Delivering medium-density infill development through promoting the benefits and limiting background infill

Australian cities rarely meet their targets for infill development and experience a ‘missing middle’ in terms of urban density. This paper surveys the barriers to medium-density projects on infill sites in the Western Australian city of Perth and subsequently ventures strategies to alleviate these impediments. The findings indicate that the principal barriers to medium-density infill derive from poor quality low-density infill development, which alienates communities and dissipates the impetus developers require to deliver medium-density projects. The paper concludes that spatial planners should improve strategies for promoting the benefits of density, as well as set minimum residential densities, and site areas, for infill development.