
a connected network of walkable
neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood street
networks provide an easy choice of routes
within and surrounding neighbourhoods,
and connect to public transport,
employment, open space and services.
2. Neighbourhood design supports diverse
housing choices through block size, lot
design and mix (and zoning and levels of
assessment).
3. Neighbourhood design provides for nonresidential uses appropriate to place type.
Neighbourhoods are focussed around local
activity centres, open space, community
uses and/or public transport.
4. Neighbourhood design responds to natural
systems including topography, drainage
and local and regional biodiversity.
Orientation of streets and lots support
subtropical design.
77
P5: neighbourhood or local or district
centre, parks and quality PT on
Neighbourhood connector/Main
street
Street
network
Grid based
Orientation N-S or E-W where slope
allows
Streets follow ridges/gullies/
perpendicular to slope to minimise
cut and fill
Street types
Neighbourhood streets
Neighbourhood connector streets
spaced 800m grid
Neighbourhood main streets in
centres
Rear lanes
Block sizes
P4: length 130–200m
Depth 50–80m
P5: length 130–180m
Depth 70–100m
Walkable neighbourhood structure
Street network
78
Neighbourhood scale module (cont.)
(Provisions for) Acceptable outcomes
Housing Choice and other uses
Density
P4: 15-30du/ha
P5: 30-100+ du/ha
Applicable
zones
P4 (see Page 81)
Residential choice
Residential living
Neighbourhood centre
Open space
Community purposes
Other
Local centre
P5 (see Page 82)
Residential choice
Apartment living
Local centre
Open space
Community purposes
Other
Neighbourhood centre
District centre
79
Levels of
assessment
(mcu) for
housing
choice
See table (Page 80)
Dwelling
location
See lot mix diagram (Page 80)
Lot mix diagram
Medium/high
rise apartments
E/S
S
C
C
S
C
I
E/S
E/S
S
S/C
C
S
C
I
Live/work
building
Low rise
apartments
E/S
E/S
Secondary
dwelling
E/S
Residential choice
Row house
Detached on
narrow lot
Residential living
QPP zone
Duplex
Detached on
wider lot
Small multiple
dwellings
Level of assessment table
Apartment residential
E/S
E/S
E/S
S
C
C
S
C
C/I
Neighbourhood centre
E/S
E/S
E/S
S
C
C
S
C
C/I
Local centre
E/S
E/S
E/S
S
C
C
S
C
C/I
E
Exempt development
C
Code assessment
S
Self assessment
I
Impact assessment
The suggested levels of assessment in this table will be subject to consideration by local government of the perceived
level of risk and potential impacts of development, particularly where there are risks arising from the land’s physical
characteristics and location (for example if land is steep or flood affected)
80
Neighbourhood scale module (cont.)
Zoning
QPP zoning applied to a Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhood (P4)
This Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhood example provides for a wide
housing area mostly within a five minute
walkable catchment around a centre focus and
more intense housing and mixed use.
Residential choice
Residential choice zones are located along
through streets, along busier local streets that
lead to the centre and around local parks.
Residential living
While it includes a substantial area of the
Residential Living Zone, this doesn’t mean a
predominance of detached dwellings, as this
zone intends to carry a range of housing. While
there would be many detached dwellings in
those areas, there would also be other forms
of houses, such as dual occupancies, plexes
and row houses as detailed in Section 5.1.
Neighbourhood centre
Neighbourhood centre zones are at the
junctions of the primary through streets and
public transport routes in an accessible and
visible locations. Where streets are busy, they
are generally to the side of the intersection
creating pedestrian focussed ‘main street’
environments.
81
Residential living zones are located towards
the edge of the walkable catchment, beyond
the 250 m radius (three minute walk, inner
circle shown).
Schools/community purposes
Community facilities are placed in accessible
locations on the busier local streets on the
edges of the walkable catchment.
QPP zoning applied to an Urban Neighbourhood (P5)
This Urban Neighbourhood example provides
for higher density housing mostly within a five
minute walkable catchment of a centre with
more apartment housing and diverse mixed
use development surrounding it.
While it still includes some areas of Residential
Living Zone, there would be many other forms
of houses, such as dual occupancies, plexes,
row houses and possibly low rise apartments,
as detailed in Section 5.1.
District centre
Centres are located at the junction of
through streets and public transport routes in
accessible and visible locations generally to
the side of the intersection creating pedestrian
focussed ‘main street’ environments.
Apartment residential
Apartment residential zones are located close
to centres within 250 m and along busier local
streets that lead directly to the centre, local
parks and green corridors (where available).
Residential choice
Residential choice zones are located between
250–400 m from the centre towards the edge
of the walkable catchments.
82
7.0
Street scale
The design of streets is critical in
supporting walkable neighbourhoods.
Streets should be designed as places
for people and movement. The range
of street types detailed in this module
includes neighbourhood connectors or
main streets, neighbourhood streets
and rear lanes. Specific guidance is
provided on function and use, reserve
widths, parking, intersections and
design detail.
Exemplar performance outcomes are
provided, along with ‘provisions for
Acceptable outcomes’ in the form of
tables and drawings.
The content provided herein is
exemplar and will require further
development and adaptation to
suit individual planning scheme
requirements.
This part of the Planning scheme
modules includes:
7.1 Street scale module
Street scale module
Overall outcomes or purpose
statement
3. Safety and convenience of street users is
maximised through street design
Development results in well designed streets
supporting walkable communities; streets
are attractive and vital, forming liveable
and identifiable places; design of streets
provides safe and environmentally healthy
environments; streets are cost effective and
support affordable living.
4. Streets are cost effective to build and
maintain, including carriageways of a
minimum comfortable width to allow
for sufficient on street car parking and
efficient vehicle passing.
Performance outcomes
1.
-
-
-
Street design supports sustainable
urban form founded on walkable
neighbourhoods. Street design:
Is appropriate to the function(s) of the
street. Common street functions include:
- access to properties,
- parking,
- utilities and services,
- biodiversity,
- placemaking and
- movement.
Relative importance of these functions
is not equal and should be weighted
accordingly
Meets the needs of all users, and
Gives priority to the needs of vulnerable
users. Typical street users in order of
vulnerability and importance are:
- pedestrians,
- cyclists,
- public transport,
- service vehicles,
- private cars.
2. Street design contributes to placemaking
through:
- Detailed design including footpaths, trees
and planting, kerbs, lighting, seating and
other elements collectively contributes to
a quality public realm and streetscape, and
- Appropriate scale and form to the existing
or expected neighbouring buildings
- Street design is appropriate to place type
85
(Provisions for) Acceptable outcomes
Neighbourhood main street and
neighbourhood connector street
Use if
Connecting neighbourhood
destinations including shops and
parks, and accessing the road
network.
Bus and trunk cycling route.
Reserve
23-24m (avenue)
24-29m (boulevard)
Movement
6-7m carriageway (avenue)
2 x 3-3.5m carriageway (boulevard)
2 x 1.5m cycle lanes
2 footpaths
Parking
2.5m parking / planting
Design detail
Street trees.
Planting, seating and features as
appropriate.
Stand-up kerb.
*Note: All sections scale 1:250
Neighbourhood connector or main street (boulevard)
Neighbourhood connector or main street (avenue)
86
Neighbourhood street 7.5
Neighbourhood street 5.5
Use if
Density: 15-30dph or 30dph+
driveways: frequent
connectivity: high
Use if
Density: 15-30dph
driveways: frequent
connectivity: high
Reserve
14-15m
Use if
Movement
7.5m carriageway
2 footpaths
Density: 30dph+
Driveways: infrequent
Connectivity: low
Parking
Both sides
Reserve
14-15m
Movement
5.5-6m carriageway
1 or 2 footpaths
Parking
One side
Intersections
4-Way or T
3-6m kerb radii
Design detail
Street trees closely spaced
to prevent vehicles driving on
footpaths
Roll-over kerb
Intersections
4-Way or T
3m kerb radii
Design detail
Street trees
Stand-up kerb
87
Neighbourhood street 3.5
Rear lane
Use if
Density: 15-30dph
Driveways: infrequent
Connectivity: low
Function and
use
Access to properties, refuge
collection and servicing only
Reserve
9.5-13m
Reserve
6m (0.5-1m setback to buildings)
Movement
3.5m carriageway with passing
0 footpaths
Movement
5m carriageway
Parking
N/a
Parking
2.5m parking/planting
Design detail
Intersections
4-Way or T
3-6m kerb radii
Minimal embellishment
Flush kerb
Design detail
Street trees
88
8.0
Lot and building scale
At the lot and building scale, modules
for a range of housing types contribute
to affordable living through guidance
on housing types that considers
dwelling size and construction
maintenence in an economical way.
Housing designs allow for future
extension and modifications for cater
for changing needs. Guidance is
expressed in form based codes with
an emphasis on the physical form and
the use of graphics to clearly articulate
housing scale and bulk. Lot types are
arranged by frontage widths taking
account of the critical relationship
of the building form to the street
environment.
Exemplar performance outcomes are
provided, along with ‘provisions for
Acceptable outcomes’ in the form of
tables and drawings.
The content provided herein is
exemplar and will require further
development and adaptation to
suit individual planning scheme
requirements. Other exemplar modules
may be added over time.
This part of the planning scheme
modules includes:
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
Detached houses on wide lots
Detached housing on narrow lots
Duplex
The ‘plexes’ – triplex, quadplex,
quinplex
8.5 Row house or terrace house
8.6 Live/work (dual street frontage)
8.7 Low rise apartments
8.8 Medium and high rise apartment
8.9 Secondary dwelling
(granny flat and Fonzie flat)
8.10 Consistent lot types
Performance outcomes for lot and building scale
Overall outcomes or purpose
statement
Development supports affordable living for
residents, provides a liveable residential
environment, and contributes to community
liveability and sustainability.
Performance outcomes
1.
91
Development is designed to support
affordable living by means of:
- economical dwelling size and
construction,
- efficient use of land,
- low maintenance costs,
- access to natural light, ventilation and
heating,
- adaptability for future extension and
modification,
- cost-effective transport options.
2. Development provides a liveable
residential environment. Site and building
design provides:
- comfortable indoor and outdoor
environments including access to views,
light, breezes and shade for residents
and neighbours,
- areas for outdoor clothes drying,
- private outdoor space suitable for
passive adult recreation, swimming
pools and/or active children’s play,
- areas for landscaping allowing for shade,
decoration and (supplementary) food
production,
- off-street parking for vehicles and
bicycles.
3. Development contributes to community
liveability. Site and building design
contributes to an attractive, comfortable
and safe public realm by:
- maximising safety and amenity including
the impact of car parking and driveways
on the street,
- maintaining visual privacy for residents,
- contributing to a quality streetscape
including human scale enclosure
through placement of buildings,
retaining walls, landscaping and fencing.
- taking into consideration the potential
impacts on personal safety of natural
hazards including bushfire, floods and
landslides.
4. Development contributes to community
sustainability. Site and building design
contributes to:
- local biodiversity by providing
landscaped areas,
- healthy waters through water sensitive
urban design,
- minimised need for energy intensive
cooling, heating, drying and lighting.
92
Detached houses on wide lots
QPP description: dwelling house on 20 m wide lots
Dwelling houses on 20 m wide lots are
detached houses common in Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhoods (P4). The table
and figure to the right indicate site and
building design characteristics to achieve the
performance outcomes in Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and building massing
relate to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development. A
further illustration of the desired form of this
development is below.
(Provisions for) acceptable outcomes
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
50% maximum
Private
open space
(minimum)
Area of 50m2 with 6m dimension.
May be inclusive of verandahs and
terraces. Located north or east
of primary habitable rooms and
outdoor terraces
Setbacks
(all minimum to wall unless
stated)
Front setback
- To verandah
2m
- To house wall
4m
- To garage
6m; and 2m behind house wall
Rear setback
6m
Rear setback
(to lane)
1m ground storey
0.5m upper storeys
Side setback
- To south or
west boundary
3m
- To street
2m
- Otherwise
2m
Building
height
1, 2 or 3 storeys
8.5m maximum or 10m maximum
on slopes >15%
Parking
2 covered spaces
Streetscape
93
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door is visible and accessible from
the street
Street
surveillance
Minimum 1 habitable room
overlooks the street
Fencing
(streetfront)
1.2m height
Fencing (other)
1.2-1.8m height.
50% transparency over 1.2m
Verandahs
50% building frontage
Planting
Minimum 2x2m planted area
between front boundary and
dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction
External retaining maximum 1m
height
Developable Area
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
Scale 1:500
94
Detached houses on narrow lots
QPP description: dwelling house on 10 m, 12.5 m and 15 m wide lots
Dwelling houses on 10 m, 12.5 m and
15 m wide lots are detached houses
designed for narrow allotments. This
dwelling type is common in Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhoods (P4) and Urban
Neighbourhoods (P5). The table and figure
to the right indicate site and building design
characteristics to achieve the performance
outcomes in Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and building massing
relate to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development. A
further illustration of the desired form of this
development is below.
(Provisions for) acceptable outcomes
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
50% maximum
Private
open space
(minimum)
Area of 50m2 with 6m dimension.
May be inclusive of verandahs
and terrace. Located north or east
of primary habitable rooms and
outdoor terraces
Setbacks
All minimum to wall unless stated
Front setback
- To verandah
1m
- To house wall
3m
- To garage
4.5m
Rear setback
6m
Rear setback
(to lane)
1m ground storey
0.5m upper storeys
Side setback
- To south or
west boundary
0m lot for garage and nonhabitable rooms with a 12m
maximum wall length
- To street
0m for elevated floors, otherwise
1.5m
- Otherwise
1m
Building
height
1, 2 or 3 storeys
8.5m maximum or 10m maximum
on slopes >15%
Parking
1 covered space
Double garage only if 2 or 3 storey
or to Rear lane
Streetscape
95
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door is visible and accessible from
the street
Street
surveillance
Minimum 1 habitable room
overlooks the street
Fencing
(streetfront)
1.2m height
Fencing (other)
1.2-1.8m height
50% transparency over 1.2m
Verandahs
50% building frontage
Planting
Minimum 1x2m planted area
between front boundary and
dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction
External retaining maximum 1m
height
Developable Area
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
Scale 1:500
96
Duplex
QPP description: dual occupancy or dwelling houses
In SEQ ‘duplex’ typically refers to two
dwellings, sharing a common wall and sited
on the same lot. Other configurations are
possible. The dwellings could sit above and
below each other. Alternatively, it could be the
semi-detached house for each dwelling, two
dwellings on separate lots but with abutting
walls.
Duplexes are common in Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhoods (P4) and particularly
on corner sites. The table and figure to
the right indicate site and building design
characteristics to achieve the performance
outcomes in Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and building massing
relate to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development. A
further illustration of the desired form of this
development is below.
97
(Provisions for) acceptable outcomes
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
60% maximum
Private
open space
(minimum)
Area of 30m2 with 4m dimension.
May be inclusive of verandahs and
terraces. Located north or east
of primary habitable rooms and
outdoor terraces
Setbacks
(all minimum to wall unless
stated)
Front setback
- To verandah
1m
- To house wall
3m
- To garage
4.5m
Rear setback
4.5m
Rear setback
(to lane)
1m ground storey
0.5m upper storeys
Side setback
1m
Building
height
1, 2 or 3 storeys. 8.5m maximum
or 10m maximum on slopes >15%
Parking
1 covered space per dwelling
Double garage only if 2 or 3 storey
or to Rear lane
Streetscape
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door for each dwelling, visible and
accessible from the street
Street
surveillance
Minimum 1 habitable room per
dwelling overlooks the street
Fencing
(streetfront)
1.2m height
Fencing (other)
1.2 - 1.8m height. 50%
transparency over 1.2m
Verandahs
50% building frontage
Planting
Minimum 1x2m planted area per
dwelling, between front boundary
and dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction.
External retaining maximum 1m
height.
Developable Area
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
Scale 1:500
98
The ‘plexes’ (triplex, quadplex, quinplex)
QPP description: multiple dwellings – 3 to 5 dwelling units
Small multiple dwelling buildings are part of a
diverse mix of housing choice and are located
on corner sites, where possible. Their design
is highly variable, and related to the site size
and shape, and development economics.
The table and figure to the right indicate site
and building design characteristics to achieve
the performance outcomes in Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and building massing
relate to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development. A
further illustration of the desired form of this
development is below.
(Provisions for) acceptable outcomes
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
60% maximum
Private
open space
(minimum per
dwelling)
Area of 30m2 with 4m dimension.
May be inclusive of verandahs and
terraces. Located north or east
of primary habitable rooms and
outdoor terraces
Setbacks
(all minimum to wall unless
stated)
Front setback
- To verandah
1m
- To house wall
3m
- To garage
4.5m
Rear setback
4.5m
Rear setback
(to lane)
1m ground storey
0.5m upper storeys
Side setback
2m
Building
height
1, 2 or 3 storeys
8.5m maximum or 10m maximum
on slopes >15%
Parking
1 covered space per dwelling
Double garage only if 2 or 3 storey
or to Rear Lane
Shared driveways where possible
Streetscape
99
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door for each dwelling, visible and
accessible from the street
Street
surveillance
Minimum 1 habitable room per
dwelling overlooks the street
Fencing
(streetfront)
1.2m height
Fencing (other)
1.2-1.8m height
50% transparency over 1.2m
Verandahs
50% building frontage
Planting
Minimum 1x2m planted area per
dwelling, between front boundary
and dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction.
External retaining maximum 1m
height.
Developable Area
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
Scale 1:500
100
Row house or terrace house
QPP description: dwelling house or dwelling unit or multiple dwelling
Row Houses are part of a diverse mix of
housing choices. Often Row houses are built
as an integrated development and are sited on
one lot, but they can be sited on individual lots.
The best streetscape outcome is achieved
when Row Houses are located on lots with a
Rear Lane, and no more than five houses in a
row should be joined.
The table and figure to the right indicate site
and building design characteristics to achieve
the performance outcomes in Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and building massing
relate to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development. A
further illustration of the desired form of this
development is below.
101
(Provisions for) acceptable outcomes
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
70% maximum
Private
open space
(minimum)
Area of 30m2 with 4m dimension
(per dwelling) at rear of dwelling
Setbacks
(all minimum to wall unless
stated)
Front setback
- To verandah
1m
- To house wall
3m
Rear setback
(to lane)
1m ground storey
0.5m upper storeys
Side setback
1m
Building
height
1, 2 or 3 storeys
8.5m maximum or 10m maximum
on slopes >15%
Parking
1 or 2 covered spaces per
dwelling from Rear lane
Streetscape
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door for each dwelling, visible and
accessible from the street
Street
surveillance
Minimum 1 habitable room per
dwelling overlooks the street
Fencing
(streetfront)
1.2m height
Fencing (other)
1.2-1.8m height
50% transparency over 1.2m
Verandahs
100% building frontage
Planting
Minimum 1x2m planted area per
dwelling, between front boundary
and dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction.
External retaining maximum 1m
height
Developable Area
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
Scale 1:500
102
Live/work (dual street frontage)
QPP description: home based business
Live/work buildings are a specific built
form that incorporates an office or shop or
workshop into a building that also contains
a home. They are useful in locations on
the fringe of centres or emerging centres
where they can provide a transition between
residential and commercial or retail areas.
Typically this building types takes advantage of
a rear lane or dual street frontage. Live/work
Buildings are designed for a greater level of
visitor interaction than ‘working from home’,
which can be undertaken in most dwelling
types.
The table and figure to the right indicate site
and building design characteristics to achieve
the performance outcomes in Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and building massing
relate to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development.
103
(Provisions for) acceptable outcomes
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
70% maximum
Private
open space
(minimum)
Area of 30m2 with 4m dimension
between the house and work unit.
May be inclusive of verandahs and
terraces. Located north or east
of primary habitable rooms and
outdoor terraces
Setbacks
(all minimum to wall unless
stated)
Front setback
- To verandah
1m
- To house wall
3m
- To garage
4.5m
Rear setback
(to lane or
carpark)
1m ground storey
0.5m upper storeys
Side setback
1m
Building
height
1, 2 or 3 storeys
8.5m maximum or 10m maximum
on slopes >15%
Parking
1 or 2 covered spaces per dwelling
Streetscape
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door for dwelling and work unit,
visible and accessible from the
street
Street
surveillance
Minimum 1 habitable room
overlooks the street
Fencing
(streetfront)
1.2m height
Fencing (other)
1.2-1.8m height
50% transparency over 1.2m
Verandahs
50% building frontage
Planting
Minimum 1x2m planted area,
between front boundary and
dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction.
External retaining maximum 1m
height
Developable Area
Live/work
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
Scale 1:500
104
Low rise apartments
QPP description: multiple dwellings
Low rise apartments are up to three storeys
in height and contribute to achieving a greater
mix of housing types and a more compact
urban form.
The table and figure to the right indicate site
and building design characteristics to achieve
the performance outcomes in Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and massing relate
to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development. A
further illustration of the desired form of this
development is below.
(Provisions for) acceptable outcomes
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
60% maximum
Private
open space
(minimum per
dwelling)
Area of 16m2 verandah/balcony.
Per dwelling plus area of 50m2
ground level shared open space.
Located north or east of primary
habitable rooms and outdoor
terraces
Setbacks
(all minimum to wall unless
stated)
Front setback
- To verandah
2m
- To house wall
4m
- To garage
n/a
Rear setback
6m
Rear setback
(to lane)
6m
Side setback
3m
Building
height
3 storeys max
Parking
0.5–1.25 per dwelling dependent
on location. See TOD Guidelines
Streetscape
105
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door, visible and accessible from
the street
Street
surveillance
Ground floor apartments have
direct entry to the street. Multiple
habitable rooms overlooks the
street
Fencing
(streetfront)
1.2m height
Fencing (other)
1.2-1.8m height
50% transparency over 1.2m
Verandahs
50% building frontage
Planting
Minimum 1m wide planted area
for length of frontage, between
front boundary and dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction.
External retaining maximum 1m
height
Developable Area
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
Scale 1:500
106
Medium and high rise apartments
QPP description: multiple dwellings
Medium and high rise apartments contribute
to achieving a greater mix of housing types
and a more compact urban form.
As this type of building takes a wide range of
forms, only general guidance is provided here
for consideration in drafting relevant codes.
Site planning and building massing
Parking
Semi-basement or basement
Orientation
Allow for cross ventilation,
natural lighting and solar access
Setbacks
Relative to height of building,
width of street and front
boundary treatment
Open space
Access require to private,
communal and public open space
Ground level
uses
Accommodate retail or
commercial spaces on ground
floor where located on
neighourhood connector or main
streets with high accessibility
and pedestrian activity
Overshadowing
Reduce overshadowing of street
by using towers above broad
podiums
Developable Area
Verandah
Deep Planting/Landscaping
Vehicle/Parking
107
Scale 1:500
108
Secondary dwellings (granny and Fonzie flats)
QPP description: dual occupancy - secondary dwellings
Secondary dwellings contained on the same
lots as another dwelling provide flexible low
cost housing options. Granny flats are typically
incorporated inside the building of the primary
dwelling, whether under or over or on the side.
They may be housed in a separate structure.
Fonzie flats are a small dwelling sited above a
garage, typically on a rear lane or side street.
Secondary dwellings are common in Next
Generation Neighbourhoods (P4) and Urban
Neighbourhoods (P5), found with detached
houses of various sizes, and row houses. The
table and figure to the right indicate site and
building design characteristics to achieve the
performance outcomes Section 8.1.
Generally, site planning and massing relate
to performance outcomes for affordable
living and liveable residential environments.
Streetscape provisions mostly relate to
community liveability and community
sustainability.
Use this information to draft codes for selfassessable or assessable development.
109
Site planning and building massing
Site cover
Within site cover for primary
dwelling
Private open
space
Exclusive area of 16m2. Located
north or east of primary habitable
rooms and outdoor terraces
Setbacks
As for primary dwelling
Building
height
As for primary dwelling
Parking
1 covered space for secondary
dwelling
Shared driveway with primary
dwelling
Streetscape
Front entry
Dedicated pedestrian entry and
door for each dwelling, accessible
from the street or rear lane
Fencing
As for primary dwelling
Verandahs,
windows
and façade
articulation
50% building frontage
Planting
As for primary dwelling
Slope
Elevated or split-level construction
External retaining maximum 1m
height
Consistent lot types
QPP description: reconfiguring a lot
Consistent lot types are preferred to accommodate the housing types and choice advocated
by this handbook. Lot types are of a consistent width to achieve a more efficient use of
land, infrastructure provision, and regular house design. The figure below indicate the lot
dimenstion suitable for the housig types in this handbook. Use this information to draft codes
for reconfiguring a lot.
110
PART C
The study behind this handbook
This part of the handbook explains the
background to the project, a discussion
of the methods used to develop the
handbook, and the key research
results.
111
The Next Generation Planning Project and
Model Code for Smart Growth
The Next Generation Planning Handbook is
the result of a collaboration between Council
of Mayors, SEQ and Growth Management
Queensland (GMQ). Two related projects
were aligned to maximise efficiency and avoid
duplication of effort.
Next Generation Planning project
Council of Mayors (SEQ)
A Commonwealth funded Housing Affordability
Fund project that focuses on the development
and implementation of a consistent approach
to housing affordability policies and codes
within SEQ. The project objectives for the
NGP project, as outlined in the funding
agreement with the Department of Families,
Housing, Community Services and Indigenous
Affairs (FaHCSIA), are:
1. Development of a consistent approach
towards the delivery of housing
affordability policies within the South East
Queensland region.
2. Creating standard housing related
development codes to ensure consistency
within the region.
3. Creating standard affordable housing code
provisions, to provide incentives to deliver
affordable housing developments.
4. Community awareness and engagement
strategy including an innovative
communication proposal to address
potential negative community perception
associated with delivering housing
affordability solutions in SEQ.
113
Choosing a methodology
Model Code for Smart Growth (GMQ)
Principles
Synoptic surveys
A program envisaged by the South East
Queensland Regional Plan 2009 – 2031. The
objectives are outlined in Desired Regional
Outcome 8.3 (Urban character and design)
and 8.5 (Housing choice and affordability) as
follows:
A literature review established that there is
no shortage of policy guidance on residential
development, Smart Growth and related
matters. The age, state and country of origin
of this body of work varies, but much of
it remains relevant and influential. Some
recent work including Residential 30 (ULDA,
2010) was recognised as being of particular
application to the project.
The team was introduced to a method known
as ‘synoptic surveys’, where the physical
planning and design characteristics of well
regarded local places are studied, and the
results used to inform planning provisions for
future development.
Prepare a model code for smart growth
to guide state and local government on
sustainable approaches to planning and
development standards for residential
subdivision, and dwelling location and
design.
Natural synergies between the goals of
these two studies led to the formation of a
partnership between Council of Mayors (SEQ)
and GMQ to undertake the work. The result is
the Next Generation Planning handbook.
To maximise the value of this work, the project
team sought to choose a methodology that
avoided simply repeating existing guidance; a
method that adds to the resources currently
available to local governments and industry
in South East Queensland. The following
principles were observed when designing the
methodology.
-- Be regionally relevant (little SEQ-specific
guidance was found in the literature).
-- Be evidence based (the document should be
able to ‘speak for itself’ and be robust in its
recommendations).
-- Avoid duplicating other guidelines (e.g
Residential 30).
-- An interstate and overseas case study
approach would not be readily accepted by
the audience (and has commonly been used
in other guidance anyway).
-- Primary evidence is desirable to justify
conclusions (literature based approach was
not sufficient.
A mixture of quantitative (measurements)
and qualitative (photographs and sketches)
data is gathered, covering topics and scales
such as neighbourhoods, streets, buildings
and landscape. The data enables the ‘DNA’
of a place (typically a short section of urban or
suburban street and the buildings around it,
or a rural place) to be established, explained
and compared. By undertaking a series of
‘synoptic surveys’ across a city or a region,
common patterns of development can be
established (or otherwise), creating an
evidence base for the new planning provisions
to follow.
Places studied are not chosen to be typical
or indicative of their administrative context.
Rather they are selected to represent the best
of the best; examples of urban quality and
affordable living that people aspire to live in,
work at, or visit. Land suitability was not a key
factor in the site selection process as it was
considered that land constraints had previously
been taken into account.
Importantly for this project, the team sought
to enhance the synoptic survey method by
adding the study of housing characteristics
(e.g. dwelling mix, size, parking provision) to
the data set.
114
Choosing a methodology
Principles
Synoptic surveys
A literature review established that there is
no shortage of policy guidance on residential
development, Smart Growth and related
matters. The age, state and country of origin
of this body of work varies, but much of
it remains relevant and influential. Some
recent work including Residential 30 (ULDA,
2010) was recognised as being of particular
application to the project.
The team was introduced to a method known
as ‘synoptic surveys’, where the physical
planning and design characteristics of well
regarded local places are studied, and the
results used to inform planning provisions for
future development.
To maximise the value of this work, the project
team sought to choose a methodology that
avoided simply repeating existing guidance; a
method that adds to the resources currently
available to local governments and industry
in South East Queensland. The following
principles were observed when designing the
methodology.
- Be regionally relevant (little SEQ-specific
guidance was found in the literature).
- Be evidence based (the document should be
able to ‘speak for itself’ and be robust in its
recommendations).
- Avoid duplicating other guidelines (e.g
Residential 30).
