TY - JOUR
T1 - Denser habitats
T2 - A longitudinal study of the impacts of residential density on objective and perceived neighbourhood amenity in Brisbane, Australia
AU - Foster, Sarah
AU - Giles-Corti, Billie
AU - Bolleter, Julian
AU - Turrell, Gavin
N1 - Funding Information:
The HABITAT study is funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; Nos 497236, 339718, 1047453). SF is supported by an ARC Future Fellowship (FT210100899).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Higher residential densities are fundamental to creating sustainable, liveable and healthy neighbourhoods; however, community resistance to densification remains a barrier to infill development. We examined the relationship between residential density and the anticipated benefits and (feared) harms that trigger opposition using longitudinal data collected from mid-age adults (n = 3028) in Brisbane, Australia (2007–2016). Participants completed a questionnaire and objective measures were generated for each individual's 1 km buffer at each timepoint. Longitudinal fixed-effects models examined associations between change in density and change in: (1) objective measures of the built environment and crime; and (2) residents' neighbourhood perceptions controlling for time-varying and time-invariant factors, stratified by distance to the central business district (CBD). Dwellings/ha increased, on average, by 1.5 dwellings (p < 0.001), however density levels and the magnitude of change differed by distance to the CBD. Different relationships were apparent depending on distance to the CBD, however despite some exceptions, as densities increased participants' neighbourhoods typically changed in ways that made them objectively more walkable, and subjectively more socially connected, pleasing places to live. The study provides empirical evidence that will help governments and developers communicate the benefits of density and pre-empt or mitigate potential problems that infill developments impose on local communities.
AB - Higher residential densities are fundamental to creating sustainable, liveable and healthy neighbourhoods; however, community resistance to densification remains a barrier to infill development. We examined the relationship between residential density and the anticipated benefits and (feared) harms that trigger opposition using longitudinal data collected from mid-age adults (n = 3028) in Brisbane, Australia (2007–2016). Participants completed a questionnaire and objective measures were generated for each individual's 1 km buffer at each timepoint. Longitudinal fixed-effects models examined associations between change in density and change in: (1) objective measures of the built environment and crime; and (2) residents' neighbourhood perceptions controlling for time-varying and time-invariant factors, stratified by distance to the central business district (CBD). Dwellings/ha increased, on average, by 1.5 dwellings (p < 0.001), however density levels and the magnitude of change differed by distance to the CBD. Different relationships were apparent depending on distance to the CBD, however despite some exceptions, as densities increased participants' neighbourhoods typically changed in ways that made them objectively more walkable, and subjectively more socially connected, pleasing places to live. The study provides empirical evidence that will help governments and developers communicate the benefits of density and pre-empt or mitigate potential problems that infill developments impose on local communities.
KW - