armstrong creek urban growth plan volume 1 - City of Greater Geelong

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It reduced the number of pedestrians in the streets, with consequent
detrimental impacts on:
social interaction, lessening social cohesion and capital 9 , and
personal security.
Instead, therefore, it is now considered best practice to design residential
communities around walking. There are a number of key ingredients to making
‘walkable neighbourhoods’ work:
a ‘larger’ number of ‘smaller’ centres—rather than a ‘smaller’ number
of ‘larger’ centres—so that most homes are within a comfortable
walking distance;
sufficient residential density to achieve the necessary catchment to
sustain local facilities;
the minimisation of substantial, low-density uses—such as large
parks—within the walkable catchment of the neighbourhood centres;
and
the provision of a well-connected, safe and inviting network of walking
routes, including footpaths on both sides of streets.
KEY CONCEPT: WALKABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS
We must not build housing, we must build communities. Mike Burton
The UGP organises residential development within the growth area into a series of
neighbourhoods, each large enough to support the provision of daily needs—basic
convenience shops and services, a primary school, essential community services
and local parks/ recreation facilities—but small enough that it is possible to walk
comfortably from any part of the neighbourhood to those daily needs if centrally
located. These are called ‘walkable neighbourhoods’.
By enabling people to walk (or cycle) to meet their daily needs, this:
8 See Community and Social/ Recreation and Open Space Technical Report, page
17.
9 See Community and Social/ Recreation and Open Space Technical Report, page
18.
ARMSTRONG CREEK URBAN GROWTH PLAN / VOLUME 1 (ADOPTED 13 MAY 2008, AMENDED MAY 2010)
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