- An interstate and overseas case study
approach would not be readily accepted by
the audience (and has commonly been used
in other guidance anyway).
- Primary evidence is desirable to justify
conclusions (literature based approach was
not sufficient.
A mixture of quantitative (measurements)
and qualitative (photographs and sketches)
data is gathered, covering topics and scales
such as neighbourhoods, streets, buildings
and landscape. The data enables the ‘DNA’
of a place (typically a short section of urban or
suburban street and the buildings around it,
or a rural place) to be established, explained
and compared. By undertaking a series of
‘synoptic surveys’ across a city or a region,
common patterns of development can be
established (or otherwise), creating an
evidence base for the new planning provisions
to follow.
Places studied are not chosen to be typical
or indicative of their administrative context.
Rather they are selected to represent the best
of the best; examples of urban quality and
affordable living that people aspire to live in,
work at, or visit. Land suitability was not a key
factor in the site selection process as it was
considered that land constraints had previously
been taken into account.
Importantly for this project, the team sought
to enhance the synoptic survey method by
adding the study of housing characteristics
(e.g. dwelling mix, size, parking provision) to
the data set.
114
Use of the ‘transect’ has been pioneered in North America, and its common representation
Choosing a methodology
Transect planning
The synoptic survey method is often combined
with a ‘transect planning’ approach to explore
links between the detailed information
gathered at the site, street and neighbourhood
scales, with a planning framework at the
district, city and sub-regional scales.
A ‘transect’ is essentially a geographical crosssection through different natural and/or human
habitats. An early envisioning of the approach
was by Sir Patrick Geddes in the early 20th
century when he constructed the “valley
section”. Transects were later applied to the
study of ecosystems, to show for example the
different habitats found across a forest (DPZ,
2002). As explained in The Smart Growth
Manual :
“The transect is a concept drawn from
ecology. It is a progression through a
sequence of habitats, such as from wetland
to upland to foothill. Ecologists use the
transect to describe how each habitat
supports symbiotic sets of mineral conditions,
microclimate, flora, and fauna. The rural-tourban transect extends this classification
system to include a sequence of human
habitats of increasing density and complexity,
from the rural hinterland to the urban core.
Design at every scale should correspond to the
logic of transition from the natural edge to the
man-made center.” (Duany et al, 2010)
115
The ‘transect’ in an urban and regional
planning sense is a geographical cross section
of a region (or a city, suburb etc) and illustrates
a progression through a sequence of habitats,
usually including natural and rural hinterlands,
then a sequence of human habitats of
increasing density and scale. Transect zones
are used to define divisions within this rural-tourban continuum.
It should be remembered that a transect is
a diagram, a conceptual illustration used to
describe different rural and urban habitats.
It is a simplification, but a useful one in
understanding urban form. Its limitations
should also be acknowledged. For example,
the quantum of each transect zone is not
indicated, (a mapping exercise can explore
this question). And, although drawn and
described sequentially (for simplicity and ease
of understanding), real cities and regions are
a complex arrangement of centres, nodes,
corridors, districts and features unlikely to
appear in such order.
The SEQ Place Model is the ultimate result of this investigation
The transect in SEQ
Essentially a transect is a planning tool that
describes and organises places. Combined
with the synoptic survey method, it provides
a useful technique to analyse places and
understand how and why they work.
In this research the transect approach was
used as an exploratory tool to identify patterns
of development in SEQ, mostly at the local,
district/town, city and sub-region level. It was
hoped to adapt the transect to fit the SEQ
region in terms of regional built forms and rural
environments. This SEQ transect could then be
used as a planning tool.
For this project, seeking as it does to guide
planning schemes and other planning
instruments, a broad understanding of
affordability, its causes and effects, has been
pursued. This understanding has been termed
Affordable Living.
“The concept of Affordable Living covers
much more than the financial cost of living
and housing. Affordable Living incorporates
the way we live, the size and type of housing
we choose, the resources we use and how
we move around. It reflects our relationship
with the environment and the way in which
neighbourhoods evolve and function.”
(Sunshine Coast Council, 2010)
The transect and Affordable Living
Links between a transect approach and
smart growth policies are relatively easy to
identify. Links to housing affordability require
further consideration. One of the difficulties
in addressing housing affordability is the term
itself. Housing affordability is interpreted
differently by many people, including this
project’s stakeholders. Some consider land
availability and infrastructure charges to be
the core of the issue. For others, its housing
choice and trends.
Still others may see borrowing costs,
wages and economic measures as the most
important factors. Not all of these aspects
can be influenced by planning and planning
schemes.
Affordable Living is more holistically concerned
with the costs of contemporary and future
lifestyles, and ultimately with quality of life.
Affordable Living relates to easy access
between homes and jobs; homes and shops
and services; and homes and public and active
transport choices. It relies on diverse housing
choices beyond the current suburban mix, and
on whole-of-life housing. These housing forms
require appropriate locations, well designed
neighbourhoods and centres of varying
intensities and functions. Affordable living
then hinges on well planned suburbs, towns
and corridors, as well as cost-effective and
appropriate buildings (and other planning and
non-planning relationships). Transect planning
provides one tool to help navigate these
planning issues.
116
The study and its results
Research workshops around SEQ
Equipped with synoptic survey and transect
planning techniques, the project team initiated
a research exercise to study some of the best
rural, suburban and urban places in SEQ.
This phase was carried out collaboratively
between the project team and teams from
five local governments: Sunshine Coast,
Toowoomba, Ipswich, Brisbane and the Gold
Coast. During the months of July and August
2010, the teams visited and surveyed places
that were nominated by local government
planners as exemplar and considered to be
best practice in each of the local government
areas.
A measure of subjectivity was inherent in the
nomination of survey locations. The instruction
to local government planners was to choose
locations that represent the best examples of
suburban and urban development, and rural
places.
117
Essentially this called upon the nominees to
use the highest level of strategic planning
direction in their choices – their vision of the
homes, streets and neighbourhoods for the
community of the future (as well as their
experiences as members of their community).
Local governments were aware of the housing
affordability and Smart Growth context of
the project. Initial nominations were refined
by the teams before and during the research
workshops, to ensure a spectrum of urban and
non-urban locations were identified for each
workshop. A mix of new and old places was
sought.
It is acknowledged that many of the Next
Generation Suburban Neighbourhood locations
represent examples of older development,
while more dense and urban examples tended
to be contemporary developments.
The reasons why such a balance was
presented to the project team is worthy
of further study, and may include negative
perceptions by the nominees towards the
locations, urban form and housing mix of
recent suburban development, or to their
experience in planning for or assessing such
projects.
In total 59 detailed synoptic surveys of
urban, suburban and rural places (typically
development along 200 m of street) and 118
individual lots and buildings were carried out
around the region. For each of the locations,
data relating to the locality, the neighbourhood,
the street and lots and buildings were
measured and collected.
Data included:
- numbers of dwellings by type
neighbourhood structure (include block
size and street pattern)
- street design
- building size, height, setbacks etc
- landscapes, fencing and street trees
- proximity to services, parkland, public
transport and employment.
118
The study and its results
Results
Summary of key findings
As one driver of the project is the development
of consistent guidelines and codes for
residential development and new urban
areas, the team were naturally interested
in what consistencies the data would or
would not reveal. Further, would a transect
approach enable further refinement of these
consistencies by categorising them into
consistent place types?
Block depth and length
Data collected shows that in P5, block size
was generally larger than in P4 and P6. The P3
townships tend to have deeper blocks. Block
lengths greater than 200 m were found to
impact negatively on walkability. Mid-block
connections in P6 locations were sometimes
used to overcome this.
The data does illustrate some commonalities
within place types, despite their differing
geographies. Examples include street design,
and diverse lot and housing mix. These
consistencies provide a justification for some
planning guidelines and codes that can be
consistently applied across the region.
Proximity
Surveyed locations were overwhelmingly well
located near shops, parks, employment and
public transport. The data supports the notion
that a five minute walkable neighbourhood
(notated by a 400 m radius catchment) is
the appropriate urban structuring tool when
planning for good quality neighbourhoods.
Street pattern
Virtually all survey locations were founded on
a grid street pattern. Places with branching
hierarchy patterns typified by collector roads
and cul-de-sacs were not nominated as quality
places worthy of study. Rear lanes were found
in all contexts, increasing in frequency in P5.
Number of dwellings
Much greater diversity of dwelling types was
evidenced than might be expected. Duplex,
row house, walk-up apartments and boarding
houses were all commonly observed. Duplex
and secondary dwellings were also found in
P3 townships. The P6 and P7 typologies have
little housing diversity and few residential
developments. However, these developments
were usually so large that P6 and P7 locations
often have amongst the highest dwelling
counts.
Estimated dwelling size
Modest average dwelling sizes of 148 m2 (P4)
and 125 m2 (P5) were recorded.
119
Range and common lot size
Lot size varies greatly across the study
locations. Variety is found across place types.
Rural Township (P3) lots are anything from
450 m2 to 1000 m2. Next Generation Suburban
Neighbourhood (P4) lots are commonly less
than 200 m2, ranging up to 800 m2. Similarly
P5 have many examples in the 200-400 m2
range. Apartment developments in P5, P6 and
P7 locations have larger lots of 2000-6000 m2.
Street reserve and carriageway
Common street reserve widths are probably
explained by historic reasons (e.g. 20.117m =
one chain). In both P4 and P5 two common
typologies emerged. A ‘local street’ typology
comprises of a 7-8 m wide carriageway in a 1520 m reserve. Wider verges were generously
landscaped where found. The ‘connector
street’ typology is a 12.5 m roadway in a 20
m reserve, allowing ample on-street parking
and cycle lanes etc. Centres of Activity (P6)
and P7 locations require wider reserves but
never more than 30 m, reflecting the increased
scale of buildings and traffic. Rear lanes were
not common but were found across all place
types.
Footpaths
All locations are well provided by footpaths.
More than 60 per cent of P4 locations have
two footpaths. This figure rises to 80 per cent
for P5. Some P7 locations include shared
zones.
Kerb radius
Tight kerb radii on street corners (e.g. R3-6 m)
slows traffic and shortens crossing distances.
Many corners across all place types were
found to have such radii.
Site cover
Average site cover was relatively low in P3 (23
per cent), P4 (43 per cent), P5 (50 per cent)
locations, resulting in a beneficial outcome
with respect to private outdoor space,
stormwater infiltration, vegetation cover, and
natural light and ventilation in buildings.
Lot frontages
Frontages for residential lots of 7-20 m were
common, but actual widths were inconsistent,
potentially creating difficulties for transfer of
housing products across planning scheme
boundaries.
Backyard size
Backyards of average 278 m2 in P4 is higher
than might be expected in contemporary
development. However examples included
120 m2 backyards on a 250 m2 lot in West End,
Brisbane, and 120-170 m2 backyards in 450500 m2 lots in Toowoomba, demonstrating that
backyard size is more closely related to site
cover and building size than lot size.
Setbacks
Front, rear and side building setbacks influence
private outdoor space, parking, privacy and
landscaping outcomes on a lot. While front
setbacks are broadly assumed to increase
as urban intensity decreases, observations
include 2 m and 4 m front setback in P3, and
frequent 3-4 m setbacks in P4 sites, with 0
m front setbacks also found. An average of
3.9 m was recorded for P4, and 5.1 m for P5.
Rear setbacks averaged 15 m for P4 and 7.5 m
for P5, suggesting again that larger back yards
are associated with the high quality places
selected for the study.
120
Nambour local transect
Illustrated case studies
SEQ Transects
On the second day of the research workshops,
the teams sought to understand the data and
what it said about urban form and housing
choice for the location, suburb, town and local
government area more generally. Day two
also involved exploring the idea of a transect
approach to planning and discussing how it
could apply at each local government area.
A key output from the research workshops
was the development of locally calibrated
transects for each local government area, as
well as local transects drawn through suburbs
and neighbourhoods. Operating within the
bounds of a ‘working’ SEQ transect model
(later to become the SEQ Place Model) a
series of local transects were prepared at each
workshop. Some of these are reproduced
below, with notes indicating how this analysis
is useful in planning for future development.
121
Importantly, what the transect drawings also
illustrate is that broadly similar place types
(e.g. CBDs, Urban Neighbourhoods) can be
found over and over again throughout the
region’s towns and cities. Similar attributes
are also evident in these place types (e.g.
urban form, street types, housing mix, building
heights, non-residential uses etc). But in each
city, the place types appear in different orders,
contexts and indeed in different amounts.
It is suggested that this drives the uniqueness
of our sub-regions in SEQ, as much as, or
more so than, differences in the detailed
building blocks of development (the lot sizes,
building heights and forms etc).
Brisbane City transect
Nambour local transect
Nambour is a 19th/20th centenary railway
town and exhibits a somewhat conventional
pattern of development where a mixed use
activity centre, located adjacent to the railway,
servicing the town and surrounding rural areas,
is fringed by traditional neighbourhoods with
natural landscapes beyond. This simple but
clear urban structure based on a grid street
pattern may allow expansion for both urban
and suburban neighbourhoods, respecting the
development pattern of earlier years.
Brisbane City transect
This transect of Brisbane is drawn at a city
scale and therefore indicative in nature. It
shows a series of urban places siting between
the hills of the D’Aguilar Range and the
Brisbane River. In reality the progression of
place types is not linear with important activity
centres existing at points along the transect.
E.g. Toowong, Indooroopilly and Milton.
122
Sunshine Coast sub-regional transect (top) and Toowoomba City transect
Illustrated case studies
Sunshine Coast sub-regional transect
This sub-regional scale transect of the
Sunshine Coast illustrates the coast is made
up of multiple settlements, each with their
own pattern of development, and separated
by rural and natural features. Three major
settlement patterns are evident; hinterland
villages (not shown), railway towns and coastal
towns.
123
Toowoomba City transect
Toowoomba’s CBD is drawn here surrounded
by Natural Places, in this case the city’s
famous parks. A nearby inner core of urban
neighbourhood has a lot to recommend for the
citys future development patterns. The range
can be seen on the right which is also a natural
place.
Varsity Lakes local transect (top) and Ipswich CBD local transect
Varsity Lakes local transect
At Varsity Lakes a modern Urban
Neighbourhood is found by the lake, with a
more active mixed use centre behind. More
urban neighbourhood development sits around
a sports oval, with suburban neighbourhood
development beyond. This arrangement
provides a logical focus of development
intensity around shared amenity with less
intensive development further away.
Ipswich CBD local transect
The scale, form and intensity of Ipswich CBD
marks it out from nearby streets which are
perhaps at the scale of an activity centre.
Some of the older neighbourhoods around
the CBD are urban in their uses and housing
types. Suburban neighbourhoods include steep
Denmark Hill, with open space (P1 – Natural
Places) on top.
124
Toowoomba Broadscale Mapping of existing Place Types
Illustrated case studies
Broad scale mapping
Communications tools
A broad scale mapping exercise was also
undertaken at each workshop to explore
the existing distribution and quantum of the
various SEQ Place Types across each subregion.
A requirement of the NGP project was
to develop a ‘community awareness and
engagement strategy including an innovative
communication proposal to address potential
negative community perception associated
with delivering housing affordability solutions
in SEQ’.
Preparing the handbook
The project was charged with preparing
guidelines and consistent planning scheme
material on a wide range of subjects and
scales. Assembling this information into
a readable handbook, of equal use to
comprehensive study or quick reference,
was a challenge. The content has been kept
brief where possible. It is hoped that the
examples speak for themselves. Focus group
workshops and peer reviews were conducted
on a draft of the handbook before finalisation.
It is expected that adoption of these concepts
by local governments and industry will be
accompanied by adaptation and refinement of
the guidelines and provisions.
125
To this end the Handbook is accompanied by
a suite of web-based reference and training
materials for professional and community
audiences. These tools can be referenced at
www.qld.gov.au/waytogrow
www.councilofmayorsseq.qld.gov.au
Broadbeach streetscaping, Gold Coast
Exemplar street studies
Of the 59 locations studied in detail across the
region, 14 are presented from p127 onwards
in more detail. The examples illustrate some of
the key findings across different place types.
The sketches, measurements and photographs
were, generally taken on the day by the
research teams.
126
Description
- Mix of detached character houses, retail,
commercial, community and light industry
- 100 m to heavy rail, connecting bus
- Rural town centre/main street
- Community park in street
Mid block example
- 1940 m2 lot, 15% site cover
- Pre-war detached house
- One storey with garage and shed at rear
- Informal driveway along side
- 150x120 m typical street block
- 6 m front, 60 m rear and 0/8 m side
setbacks
- 1-2 storeys
- Small garden at front, mature trees at rear
- 975 m2 typical lot size (15x65 m)
The street
- 20 m reserve, 4 m verge
- 12 m carriageway
- 2x1.2 m concrete footpaths
- On-street parking (marked)
- Off-street parking in garages at rear
- Zebra crossing in middle of retail strip
- Crossing build-outs elsewhere
127
Corner block example
- 6600 m2 lot, 50% site cover
- IGA shopping centre with retail sleeving
on John St
- Two existing heritage retailers
- New building designed to integrate with
existing heritage retail - consistent facade,
colours and roof treatment
- Carparking at rear, accessed off side lane
and Albert St
John St, Rosewood
P3
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
128
Description
- Second storey mixed attached and
detached houses, terraces with rear lane
access
- 2000 m to district shopping centre
- 100 m to parkland
- 2000 m to public transport (bus)
- 55x30 typical block size
Mid block example
- 170 m2 lot, 95% site cover
- Two storey terrace with rear lane
- 1:10 m slope, has been terraced
- Retaining wall to Grande Ave
- Landscaping limited
(under construction)
- 3 m front, 0 m rear and 0 m side setbacks
- No on-street parking
The street
- 20 m reserve, 3.5 m verge
- 5 m rear lane
- 12.5 m carriageway
- 2 m high street trees, 3 m apart
- Sunken crossing points
- 2 m median with pedestrian refuge
129
Corner block example
- 288 m2 lot, 80% site cover
- One storey detached house with rear lane
- 20 m2 backyard
- 2 m front, 2 m rear and 1 m side setbacks
- Landscaping limited
(under construction)
Grande Ave, Springfield
P4
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
130
Description
- One storey detached character housing
1880’s - post war
- 100 m to local convenience centre
- 1 kilometre to key employment area
- 30 m to public transport (Bus)
- 400 m to parkland
- 190x80 m block
Mid block example
- 450 m2 lot with 40% site cover
- 8 m rear, 3 m front, 2-4 m side setbacks
- Late 1880’s, one storey detached house
- One metre picket fence and small gardens
- Large street tree at front
- Carport and shed at the rear
- Backyard approx. 120 m2
- 450 m2 (e) 600 m2 (w) typical lot size
The street
- 20 m reserve
- 4 m verge (no footpath)
- 12 m carriageway
- Off-street parking
- Mature street trees 12 m high
- Blue stone kerb
- T-intersection at both ends
Corner block example
- 1200 m2 lot with 20% site cover
- 10 m rear, 3 m front, 12 m and 3 m side
setbacks
- Large, one storey detached character
house
- Picket fence with wrapping verandah
- Large landscaped gardens
- Garage at the rear
- Side driveway off Boulton Tce, disused
access also off Campbell St.
131
Boulton Tce, Toowoomba
P4
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
132
Description
Mid block example
- One to two storey detached houses
- Two storey zero lot house
- Most high set houses have been built
underneath
- 480 m2 lot, 30% site cover
- Diversity of lot sizes
- Boarding house on corner site
- 800 m to district shopping centre
- 200 m to parkland
The street
- 20 m reserve
- 150 m2 backyard with carpark
- Verandah facing street
- 1:10 crossfall across site
- 0 m front, 20 m rear and 0/4 m side
setbacks
Corner block example
- 2.5 storey detached house
- 3-7.5 m verge with 1.2 m footpath
- 504 m2 lot, 50% site cover
- 7.9-12.8 m carriageway
- 60 m2 front yard with verandah
- Predominantly off-street parking
- 1:10 slope
- 4 m street trees, 3 m apart
- Driveway access off primary st
- Un-signalised four-way intersection
- 1 m front, 2 m rear and 1.5 m side
setbacks
133
Murphy St, Denmark Hill
P4
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
134
Description
- One to two storey detached houses
- High set heritage character houses and
low set workers cottages all on stumps
- 200 m to public transport (bus)
- One kilometre to district shopping centre
- 30 m to parkland
- 50x200 m block
Mid block example
- Detached character house with enclosed
boundary
- 400 m2 lot with 50% site cover
- 2 m front, 8 m rear and 1/6 m side
setbacks
- Driveway access along eastern boundary
to garage at rear
- Gardens/landscape added into verge
- 400 m2 typical lot size
- Houses front/access lane
The street
- 0.5 m verge, 5 m carriageway
- Off-street parking only
- Streetscape elements on individual lots
- T-intersection at either end
- Lane worked well when fencing was low
(800 mm)
Corner block example
- Corner of Pelican and Flint Streets
- 528 m2 lot with 40% site cover
- 4 m front, 6 m rear and 5 m side setbacks
- Driveway access away from corner on
secondary street
- Two storey detached character house with
narrow verandah
- South-west facing with picket fence
- Two bay garage at side of house
135
Chubb Lane, North Ipswich
Mid block: aerial
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
P4
136
Description
- Low density, one to two storey character
residential
- Walk-up apartment, duplex, detached
houses and boarding house
- Conservation and heritage precinct
- 700 m to key employment area
- 500 m to Queens Park
The street
Mid block example
- 1976 m2 lot, 30% site cover
- 300 m2 backyard on 1:40 slope
- One storey boarding house
- Domestic planting and garden
- Detached parking, no driveway
- Faces north and east
Corner block example
- 20 m reserve, 3 m verge
- One storey unit complex
- 14 m carriageway
- 1125 m2 lot, 45% site cover
- On-street/indented parking
- 260 m2 backyard
- 15 m high trees, 20 m apart
- Rear lane access to carport
- Stand up bluestone, roll over kerbs
- Ornamental garden with communal
ownership
- Rear lane provides for housing diversity
137
- 5 m front, 1.5 m rear and 2.4/3.2 m side
setbacks
Campbell St, Toowoomba
P4
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
138
Description
- Two to three storey medium density
residential with live/work units and some
retail
- Terrace/row houses (double 0 lots)
- 40 m to public transport (bus)
- 40 m to key employment area
- 200 m to parkland
- 60x80 m irregular blocks with lanes
The street
- Access street
- 14.8 m reserve
- 3.8/3.5 m verge
- 1.5 m footpath on both sides
- 7.5 m carriageway
- Informal on-street parking,
off-street garage parking
- Street trees 8-10 m high, 4 m canopy and
10 m apart
- 40 km/h with T-intersections
139
Mid block example
- Two storey row house
- Home office/business in ‘Fonzi’
- 190 m2 block, 90% site cover
- 0m rear, 5 m front to wall, 3.5 m to
balcony and 0 m side setbacks
- Planting in courtyard
- Carport at the rear
- Office faces rear laneway
Corner block example
- Two storey row house
- Home office/business in ‘Fonzi’
- 240 m2 block, 70% site cover
- 0.5 m rear, 1 m front and 2 m side
setbacks
- Planting in courtyard
- Carport at the rear
- Screened verandah
Watts Dr, Varsity Lakes
P5
Street plan
Mid and corner blocks: plan
Mid block: rear access
Mid and corner blocks: aerial
Mid block: shop access
140
Description
Mid block example
- Two storey medium density residential
- 6880 m2 apartment complex
- Commercial towards Oxford St
- 60% site, 5% tree coverage
- 300 m to Citycat, 100 m to Bus
- Three storey walk-up units facing
Hetherington St, two storey attached units
facing Love St
- 200 m to district shopping centre
- Five kilometres to CBD
- 100 m to Parkland
- 80x120 m typical block size
- Small lot and community title
The street
- 14 m reserve, 5.5 verge
- 5.5 m carriageway
- 2 m footpaths either side
- On-street parking one side only, off-street
basement parking
- Roll over kerb with T-intersection
141
- Shared driveway
- Fence and elevated front court
- Balconies facing street
- Communal pool
Corner block example
- 2x440 m2 lots, 80% site cover
- Two storey commercial office sloping
away from street
- Undercroft parking
- Courtyard to street
- 5 m front, 7 m rear and 1 m side setbacks
Love St, Bulimba
P5
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: elevation
142
Description
Mid block example
- Semi-rural residential street
- North facing, two storey townhouses
- 250 m to public transport (rail)
- 600 m2 block
- 100 m to local convenience centre
- Side driveway to garage under each
- Detached houses and low rise walk-up
apartments / townhouses and duplexes
- Minimal tree coverage, but well
landscaped at the street.
- One to two storeys @ 36du/ha
- 6 m front, 1 m rear and 2 m, 6 m side
setbacks
The street
- Mostly off-street parking due to slope
- Slope also influences the setback of the
built form
- Concrete footpaths, though inconsistent
- Some on-street planting
- Mature off-street trees contribute to
streetscape
- 19.6 m reserve, 8 m carriageway
- 5.6-6 m verge
Mid block example two
- Large block example
- Two south facing duplex apartments
- One storey each, set below the street
level
- Heavily landscaped along all sides
- Dual access driveway to enclosed garages
- 6 m front, 6 m rear and 4 m, 7 m side
setbacks
- 3 m fall across the site to the north
143
Campbell St, Woombye
P5
Street plan
Mid block: plan
Mid block: street view
Large block: aerial
Large block: street view
144
Description
- Three storey detached houses, walk-up
apartments
- 100 m to public transport (Bus)
- 300 m to local convenience centre
- 500 m to parkland
- 1.5 km to key employment areas
The street
Mid block example
- Two storey apartments (6 dwellings)
- Six single carparks at the rear
- Main entrance is off Moreton Street
- 15% mature tree coverage
- 6 m front, 0.7 m rear and 0 m side
setbacks
Corner block example
- Mature street trees in carriageway
- 400 m2 two storey art deco building
- Concrete footpaths on both sides
- Hairdresser fronting Merthyr Road
- 20 m reserve, 14 m carriageway
- Four uncovered off-street carparks at the
rear
- On-street parking facilities
- 10% tree coverage
- 0 m front, 3 m rear and 2 m side setbacks
145
Abbott Street, New Farm
P5
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
146
Description
- High rise residential units with ground
floor retail and restaurants
Corner block example
- District shopping centre
- “The Wave Resort” 2006
- 50 m to bus and monorail
- 34 storey apartment and tourist
accommodation
- 50 m to parkland
- 80x200 m blocks
- 10-34 storeys high
- Majority tourist residential
The street
- 18-20 m reserve
- 6-9 m concrete verge
- 12 m carriageway
- Metered on-street parking
- Regular street trees, 7 m high
- Roundabout at both ends
- 50 km/h posted speed, moves slower
- Two zebra crossing points
- One diagonal pedestrian bridge above
roundabout
147
- 100 - 340 m2 apartments
- 3300 m2 lot with 100% site cover
- Three storey podium with retail,
commercial and office built to boundary
- Underground parking via Victoria Ave
- Hard landscape/public realm
- Streetscape and groundcovers behind
kerb
- Tower setbacks: 15 m rear, 5-10 m front
and 8 m side
Surf Ave, Broadbeach
P5
Street section
Corner block: ground floor
Corner block: perspective
Corner block: streetscape
Corner block: plan
148
Description
- Mixed use residential street, primarily lowrise character housing, except eight storey
apartment building
- Motel, cafe, theatre, retail and offices also
present
- 500 m to CBD
- Opposite Queens Park
- Bus route
The street
- 27 m reserve
- 5.5/7.5 m verge
- 2-2.5 m footpaths
- 16 m carriageway
- Marked, on-street parking
- Mature trees along both sides, approx 20
m high, 10-20 m apart
- Bluestone stand up kerb
- 1.5 m cycle lanes both sides
- Planted roundabout intersection
149
Mid block example
- 4125 m2 lot, 50% site cover
- Two storey townhouses
- 4.5 m front, 6 m rear and 6/4.5 m side
setbacks
- Carports and communal BBQ areas
- Minimal landscaping, some private
gardens
- 1:20 slope
- Central, shared driveway
Corner block example
- Eight storey apartments (24)
- 3828 m2 lot, 22% site cover
- Communal open space
- North facing
- 20 m front, 19 m rear and 6/24m side
setbacks
- Tennis courts, mature trees, pool
- 50% tree coverage
- 1:15 slope
Margaret St, Toowoomba
P5
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: aerial
Corner block: perspective
150
Description
- A medium to high rise, mixed use street
- Commercial, office, private residential and
motel
- Specialist district / shopping centre with
adjacent parkland
- 50 m to Busway, 400 m to Citycat and 50
m to Rail
- Education and cultural facilities
- Less than 1 km to the Brisbane CBD
The street
- Metered on-street parking
- Heavily treed centre median
- Pedestrian footpaths are hardstand 5.2 m
- Consistent establish street trees and
shaded pergolas
- 28 m reserve, 2-4.2 m carriage ways
- One m cycle lane, 2.3 m median
151
Mid block example
- Five to six storey apartments above retail/
commercial uses
- Private secure car parking underground
accessed through public carpark
entrances
- Building covers 100% of the site
- Regular walk-though corridors to Little
Stanley Street
- Corridors are planted or outdoor cafe
seating and public art
Corner block example
- Four storey residential apartments above
ground floor retail/cafe
- Outdoor cafe seating fronts round-about
and Little Stanley St
- Street trees and deep awnings provide
shade and protection
- Residential verandah’s face north-east
towards Southbank Parklands, Brisbane
River and CBD
Grey St, Southbank
P6
Street section
Mid block: plan
Mid block: perspective
Corner block: plan
Corner block: perspective
152
Description
- Main street environment: two to
three storey retail, commercial, office,
entertainment and mixed use
- Bus route along street
- Key employment area
- 400 m to Parkland
- 200 m x 400 m block with lanes
Mid block example
- 1893 ‘Widarie House’
- Ground floor retail, 2nd floor commercial
with character facade
- 420 m2 lot with 90% site cover
- 3.3 m rear, 0 m front / side setbacks
- Driveway access via side lane
- Two informal carparks at rear
- No residential dwellings
- Character facades, deep awnings, street
furniture/dining, laneways
The street
- 28.6 m reserve
- 6.6/7.1 m verges
- 1.4 m cycle lane 1 side only
- 4/5.3 m carriageways
- Centre median parking 5.2 m
- Some street planting/shrubs
- Signalised intersections at either end
153
Corner block example
- Two storey character building
- Cinema, retail and commercial uses
- 2800 m2 lot with 90% site cover
- Built to front/side boundaries with space
for 11 shared carparks at rear
- Driveway access off Church and Neil St
Margaret St, Toowoomba City
P7
Street cross section
Mid block: front view
Mid block: rear access
Corner site: perspective
154
Selected results
Neighbourhood scale
Proximity
Proximity to services such as shops, parks,
employment and public transport is a critical
factor for quality of life and household
transport costs. Surveyed locations were
overwhelmingly well located with respect to
these amenities. Average distances to parks,
employment and public transport is 200 m,
472 m and 155 m for P4 Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhoods, and 185 m, 283
m and 87 m for P5 Urban Neighbourhood
locations. The data supports the notion
that a five-minute walkable neighbourhood
(notated by a 400 m radius catchment) is
the appropriate urban structuring tool when
planning for good quality neighbourhoods.
