Both Barcelona
and Melbourne seek to be liveable and sustainable but come from a different
spatial and land use base. Barcelona is one of the world’s most low rise and
high density cities with population of 1.6 million covering
an area of 102 km2 and a density of 15,991 km2. Metropolitan Barcelona has a population
of 5.3m in an area of 4,268 km2 and a density of 1,250 km2.
Melbourne’s suburban
sprawl is well known and established. The City of Melbourne forms a fraction of
the metropolitan area also known as Melbourne. The confusion is obvious to overseas
observers and astounds even the most ‘locally’ committed politician. The level
of astonishment increases when it is revealed that it takes 31 municipalities
to govern a population of 4.5 million in an area of 9,900 km2 with a density of
430 km2.
The City of
Melbourne has 5 of the 6 tallest buildings in Australia and recently approved
developments no doubt aim to maintain this status. Such new developments have
become common place on brownfield sites but recent skyscraper developments have
taken over strategic sites in the city centre threatening the pedestrian life
of the City.
Barcelona City’s public transport system ranks
among the world’s best and most utilized with 80% of
journeys within Barcelona being by public transport, on foot or by bicycle. Its increasing focus on walking and cycling
city is evident from the infrastructure improvements currently underway,
reducing road space and creating separate bicycle lanes and marinating
pedestrian activity and safety.
Melbourne’s public
transport system is under pressure from increased usage as car travel becomes
less and less convenient and affordable (time and money). The failure to invest
in public transport over the last decade has led to inequity for those who live
between the radial link cracks. No wonder Melbourne’s land use
and transport nexus challenges governments and academics alike.
Whilst Melbourne
has been ranked as the world’s most liveable city by the Economist Intelligence
Unit for the fourth consecutive year it also ranks as the fourth most expensive.
Liveability based
on consumption will be found out sooner or later.
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