Street pattern
Virtually all survey locations – from townships
to CBD scale – were founded on a grid street
pattern. Places with branching hierarchy
patterns typified by collector roads and culde-sacs were not nominated as quality places
worthy of study. Rear lanes were found in all
contexts, increasing in frequency in P5 Urban
Neighbourhoods.
Location
Local government
area
Block depth (m)
Block depth and length shape the efficiency
of land use, and also the walkability of a
neighbourhood. Data collected shows that
in P5 Urban Neighbourhood locations block
dimensions were generally larger than in P4
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhoods
and P6 Centres of Activity contexts. Average
block depth for P4 is 72 m and P5 85 m. Rural
Townships (P3) tend to have deeper blocks.
Block lengths greater than 200 m were found
to impact negatively on walkability. Mid-block
connections in P6 locations were sometimes
used to overcome this.
Place types
Block depth and length
P3
John St, Rosewood
Ipswich
120
P3
Post Office Street, Mapleton
Sunshine Coast
130
(50 to
lane)
100
P3
Hume St, Pittsworth
Toowoomba
P3
Main St, Mt Tyson
Toowoomba
P4
Gregory Blvd, Murarrie
Brisbane
77
(28 to
lane)
P4
Albert St, Rosewood
Ipswich
125
P4
Chubb Lane, North Ipswich
Ipswich
(50 to
lane)
P4
Elizabeth St, Woodend
Ipswich
70
P4
Grande Ave, Springfield
Ipswich
48
P4
Murphy St, Denmark Hill
Ipswich
P4
York St, East Ipswich
Ipswich
P4
Blackall Terrace, Nambour
Sunshine Coast
P4
Campbell St (Grigor-Bryce
St), Moffat Beach
Sunshine Coast
75
80
P4
Boulton Terrace, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
73
P4
Campbell St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
94
(42 to
lane)
P4
Pitt St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
70
P4
Russell St, Newtown
Toowoomba
80
P4/5
Granville Street, West End
Brisbane
50
P4/5
Watson Street, Currimundi
Sunshine Coast
44
P4/5
Cook Street, Eumundi
Sunshine Coast
Proximity to
services (centre) (m)
Proximity to
parkland (m)
Proximity to
employment (m)
Proximity to public
transport (m)
0
0
0
150
180
500
110
500
200
120 - 200
Comments
Block length (m)
150
Township main street, residential to north. Grid street pattern. Rail
service.
Rural township and rural residential. Irregular grid street pattern.
200
0
500
Grid street pattern.
0
20
18km
Rural village.
250
0
250
500
Residential (detached and duplex dwellings)
155
<100
100
100
200
Township. Grid street pattern. Rail service.
200
1000
0
1000
200
Residential (detached high-set and low-set). Grid street pattern.
280
400
50
400
100
Residential (detached and character housing). Grid street pattern. Rail
service.
142
141 (76 to
lane)
200
100
Mix of attached and detached houses including row houses with rear
lane access. Grid street pattern.
800
200
Detached housing. Grid street pattern.
300
100
1500
100
250
170
200
Detached housing. Grid street pattern. Rail service.
Residential and special purpose (hospital)
0
0
0
30
176
100
400
1000
284
700
500
700
200
200
200
350
100
250
500
1000
190
0
0
0
120
200
150
Residential (detached and some duplex)
Character residential. Grid street pattern. Good street length.
Residential, conservation precinct and heritage precinct. Grid street
pattern.
Residential and medical uses. Grid street pattern.
100
120
Detached residential, some shops and apartments. Grid street
pattern.
300
250 m2 lots, detached houses. Grid street pattern.
0
Detached housing with some Duplex/townhouses. Irregular street
pattern including mid-block pedestrian link.
150
Residential and commercial in former dwellings. Grid street pattern.
156
Selected results
157
Place types
Location
Local government
area
Block depth (m)
Neighbourhood scale
P5
Abbott St, New Farm
Brisbane
46
P5
Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill
Brisbane
55
P5
Lamington St, New Farm
Brisbane
70
P5
Love Street, Bulimba
Brisbane
80
P5
Main Street, Kangaroo Point
Brisbane
80
P5
Cronin Ave, Main Beach
Gold Coast
70
P5
Marine Parade, Labrador
Gold Coast
90
P5
Mawarra Street, Chevron
Island
Gold Coast
66
P5
Robert St, Mudgeeraba
Gold Coast
P5
Surf Parade, Broadbeach
Gold Coast
80
P5
Tedder Ave, Main Beach (A)
Gold Coast
70
P5
Varsity Lakes
Gold Coast
P5
Campbell Street, Woombye
Sunshine Coast
100
P5
Gympie Terrace, Noosaville
Sunshine Coast
120
P5
Hinkler Street, Cotton Tree
Sunshine Coast
100
100
P5
Kawana, Double Bay
Sunshine Coast
P5
Kingsford Smith Street,
Cotton Tree
Sunshine Coast
P5
Rooke Street, Dicky Beach
Sunshine Coast
60
P5
Sunshine Beach
Sunshine Coast
150,
70
P5
Sydney/Maud Street,
Nambour
Sunshine Coast
100
P5
Margaret St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
116
(46 to
lane)
Comments
Proximity to
parkland (m)
800
Proximity to public
transport (m)
Proximity to
services (centre) (m)
500
Proximity to
employment (m)
Block length (m)
112
100
Detached houses and low rise apartments. Grid street pattern.
70
0
0
Row houses. Grid street pattern.
80
150
0
Detached houses and townhouses. Grid street pattern.
120
0
100
100
100
Row houses and low rise apartments. Light industry and office near
Oxford Street. CityCat service.
180
0
500
0
0
High rise apartments and commercial (office, hotel). Grid street
pattern. Ferry service.
180
0
80
0
Low and high rise apartments, duplex and detached dwellings.
150
0
200
200
High rise apartments, some mixed use. Modified grid.
200
20
100
20
Detached, duplex and low-rise apartments. Grid street pattern.
0
200
0
0
Residential, retail, home business, light industry. Irregular grid, some
cul-de-sacs.
0
190
0
0
190
20
100
40
200
40
0
High rise apartments and tourism uses.
10
High rise apartments, duplex and detached dwellings. Grid street
pattern.
40
Medium density residential, work/live units, some retail/centre uses
along Varsity Parade
290
Detached houses, mixed housing (in transition). Grid street pattern.
Rail service.
140
0
20
170
500
20
240
170
Residential, tourist, commercial/retail - ground level
500
Residential medium density. Grid street pattern.
50
29
2,000
50
Medium density, residential neighbourhood, centre
500
10
500
500
Residential, recreation uses.
30
100
0
30
Residential, retail, short term accommodation. Commercial.
Rectangular grid.
0
Street pattern reflects topography. Low rise apartments and detached
dwellings.
250
250
Detached dwellings, two storey apartments, offices, public housing.
Rail service.
500
0
Apartments, motel, café, theatre, shop, office, radio station. Character
housing, eight storey apartments. Partial grid pattern.
230, 215
200
120
100
280
500
30
158
Selected results
159
Place types
Location
Local government
area
Block depth (m)
Neighbourhood scale
P5/6
Hastings Street, Noosa
Sunshine Coast
60
P5/6
King Street, Cotton Tree
Sunshine Coast
110
P6
Grey Street, South Bank
Brisbane
30
P6
Tedder Ave, Main Beach (B)
Gold Coast
P6
Bullcock St (Knox AveMinchinton St), Caloundra
Sunshine Coast
80
P7
George St, City
Brisbane
90
P7
Short St, Southport
Gold Coast
196
(70 to
lane)
P7
Brisbane St, Ipswich
Ipswich
80
P7
Duporth Avenue,
Maroochydore
Sunshine Coast
P7
Ocean Street, Maroochydore
Sunshine Coast
120
P7
Margaret St, Toowoomba
(city centre)
Toowoomba
190
(lanes
at
54m
and
123m)
Proximity to
services (centre) (m)
Proximity to
parkland (m)
Proximity to
employment (m)
Proximity to public
transport (m)
Comments
Block length (m)
0
400
0
200
Commercial/tourist accommodation
150
0
10
200
200
0
100
0
0
0
100
0
Commercial/retail. Grid street pattern.
200
0
240
0
0
Commercial and retail uses. No residential. Single storey buildings.
Traditional town centre grid.
200
0
0
0
30
Dining/retail, hotel, open space, indoor entertainment. High rise
apartments. Grid street pattern with rear lanes. Multiple public
transport options.
280 (196
to lane)
20
300
0
200
Commercial. Grid street pattern.
180
0
200
0
200
Commercial and retail, community hub (art gallery etc.). Grid street
pattern. Rail service.
0
100
0
0
Residential, retail, commercial, restaurants. Grid street pattern.
150
0
150
Commercial, retail centre. Grid street pattern.
0
400
0
0
Retail, commercial centre. Two to three storeys. Grid street pattern,
major road.
150
112 (52 to
lane)
Neighbourhood/Local Centre. Grid street pattern.
Office, retail/restaurants, hotel, medium rise apartments. Mid block
connections every 50-100 m. Rail and Citycat service.
160
Selected results
Lot and building scale
Dwelling size was estimated from aerial
photography and on-site observations.
Modest average dwelling sizes of 148 m2 (P4
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhood)
and 125 m2 (P5 Urban Neighbourhood) were
recorded.
Range and common lot size
Lot size varies greatly across the study
locations. Variety is also found across place
types. Rural Townships (P3) lots are anything
from 450 m2 to 1000 m2. Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhood (P4) lots are
commonly less than 200 m2, ranging up to
800 m2. Similarly P5 Urban Neighbourhoods
have many examples in the 200-400 m2 range.
Apartment developments in P5, P6 and P7
locations have larger lots of 2000-6000 m2.
161
John St, Rosewood
Ipswich
450,
6600
975
P3
Post Office St, Mapleton
Sunshine
Coast
500,
1170
630,
500
P3
Hume St, Pittsworth
Toowoomba
1000,
2000
1200
P3
Main St, Mt Tyson
Toowoomba
750,
8000
3000
P4
Gregory Blvd, Murarrie
Brisbane
300,
460
300
P4
Albert St, Rosewood
Ipswich
800,
1800
1,250
P4
Chubb Lane, North
Ipswich
Ipswich
225,
600
400
P4
Elizabeth St, Woodend
Ipswich
182,
800
600
P4
Grande Ave, Springfield
Ipswich
168,
255
200
P4
Murphy St, Denmark Hill
Ipswich
320,
600
400
P4
York St, East Ipswich
Ipswich
650,
1800
700
P4
Blackall Terrace,
Nambour
Sunshine
Coast
480,
1400
480,
1900
P4
Campbell St (GrigorBryce St), Moffat Beach
Sunshine
Coast
360,
600
400
P4
Boulton Terrace,
Toowoomba
Toowoomba
400,
1200
450,
600
Common lot size (m2)
P3
Range lot size (m2)
Local government area
Estimated dwelling size
Location
The study quantifies the number and type of
dwellings present in each of the 51 survey
locations. It was evident that there was much
greater diversity of dwelling types than might
be expected. For example, 75 per cent of P4
Next Generation Suburban Neighbourhood
locations include dwelling types other than
detached houses (88 per cent for P5 Urban
Neighbourhoods). Duplex, row house,
walk-up apartments and boarding houses
were all commonly observed. Duplex and
secondary dwellings were also found in P3
Rural Township locations. The importance
of housing diversity in these place types is
underlined by the data. Medium and high
rise apartments and hotels tend to be large
projects, many with several hundred dwellings.
P6 Centres of Activity and P7 CBDs have
little housing diversity and few residential
developments. However these developments
were usually so large that P6 and P7 locations
often have amongst the highset dwelling
counts.
Place Types
Number of dwellings
1
20
Comments: Parking and
lot types.
2
Estimated dwelling size
(m2)
14
Building height (storeys)
6
Number of dwellings
Uses other than
residential
Hotel/motel
Aged care/hospice
Boarding house/bedsits
Loft house
Secondary dwelling/
Granny flat
Medium or high rise
apartment
Low rise apartment
(walk up)
Row house/terrace
Duplex/triplex
Detached
Number of dwellings
6
1, 2
150200
On, off-street parking.
mostly long and narrow,
some bigger lots for
specific uses.
16
1, 2
110250
On-street parking.
Regular shapes and
dimensions, rectangular.
20
1, 2
150200
On-street angled parking
on grassed lanes
10
2
12
1
6
6
12
1, 2
160250
Off-street driveway, on
street indented bays
one side. Small lot,
conventional lot.
19
19
1, 2
180200
Off-street stand-alone,
carports at rear of
property
37
37
1, 2
30120
Off-street parking.
24
1, 2
150200
Off-street, underneath or
carport, on street parking.
15
1, 2
150200
Garage. Rear loaded.
1, 2
100110
Great diversity, not
uniform
29
1, 2
120
On-street parking
(unmarked), garage. 1
battle-axe block.
yes
3035
1, 2
Off-street parking on
large blocks
2
19
1, 3
Off-street garage/
carports, detached
garages some under
buildings
49
1
18
6
9
6
21
1
20
9
15
54
12
6
19
1
1
30
Garage, on-street parking.
150
On site carports, on
street parking.
162
Selected results
163
Common lot size (m2)
Range lot size (m2)
Local government area
Location
Place types
Lot and building scale
P4
Campbell St,
Toowoomba
Toowoomba
300,
1800
900
P4
Pitt St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
230,
780
400
P4
Russell St, Newtown
Toowoomba
336,
2000
P4/5
Granville Street, West
End
Brisbane
250,
300
250
P4/5
Watson Street,
Currimundi
Sunshine
Coast
600
675
P4/5
Cook Street, Eumundi
Sunshine
Coast
400,
800
800
P5
Abbott St, New Farm
Brisbane
480,
1000
600
P5
Gregory Terrace,
Spring Hill
Brisbane
270,
1400
270
P5
Lamington St, New
Farm
Brisbane
280,
3500
300
P5
Love Street, Bulimba
Brisbane
400,
6400
400
P5
Main Street, Kangaroo
Point
Brisbane
400,
2250
800
P5
Cronin Ave, Main
Beach
Gold Coast
525,
2340
525
P5
Marine Parade,
Labrador
Gold Coast
420,
5720
6
4
2
8
60
41
22
1, 2
On-street, off-street
garage and carport.
Rectangular lots.
22
1
On-street, off-street
garage/carport, laneways
- garage, carport
89
1, 2
Off street (carport
and garage), on street
designated bays.
Diverse, some large lots.
1, 2
On street, one street off
car max. Small lots.
2, 4
Off-street garages,
Angle parking near café,
Undercover at grade
garage
150200
1
Off-street parking,
garage, on-street along
one side.
60180
2, 3
Garages, carport, onstreet parking.
2, 3
Rear lane garages.
Small lots.
41
2
11
3
23
48
6
22
14
22
67
59
85
2
6
6
27
40
5
131
10
2
5
120
35
8
7
Estimated dwelling size
(m2)
44
Number of dwellings
Uses Other than
residential
Hotel/motel
Aged care/hospice
Boarding house/bedsits
Loft house
Secondary dwelling/
granny flat
4
Comments: parking and
lot types.
19
7
Building height (storeys)
18
Medium or high rise
apartment
4
Low rise apartment
(walk up)
Duplex/triplex
23
Row house/terrace
Detached
Number of dwellings
22
107
220
2, 8
Garage, basement,
on-street, visitor. Small
lots.
67
180
2, 3
Off-street basement, onstreet one side. Small
lots and community
title lots.
138
80100
2, 6
On-street, underground
62
80
158
100150
1, 27
On-street informal,
off street garage and
informal, underground
4
218
229
100150
2, 18
On-street, underground,
garage. Very large lots.
164
Selected results
Range lot size (m2)
Common lot size (m2)
Mawarra Street,
Chevron Island
Gold Coast
2000
450
P5
Robert St, Mudgeeraba
Gold Coast
400,
4000
P5
Surf Parade,
Broadbeach
Gold Coast
625,
6900
P5
Tedder Ave, Main
Beach (A)
Gold Coast
450,
3840
P5
Vasity Lakes
Gold Coast
100,
240
P5
Campbell Street,
Woombye
Sunshine Coast
100,
5000
P5
Gympie Terrace,
Noosaville
Sunshine Coast
616,
4200
P5
Hinkler Street, Cotton
Tree
Sunshine Coast
150,
1300
P5
Kawana, Double Bay
Sunshine Coast
180,
7000
P5
Kingsford Smith
Street, Cotton Tree
Sunshine Coast
1000,
2200
P5
Rooke Street, Dicky
Beach
Sunshine Coast
600,
4500
600
P5
Sunshine Beach
Sunshine Coast
P5
Sydney / Maud Street,
Nambour
Sunshine Coast
500,
2000
800
P5
Margaret St,
Toowoomba
Toowoomba
450,
4050
450
165
Location
P5
Place types
Local government area
Lot and building scale
1240
700
Estimated dwelling size
(m2)
Building height (storeys)
Comments: Parking and
lot types.
1, 2
Off street garages, on
street designated and
informal. Regular shape
residential lots, strata
titled town houses and
units.
300
560
60-80
34
On-street, underground
garage.
127
150250
2, 30
On-street, underground.
Community title.
38
60100
2, 3
On-street informal, offstreet garage. Regular,
row lots.
40
150200
1, 2
Mostly off-street,
minimum frontages and
slope, means off-street
not viable
55
150200
2, 3
Off-street, on-street on
opposite side
31
31
60100
1, 4
On Street, Off Street
129
129
80-90
4
On Street, Off Street,
Basement
58
58
50100
4
On-street, Off-street
46
1, 4
Off-street in garage
and Informal On-street
Parking, Basement
Hotel/Motel
25
2, 3
Off-street, on-street
45
1, 2
On-street mostly offstreet
130
1, 8
Amalgamated lots
generally rectangular
90
6
22
260
1
6
120
6
2
29
14
3
13
1
2
14
1
Yes
8
8
14
1
8
3
12
9
yes
6
5
15
yes
50
24
yes
24
yes
yes
47
Number of dwellings
80160
Uses other than
residential
29
Hotel/motel
19
Aged care/hospice
On-street, semi-garage,
underground basement
Boarding house/bedsits
1, 4
Loft house
150200
Secondary dwelling/
granny flat
114
Medium or high rise
apartment
10
Low rise apartment
(walk up)
Duplex/triplex
14
Row house/terrace
Detached
Number of dwellings
166
Selected results
167
P5/6
Hastings Street,
Noosa
Sunshine Coast
P5/6
King Street, Cotton
Tree
Sunshine Coast
560,
1600
P6
Grey Street, South
Bank
Brisbane
5,700
P6
Tedder Ave, Main
Beach (B)
Gold Coast
P6
Bullcock St (Knox
Ave-Minchinton St),
Caloundra
Sunshine Coast
351,
1410
P7
George St, City
Brisbane
180,
1400
P7
Short St, Southport
Gold Coast
616,
1850
P7
Brisbane St, Ipswich
Ipswich
510,
4000
P7
Duporth Avenue,
Maroochydore
Sunshine Coast
470,
34000
P7
Ocean Street,
Maroochydore
Sunshine Coast
600,
34000
P7
Margaret St,
Toowoomba (city
centre)
Toowoomba
60,
2800
Common lot size (m2)
Range lot size (m2)
Local government area
Location
Place types
Lot and building scale
1000
351
320
1
26
157
yes
300
6
On-street, off-street
157
70100
5, 14
On-street/off-street
0
0
1, 2
On-street, on roof, rear
lane informal
1, 4
On-street parking bays
between tree planters.
Some private planting
to rear
5, 30
Basement, podium
and service delivery
and drop off zones.
Varied lot sizes.
1, 5
On-street 90` both
sides, off-street
basement, sleeved
parking at rear.
2, 3
On-street
1, 16
On-street angled,
off-Street, basement
parking
0
2
On-street, off-street
0
2, 3
On-street designated
bays in centre of street
(parallel) and side of
street. Some buildings
straddle multiple lots,
diversity of lot size.
550
5080
n/a
n/a
338
60
On-street/off-street
driveways to northern
side properties
50100
yes
2
4
27
0
258
Comments: parking and
lot types.
8
Building height (storeys)
Estimated dwelling size
(m2)
Number of dwellings
Uses other than
residential
Hotel/motel
Aged care/hospice
Boarding house/bedsits
Loft house
Secondary dwelling/
granny flat
Medium or high rise
apartment
Low rise apartment
(walk up)
Row house/terrace
Duplex/triplex
Detached
Number of dwellings
400
100400
168
Selected results
Street characteristics
Kerb radius
Tight kerb radii on street corners (e.g. R3-6 m)
slows traffic and shortens crossing distances.
Many corners across all place types were
found to have such radii.
169
John St, Rosewood
Ipswich
20
P3
Post Office Street,
Mapleton
Sunshine
Coast
16
P3
Hume St, Pittsworth
Toowoomba
29
22
P3
Main St, Mt Tyson
Toowoomba
29
13
P4
Gregory Blvd,
Murarrie
Brisbane
21
8.5
P4
Albert St,
Rosewood
Ipswich
20
9.5
P4
Chubb Lane, North
Ipswich
Ipswich
30
P4
Elizabeth St,
Woodend
Ipswich
20
P4
Grande Ave,
Springfield
Ipswich
20
P4
Murphy St,
Denmark Hill
Ipswich
20
12.5
P4
York St, East
Ipswich
Ipswich
20
12.5
P4
Blackall Terrace,
Nambour
Sunshine
Coast
22.2
13
Carriageway (m)
P3
Lane
Road
Footpaths were counted and measured due
to their importance for walking and cycling.
All locations are well provided by footpaths.
More than 60 per cent of P4 Next Generation
Suburban Neighbourhood locations have two
footpaths. This figure rises to 80 per cent for
P5 Urban Neighbourhoods. Some P7 CBD
locations include shared zones.
Local government
area
Footpaths
Street
reserve (m)
Location
Common street reserve widths are probably
explained by historic reasons (e.g. 20.117m
= one chain). In both P4 Next Generation
Suburban and P5 Urban Neighbourhoods
two common typologies emerged. A ‘local
street’ typology comprises of a 7-8 m wide
carriageway in a 15-20 m reserve. Wider
verges were generously landscaped where
found. The ‘connector street’ typology is a
12.5 m roadway in a 20 m reserve, allowing
ample on-street parking and cycle lanes
etc. The P6 and P7 locations require wider
reserves but never more than 30 m, reflecting
the increased scale of buildings and traffic.
Rear lanes were not common but were found
across all place types.
Place types
Street reserve and carriageway
12
20
10
6
12.5
5
12.5
Tree spacing (m)
Tree height (m)
Posted speed
Street type
1.2
3
One
zebra, one
protected
crossing
20
4
50
Main street
Four-way with
give way on
cross streets
Standup
Marked
bays in
parking
lane
2.6,
3.5
1
1
12
None
irregular
6-8
50
Connector,
local street
- unmarked
T-intersection
Barrier
and
rollover
On-street,
unmarked
3.5
1
0.6
12.5
None
20
10
50
Local
connectors
/collector
Four-way
Standup
On-street
parking
lanes
(grassed),
garages
etc
18
Zebra
crossing at
school, shop
in buildouts
24
7-10
60 /
40
Rural main
street
T-intersection
Standup/
rollover
On-street
parking
Uncontrolled
at
intersection
18
6
50
Residential
street
Roundabout
Flush,
rollover
Unmarked
1 side +
indented
bay other
side
6
15
50
Residential
with thru
traffic
Rollover
On-street,
unmarked
Four-way
unsignalised
No kerb
Off-street
parking
8
Street parking
Kerb radius (m)
2
Kerb type
Footpath (m)
Intersection types
No. of footpaths
Formal pedestrian
crossings
Verge (m)
4
5
2
1.5
18.7
4,
6.5
2
1.2
6
0.5
0
1.2
6.5
None
3.6,
4
1
1.5
3
None
17
4
50
Residential
with
through
traffic
Give way
Standup
On-street,
unmarked
3.5
2
1.5
6.5
Sunken
pedestrian
refuge in
median
2.5
2
50
Collector
T-intersection
Rollover
None on
street
1.2
3.5
3
4
12
6
50
Residential
street
T-interaction
Standup
On-street,
unmarked
4
5060
Collector
road
3,
7.5
3.5,
4.2
5.2
11
2
1.2
None
None
Standup
170
Selected results
171
Carriageway (m)
Lane
Street
reserve (m)
Road
Local government
area
Location
Place types
Street characteristics
P4
Campbell St
(Grigor-Bryce St),
Moffat Beach
Sunshine
Coast
20
8
P4
Boulton Terrace,
Toowoomba
Toowoomba
20
12
P4
Campbell St,
Toowoomba
Toowoomba
20
14
P4
Pitt St,
Toowoomba
Toowoomba
17
8
P4
Russell St,
Newtown
Toowoomba
20
10
P4/5
Granville Street,
West End
Brisbane
10.6
7
P4/5
Watson Street,
Currimundi
Sunshine
Coast
20
8
P4/5
Cook Street,
Eumundi
Sunshine
Coast
14
10.5,
9.5
P5
Abbott St, New
Farm
Brisbane
20
14
P5
Gregory Tce,
Spring Hill
Brisbane
25
16.3
P5
Lamington St,
New Farm
Brisbane
20
12.5
P5
Love Street,
Bulimba
Brisbane
14
5.5
P5
Main Street,
Kangaroo Point
Brisbane
20.9
12.9
Irregular
4
1.2
4-way Stop
/giveway
Signal
Rollover
Street parking
Kerb type
Residential
Street
20
1012
50
Residential
T-intersection
Bluestone
Off-street
20
12
100 /
50
Residential
street
Signalised
four-way and
T-intersection
Roll-over,
Stand-up;
Bluestone
Indented
/ onstreet
6
20
5
50
Pitt St residential
street + 2
laneways
T-intersection
Rollover
Informal/
car
parking
on
rollover
kerb
Unsignalised
four-way
Standup,
Bluestone
Offstreet,
on street
bays
Stand-up
On-street
single
parking
4
2
4, 5
0
4.5,
5.5
2
1.2
6
25
5
50
Connector
residential
1.8
2
1.8
3
none
0
50
Residential
6
1, 2
2
5,
10
9
6-10
3.5
Intersection types
Street type
Posted speed
Kerb radius (m)
8
Tree height (m)
Footpath (m)
0
Tree spacing (m)
No. of footpaths
0
Formal pedestrian
crossings
Verge (m)
6
6
Four-way
intersection
6
Res. Street
T-intersection
Stand-up
2
50
Residential
/dead end
T and fourway at end
Standup,
no kerb
3.5
2
1.5
3
None
14
10
50
residential
street
T-intersection
Stand-up
Off-street
unmarked
5.5
2
2
3.6
Signalised
9.3
3
60
Sub-arterial
Signalised,
t-intersection
Stand-up
Onstreet,
garages
4.3
2
1.5
5
Raised
pedestrian
crossing
14
5
50
Residential
Round about,
t-intersection
Stand-up
Parking
lanes
5.5
2
2
7
Uncontrolled
7
4
40
Residential
access
street
T-intersection
Rollover
Onstreet,
one side
only
3.7
2
1
3
6
6
50
Collector
T-intersection
Stand-up
Metered
parking
bays
172
Selected results
Street characteristics
15.2
8.4
P5
Marine Parade,
Labrador
Gold Coast
17.5
12.5
P5
Cronin Ave, Main
Beach
Gold Coast
15.2
8.4
P5
Marine Parade,
Labrador
Gold Coast
17.5
12.5
P5
Mawarra Street,
Chevron Island
Gold Coast
20.5
12
P5
Robert St,
Mudgeeraba
Gold Coast
20
8.5
P5
Surf Avenue,
Broadbeach
Gold Coast
18-22
12
P5
Tedder Ave, Main
Beach (A)
Gold Coast
20
12
P5
Vasity Lakes
Gold Coast
14.8
7.5
P5
Campbell Street,
Woombye
Sunshine
Coast
19.6
8
P5
Gympie Terrace,
Noosaville
Sunshine
Coast
15.5
12
Carriageway (m)
Road
Gold Coast
Lane
Local government
area
Cronin Ave, Main
Beach
Location
P5
Place types
173
Street
reserve (m)
No. of footpaths
Footpath (m)
Kerb radius (m)
Formal pedestrian
crossings
Tree Spacing (m)
Tree Height (m)
Posted speed
Street type
Intersection types
Kerb type
2
1.2
3
None
Irregular
4
50
Residential
Four-way
intersection
Standup
On-street
informal,
off- street
garage and
informal,
underground
2.5
2
2.5
3
No formal
- raised
intersections
help
0
0
50
Collector
T-intersection
Standup
On-street,
some time
limited
3.4
2
1.2
3
None
Irregular
4
50
Residential
Four-way
intersection
Standup
On-street
informal,
off street
garage and
informal,
underground
2.5
2
2.5
3
No formal
- raised
intersections
0
0
50
Collector
T-intersection
Standup
On-street,
some time
limited
3.5,
4.5
2
1.2
5
None
15
3
50
Local
Unsignalised
Four-way
Standup
On-street
unmarked
4.2,
7.2
1
1.2
6
Marked
pedestrian
crossing
near pool at T
-intersection
Mixed use,
residential
street
T-intersection
Standup
Designated
on one side
only
6, 9
2
6-9
5
Three
pedestrian,
one traffic
island
7-10
7
50
Main street
Roundabout
Standup
Metered
4
2
1.2
3
None
3
5
50
Connector
Four-way
Standup
On-street,
underground
3.5,
3.8
2
1.5
6
10
10
40
Residential
T-intersection
Standup
On-street
informal,
off-street
garage,
5.6,
6
2
1.2
10.5
40-60
8
50
Connector
street/
residential
street
Unsignalised
Four-ways
Roll
over
3.5
2
1.21.5
Sub/
arterial
T-intersection
Standup
Raised/
different
paving
6
Street parking
Verge (m)
3.4
174
Selected results
Street characteristics
20
11
P5
Kawana,
Double Bay
Sunshine Coast
29
18
P5
Kingsford
Smith Street,
Cotton Tree
Sunshine Coast
20.5
10.5
P5
Rooke Street,
Dicky Beach
Sunshine Coast
20
8
P5
Sunshine
Beach
Sunshine Coast
18
8
P5
Sydney/
Maud Street,
Nambour
Sunshine Coast
18
13
P5
Margaret St,
Toowoomba
Toowoomba
27
16
P5/6
Hastings
Street, Noosa
Sunshine Coast
19.5
12.5
P5/6
King Street,
Cotton Tree
Sunshine Coast
30
22
P6
Grey Street,
South Bank
Brisbane
28
Carriageway (m)
Road
Sunshine Coast
Lane
Local government
area
Hinkler Street,
Cotton Tree
Location
P5
Place types
175
Street
reserve (m)
Street type
18
12
50
Collector
Roundabouts
T- intersection
(left turn only)
Stand-up
9.5
16,
11,
65
5
Local
T-intersection
Rollover
9
11
3-5
50
Residential
Street
T-intersection
Stand-up
9
3-4
50
Residential
/collector
Unsignalised
Stand-up
Signals Sydney and
Howard.
None at
Maude
40
7-10
50
Sydney connector
street.
Maude residential
street
Signals
Stand-up
Lindsey
St - robust
median
breaks In
middle
of street
safety
median
opposite
cafes
20
20
50
Lane Margaret
- collector
Roundabout, T
Intersection
Margaret
St - stand-up
bluestone:
Bustow St
stand-up
concrete;
Lane - nil
Raised/
paved
7-15
6-7
Collector
(cul-de-sac)
Roundabout
Stand-up
4
One zebra
crossing
5
2-6
Local street
T intersection
Stand-up
9
At lights
7.2
7
Collector
Roundabout
Stand-up
1.8
7
5
2
1.5
10
5
2
1.2
6
1
1.2
4.5,
5
1
1.5
2.5
2
1.2
6
5.5,
7.5
2
2,
2.5
8
3.5,
4.5
2
3.5
3.5
2
3.5,
5
5.2
2
5.2
Three
pedestrian
refuges
(medium)
Street parking
Posted speed
Stand-up
2
Kerb type
Tree height (m)
Intersection types
Tree spacing (m)
Formal pedestrian
crossings
T-intersection
Four-way
cross,
uncontrolled
Kerb radius (m)
Local
Footpath (m)
50
No. of footpaths
4-10
Verge (m)
2.5
6
Laneway
- some
off-street
Metered
176
Selected results
Street characteristics
20
12
P6
Bullcock St (Knox
Ave-Minchinton St),
Caloundra
Sunshine
Coast
20
12
P7
George St, City
Brisbane
22
15
P7
Short St, Southport
Gold Coast
31
11
P7
Brisbane St,
Ipswich
Ipswich
16
12.5
P7
Duporth Avenue,
Maroochydore
Sunshine
Coast
20
8
P7
Ocean Street,
Maroochydore
Sunshine
Coast
20
12.5
P7
Margaret St,
Toowoomba (city
centre)
Toowoomba
28.6
9.3
Carriageway (m)
Road
Gold Coast
Lane
Local government
area
Tedder Ave, Main
Beach (B)
Location
P6
Place types
177
Street
reserve (m)
3
8
4
2
4
15
Zebra crossing
with kerb
buildouts
30
6-7
7
2
6.5
4
Four-way
signalised
6-9
20
9.5,
11.5
2
3.5
10
Formal zebra
(crossing
unsignalised).
Slow moving
traffic. Busy
with cars and
pedestrians
15-30
12
3.5
5.5
40
5
3.5
50
Main street
Four-way
Roll over
and stand
up
Main Street
Collector
Four-way
unsignsalised,
roundabout
Stand-up
40
Arterial,
sub-arterial
Signalised,
four-way, one
way direction
Stand-up
50
Local
Roundabout
Stand-up
5-7
2
5, 7
6
Shared zone,
colour paving
1-20
5-18
30
Collector
Roundabout,
signals
Flat with
path,
shared
zone,
standup
3.5
2
3.5
6
Shared zone
length of
street
8-14
6-10
10
One-way
centre
street
Roundabout,
Signals
No kerb,
Level with
Footpath
6.6,
7.1
2
3.7
Signals
Varied
3.5
40
Main street
Signals
Stand-up
Street parking
Tree height (m)
Informal
across slow
points, one
zebra
Kerb type
Tree spacing (m)
12
Intersection types
Kerb radius (m)
4
Street type
Footpath (m)
2
Posted speed
No. of footpaths
Formal pedestrian
crossings
Verge (m)
4
On-street
time
limited,
on roof,
rear lane
informal
Metered
bays on
street
Painted
parking
bays
178
Selected results
Site characteristics
Lot frontages
Lot frontages are critical to streetscape
character and garage location, and to efficient
design and construction of housing. Frontages
for residential lots of 7-20 m were common,
but actual widths were inconsistent, potentially
creating difficulties for transfer of housing
products across planning scheme boundaries.
Backyard size
Local government
area
Location
Site cover is the proportion of a site covered
by building(s), and has a relationship to
levels of private outdoor space, stormwater
infiltration, vegetation cover, and natural light
and ventilation in buildings. Average site cover
was relatively low in P3 (23 per cent), P4 (43
per cent), P5 (50 per cent) locations, resulting
in a beneficial outcome with respect to the
issues above.
Place types
Site cover
P3
John St, Rosewood
Ipswich
P3
Post Office Street, Mapleton
Sunshine Coast
P3
Post Office Street, Mapleton
Sunshine Coast
P3
Hume St, Pittsworth
Toowoomba
P4
Gregory Blvd, Murarrie
Brisbane
P4
Gregory Blvd, Murarrie
Brisbane
P4
Albert St, Rosewood
Ipswich
P4
Chubb Lane, North Ipswich
Ipswich
P4
Elizabeth St, Woodend
Ipswich
P4
Grande Ave, Springfield
Ipswich
P4
Murphy St, Denmark Hill
Ipswich
P4
York St, East Ipswich
Ipswich
Backyards of average 278 m2 in P4
Neighbourhoods is higher than might be
expected in contemporary development.
However examples included 120 m2 backyards
on a 250 m2 lot in West End, Brisbane, and
120-170 m2 backyards in 450-500 m2 lots in
Toowoomba, demonstrating that backyard
size is more closely related to site cover and
building size than lot size.
P4
Boulton Terrace, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
P4
Campbell St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
P4
Pitt St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
P4
Russell St, Newtown
Toowoomba
Setbacks
P4/5
Granville Street, West End
Brisbane
Front, rear and side building setbacks influence
private outdoor space, parking, privacy and
landscaping outcomes on a lot. While front
setbacks are broadly assumed to increase
as urban intensity decreases, observations
include 2 m and 4 m front setback in P3
locations, and frequent 3-4 m setbacks in P4
Neighbourhood sites, with 0 m front setbacks
also found. An average of 3.9 m was recorded
for P4, and 5.1 m for P5 Neighbourhoods.
Rear setbacks averaged 15 m for P4 and 7.5 m
for P5, suggesting again that larger back yards
are associated with the high quality places
selected for the study.
179
P4
Blackall Terrace, Nambour
Sunshine Coast
P4
Campbell St (Grigor-Bryce St),
Moffat Beach
Sunshine Coast
P4/5
Watson Street, Currimundi
Sunshine Coast
P4/5
Cook Street, Eumundi
Sunshine Coast
P5
Abbott St, New Farm
Brisbane
P5
Gregory Tce, Spring Hill
Brisbane
P5
Love Street, Bulimba
Brisbane
P5
Love Street, Bulimba
Brisbane
P5
Main Street, Kangaroo Point
Brisbane
P5
Cronin Ave, Main Beach
Gold Coast
Tree coverage (%)
Backyard size (m2)
Building height
(storeys)
Rear setback (m)
Side setback (m)
Front setback (m)
Site cover (%)
Lot size (m)
1940
15
6
0, 8
60
1
1500
30
1200
13
2
6, 8
25
1
600
10
1200
13
4
2, 15
25
1
600
10
2275
50
7
2, 6
10
1
1050
5
250
60
4
4
0
2
24
5
400
55
4
1, 3
3
2
50
0
1800
10
6
6
60
1
1500
25
400
50
2
1, 6
8
1
80
5
650
30
175
5
2.5, 5
10
1
200
25
3
0
0
2
<10
0
35
1
840
30
55
0
480
30
0
0, 4
1512
40
6
2
2
1300
13
4
3, 6
50
2
400
60-70
3-4
0
6
2
15
50
450
40
3
2, 3.8
8
1
120
10
1125
45
5
2.4, 3.2
1.5
1
260
8
575
60
4.5 & 6
2, 3.5
5
1
50
0
510
50
4-4.5
1.2
10
1
170
10
250
40
2
1
12
1
120
15
2
400
20
8
1.5, 5
20
2
300
5
645
40
800
20
3, 3
710
40
6
0
0.7
2
0
15
300
50
5
0
7
3
0
5
68,888
55
4
n/a
5
3
6
3
2
1792
60
6
4
2
5
0
40
1050
50
7
4, 8
2
3
200
25
180
Selected results
181
Local government
area
Location
Place types
Site characteristics
P5
Marine Parade, Labrador
Gold Coast
P5
Mawarra Street, Chevron Island
Gold Coast
P5
Robert St, Mudgeeraba
Gold Coast
P5
Tedder Ave, Main Beach (A)
Gold Coast
P5
Varsity Lakes
Gold Coast
P5
Campbell Street, Woombye
Sunshine Coast
P5
Campbell Street, Woombye
Sunshine Coast
P5
Gympie Terrace, Noosaville
Sunshine Coast
P5
Gympie Terrace, Noosaville
Sunshine Coast
P5
Rooke Street, Dicky Beach
Sunshine Coast
P5
Sunshine Beach
Sunshine Coast
P5
Sydney / Maud Street, Nambour
Sunshine Coast
P5
Sydney / Maud Street, Nambour
Sunshine Coast
P5
Margaret St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
P5
Margaret St, Toowoomba
Toowoomba
P5/6
Hastings Street, Noosa
Sunshine Coast
P5/6
Hastings Street, Noosa
Sunshine Coast
P5/6
King Street, Cotton Tree
Sunshine Coast
P6
Grey Street, South Bank
Brisbane
P6
Bullcock St (Knox Ave-Minchinton
St), Caloundra
Sunshine Coast
P7
Brisbane St, Ipswich
Ipswich
P7
Duporth Avenue, Maroochydore
Sunshine Coast
P7
Ocean Street, Maroochydore
Sunshine Coast
P7
Margaret St, Toowoomba (CBD)
Toowoomba
8
8, 20
10
16
10
1, 2
5
2
Tree coverage (%)
80
35
Backyard size (m2)
Building height
(storeys)
Rear setback (m)
Side setback (m)
Front setback (m)
Site cover (%)
Lot size (m)
2520
480
37.5
10
10
1200
20
0
0.5, 3
22
1
440
3840
40
15
15, 20
10
30
500
0
240
90
3.5
0, 1
600
45
6
2, 6
2
30
0
2
510
40
6
2, 7
6
1
12000
40
0-6
3
6
3
15
resort pool
15
2200
30
6
3
3
3
communal
5
600
40
5
1, 5
8
2
160
30
300
80
4.5-6
1.5, 2
3
2
800
30
750
40
4125
50
15
1.5, 2.5
1.8
12
2
6
20
0
150
5 to 10
240
15
500
5
4125
50
4.5
4.5, 6
6
2
500
5
600
80
0
2
6
4
72
1
7800
80
2
3
6
4
1
1000
80
0
1
0-6
2
10
5,700
100
0
0
0
5
0
0
555
70
0
0
20
2
100
0
300
80
0
0, 1.2
0
5
2800
75
0
0
0
12
0
0
0
600
90
0
0
2
2
20
0
420
90
0
0
3.3
2
0
0
182
References and further reading
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2005), 1301.0 - Australian Home Size is Growing, ABS: Canberra,
available at http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article
262005?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2005&num=&view=#
City of Melbourne (2009), Transforming Australian Cities, City of Melbourne: Melbourne,
available at http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/Statistics/Documents/
Transforming CitiesMay2010.pdf
Commonwealth Government (1997), Australian Model Code for Residential development
(AMCORD), Commonwealth Government: Canberra, available at
http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au/publications/files/amcord.pdf
Congress for New Urbanism, Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) and the US Green
Building Council (US GBD) (2009), LEED 2009 for Neighbourhood Development, US GBD:
Washington, available at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1970
Delfin Lend Lease and Ipswich City Council (2007), Springfield Lakes Design Manual
(Implementation Guideline No.17, Ipswich Planning Scheme), Ipswich City Council, available at
http://pdonline.ipswich.qld.gov.au/pdonline/user/scheme/default.aspx?page=scheme
The Springfield Lakes Design Manual informed many of the street design principles
included in this handbook.
Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ) (2002), Introduction To The Special Issue Dedicated To The
Transect, Journal of Urban Design, pp.1-11. Available at:
http://www.dpz.com/pdf/03_Journal_of_Urban_Design.pdf
DPZ (2003), Smart Code Version 9.2, The Town Paper: USA, available at
http://www.smartcodecentral.com/smartfilesv9_2.html
Duany. A, Speck. J, and Lydon. M (2010), The Smart Growth Manual 2010, McGraw-Hill : New
York
The Smart Growth Manual inspired the authors of this handbook in a number of
ways. First, the manual is one of the clearest and most readable guidelines of its
kind. Second, it informed the format and structure of this handbook considerably. The
manual also examines many similar planning and design concepts to this handbook,
which provided an invaluable cross reference when undertaking the SEQ research.
Grand Valley Metro Council (2003), Form Based Code Study, Grand Valley Metro Council:
Michigan, available at http://www.gvmc.org/landuse/formbasedcode.shtml
The methodology of this American study proved to be insightful in the development
of the SEQ research.
183
Hall. T, (2010), The Life and Death of the Australian Backyard, CSIRO Publishing: Brisbane
Hurley, J & Brown, N (2009), Affordable Housing Policy Guide – Smart Code Module, HurleyFrank & Associates: Philadelphia
Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) 2010, Complete Streets: Guidelines for
urban street design, IPWEA and Bayfield printing: Brisbane, available at
http://www.ipwea.org.au/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Queensland_Publications
Complete Streets informed many of the street design principles included in this
handbook.
Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) (2007), The Queensland Urban Drainage
Manual, IPWEA: Brisbane, available at
http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/water/regulation/flood_risk_management.html
Institute of Municipal Engineering Australia (IMEA) (1993), Queensland Streets: Design
Guidelines for Subdivisional Streetworks, Go Print: Brisbane
Queensland Streets has recently been modernised to integrate with many of the
planning principles espoused in this handbook. Its replacement is Complete Streets.
Ipswich City Council (2009), draft Traditional Neighbourhood Design Code, Ipswich City Council:
Ipswich
Queensland Government (Department of Communities) (2005a), What is affordable housing,
Queensland Government: Brisbane, available at,
http://www.public-housing.qld.gov.au/partnerships/affordable/whatis.htm
Queensland Government (Department of Local Government, Planning, Sport and Recreation)
(2005b), South East Queensland Regional Plan 2005-2026, Queensland Government: Brisbane,
available at http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/regional-planning/seq-regional-plan-2005-26.html
Queensland Government (Department of Local Government and Planning) (1997a), Queensland
Residential Design Guidelines, Queensland Government: Brisbane
Queensland Government (Department of Transport and Main Roads) (1997b), Shaping Up,
Queensland Government: Brisbane, available at
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/S/Shaping-Up.aspx
Queensland Government (Department of Transport and Main Roads) (1997c), South East
Queensland Integrated Regional Transport Plan 1997, Queensland Government: Brisbane,
available at http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/S/South-East-Queensland-IntegratedRegional-Transport-Plan-1997.aspx
184
References and further reading
Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning) (2009a), South East
Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 (SEQ Regional Plan), Queensland Government: Brisbane,
available at http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/regional-planning/regional-plan.html
This handbook fulfils one of the programs of the SEQ Regional Plan (referenced in
section 8.3.6 Urban character and design and 8.5.7 Housing choice and affordability)
to prepare a “Model Code for Smart Growth”.
Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning) (2009b), South East
Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031, Implementation Guideline No. 7 Water Sensitive Urban
Design - Design Objectives for Urban Stormwater Management, Queensland Government,
Brisbane, available at http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/guideline/final-wsud-guidelinepdf-11-11-09.pdf
Queensland Government (2009c), The Sustainable Planning Act 2009, Queensland Government,
Brisbane, available at http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/ACTS/2009/09AC036.pdf
Queensland Government (Office of Queensland Parliamentary Council) (2009d), Transport
Operations (Road Use Management—Road Rules) Regulation 2009, Queensland Government:
Brisbane, available at
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/T/TrantOpRURR09.pdf
Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning) (2010a), Queensland
Development Code, Queensland Government: Brisbane, available at ,
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/building-laws/queensland-development-code.html
The QDC, particularly parts MP1.1, MP1.2 and MP1.3, provide a standard set of
parameters for the design and siting of detached houses and duplexes. However,
many of these standards, for example setbacks, are subject to local variations
through planning schemes. The QDC then provides a link between planning and
building legislation. Scheme drafters using provisions in this handbook must ensure
that codes are drafted in a way that satisfies relevant legislation when varying
applicable standards of the QDC. Department of Local Government and Planning
can provide advice on this matter as required.
Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning) (2010b), Queensland
Planning Provisions (version 2), Queensland Government: Brisbane, available at
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/qpp
The Queensland Planning Provisions (QPP) is a State Planning Instrument that provides
a consistent form and structure for local government planning schemes. QPP language
has been used where appropriate in the handbook to ensure easy application of the
concepts into planning schemes.
185
Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning) (2010c), South East
Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program 2010-2031, Queensland Government: Brisbane,
available at http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/plan/SEQIPP/dip-seqipp-10.pdf
Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning) (2010d), State Planning
Policy 4/10, Healthy Waters, Queensland Government, Brisbane, available at
http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/water/environmental_values_
environmental_protection_water_policy/pdf/spp-healthy-waters.pdf
Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning) (2010e), Transit Oriented
Development Guide, Queensland Government: Brisbane available at
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/guideline/tod/tod-guide.pdf
The recently published TOD guidelines provide detailed guidance for practitioners on
the planning, community development and technical aspects of TODs. This handbook
is closely related to the policies and desired outcomes of the TOD guidelines. Where
the documents diverge is in this handbook’s focus on broad strategic planning
techniques and on” lower scale” development forms (such as detached houses and
row houses), whereas the TOD guidelines provide a greater focus on development
forms of a higher intensity.
Queensland Government (Department of Transport and Main Roads) (2010f), Draft Connecting
SEQ 2031: An Integrated Regional Transport Plan for South East Queensland, Queensland
Government: Brisbane, available at http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/C/ConnectingSEQ-2031.aspx
Queensland Government (Office of Economic and Statistical Research) (2010g), Household and
Dwelling Projections Queensland local government areas 2006-2031, Queensland Government,
Brisbane, available at http://www.oesr.qld.gov.au/products/publications/household-dwel-proj-qldlga/household-dwel-proj-qld-lga-2010.pdf
Queensland University of Technology (Centre for Subtropical Design) (2010a), Subtropical Design
in South East Queensland - A Handbook for Planners, Developers and Decision Makers, QUT:
Brisbane, available at http://www.subtropicaldesign.org.au
Queensland University of Technology (2010b), High Density Liveability Guide, Queensland
University of Technology: Brisbane, available at,
http://www.highdensityliveability.org.au/about.php
Richards, P (2008), A Transect of Urban Settlement types – The Transect, Smart Code and Urban
Structure, Deicke Richards: Brisbane available at
http://www.deickerichards.com.au/assets/Research/The-Transect-of-Urban-Settlement-Types.pdf
Sunshine Coast Regional Council (2010), Affordable Living Strategy, Sunshine Coast Regional
Council: Caloundra, available at http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/addfiles/documents/opof/
affordable_living/affordable_living_strategy.pdf
186
References and further reading
Tupicoff, G (2010), Self Assessable Multi Units - Easy, Queensland Planner, June 2010 vol. 50,
no.2, pp. 1-20
Urban Design Alliance (UDAL) (2008), Queensland Streets (pamphlet), UDAL: Brisbane
Urban Land Development Authority (2010a), Residential 30: Guideline to Deliver Diversity in New
Neighbourhood Development, ULDA: Brisbane, available at
http://www.ulda.qld.gov.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=157
This guideline is an important milestone in residential design and development in
Queensland and this handbook further develops and references many of the concepts
outlines in Residential 30.
Urban Land Development Authority (2010b), Practice note no. 1 – Housing Diversity, ULDA:
Brisbane, available at http://www.ulda.qld.gov.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=157
Welsh Assembly Government (Department for Transport) (2007), Manual for Streets, Thomas
Telford Publishing, London, available at
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/manforstreets/pdfmanforstreets.pdf
Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) (2007), Liveable neighbourhoods, WAPC:
Perth available at http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/Plans+and+policies/Publications/1594.aspx
Images
Courtesy of Council of Mayors (SEQ) and Queensland Government
187
Glossary
Term
Definition
Affordable housing
Accommodation that is appropriate for low income households in terms of size,
standards, and access to services and facilities. Households in need of affordable
housing are often defined to include those in the lowest 40% of the income
distribution whose housing costs (rent or mortgage payments) exceed 30% of gross
income (Queensland Government, 2005a).
Affordable living
Holistic approach to direct and indirect costs associated with not only housing
but lifestyles as well. It considers the way in which we live and move around,
the resources we use and the wellbeing of our existing and future communities
(Sunshine Coast Regional Council, 2010).
Carriageway
The section of the street that is predominately used for the movement or parking of
vehicles, and is measured from kerb to opposite kerb (IPWEA, 2010).
Cross ventilation
Occurs when there is an opening at either end of a building, allowing natural airflow
across the space (QUT, 2010b).
Form-based codes
Place an emphasis on the physical form of buildings and infrastructure, and use
graphics to clearly articulate the required form of new development.
Housing affordability
Housing affordability is commonly interpreted to mean direct costs of buying or
renting housing, for this reason we prefer Affordable Living.
Private open space
Private open space relates to an outdoor space for the exclusive use of occupants of
a building (QPP Definition - Queensland Government, 2010b).
Public open space
Public open space relates to outdoor spaces that are generally accessible to the
community and provide for a range of sport, recreation, cultural, entertainment or
leisure pursuits (QPP Definition - Queensland Government, 2010b).
Queensland Planning
Provisions (QPP)
The Queensland Planning Provisions are the standard planning scheme provisions
made by the Minister under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009. The provisions
provide a consistent format and structure for local government planning schemes
across Queensland (Queensland Government, 2010b).
Rear lanes
A narrow access way or lane situated at the rear of a residential lot, and used for
vehicle access and servicing. In residential areas, garages are usually accessed from
rear lanes.
Rear loaded houses
Dwellings that have garage access located off a rear lane or rear street. Nonresidential uses can also be rear loaded.
Regional plans
At the regional scale, regional plans are a statutory planning instrument that identify
the desired future spatial structure of the region including land use pattern and
infrastructure as well as identifying key regional environmental, economic and
culture resources to be preserved, maintained and developed.
Setback
The shortest distance measured horizontally from the wall or balustrade of a building
or structure to the vertical projection of the boundary of the lot
(QPP Definition - Queensland Government, 2010b).
SEQ place model
Describes a progression (or transect) of natural and human habitats identified in
this study of quality SEQ places. These place types range from natural places,
rural places, rural townships, next generation suburban neighbourhoods, urban
neighbourhood, centres of activity, CBDs and specific use places. This model is
useful for sub-regional, district and local planning areas.
189
Shared zones
An area where pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles share the same road space.
Vehicles and cyclists must give way to pedestrians and must not drive faster than
the km/h speed shown in the circle between this sign and the next end shared zone
sign (Queensland Government, 2009d).
Site cover
Is the proportion of the site covered by buildings
(QPP Definition - Queensland Government, 2010b).
Smart growth
A planning agenda that attempts to prevent urban sprawl. Smart growth requires
a more efficient use of land by redeveloping older and under-used areas that are
suitable and ready for renewal (Queensland Government, 2009a).
Storey
Means the space within a building which is situated between one floor level and
the floor level next above, or if there is no floor above, the ceiling above. For the
purposes of this definition a basement and a mezzanine is a storey
(QPP Definition - Queensland Government, 2010b).
Street reserve
The full width from property boundary to opposite property boundary which includes
the street carriageway, verge, footpath and landscape strip.
Streetscape
The collective combination of urban form elements that constitute the view of a
street and its public and private domains. These elements include buildings, roads,
footpaths, vegetation, open spaces and street furniture
(QPP Definition - Queensland Government, 2010b).
Strategic planning
Involves the preparation of plans and strategies describing future aspirations for
communities and their natural and built environment, and how to realise them.
Strategic planning is undertaken at various scales, from statewide and regional,
to district and local with a medium to long term planning horizon. Strategic plans
coordinate and balance different interests and foster informed decision making.
Sustainability
(ecological
sustainability)
A balance that integrates the protection of ecological processes and natural systems
at local, regional, State and wider levels; economic development; and maintenance
of the cultural, economic, physical and social wellbeing of people and communities
(Queensland Government, 2009c).
Synoptic surveys
An in depth analysis of existing sites and localities which includes collecting
quantitative and qualitative data covering topics such as neighbourhoods, streets,
buildings and landscape design.
Transit oriented
development
A planning concept that promotes the creation of well-designed and sustainable
urban communities focussed around public transport stations. These communities
incorporate a mix of residential, employment and retail all within a comfortable walk
of established or planned rail and busway stations (Queensland Government, 2010e).
Water Sensitive Urban
Design
A planning and design approach that integrates water cycle management into the
built form of houses, allotments, streets, suburbs and master planned communities
(Queensland Government, 2009b).
190
Acknowledgements
Next Generation Planning was jointly prepared
by:
- Council of Mayors (SEQ) and
- Queensland Government
(Growth Management Queensland)
Funding from:
- Australian Government
(Department of Sustainability,
Environment, Water, Population and
Communities), Housing Affordability Fund
(HAF).
The research stage of the project was
undertaken with the generous assistance of:
- Sunshine Coast Regional Council
- Toowoomba Regional Council
- Ipswich City Council
- Gold Coast City Council
- Brisbane City Council
Consultant team:
- Buckley Vann Town Planning Consultants
- Deicke Richards
The project team also acknowledges the
oversight and guidance of the NGP Advisory
Panel, and assistance of Council officers and
industry representatives too numerous to
mention who provided advice and feedback,
at both the research and the drafting stages of
the project.
192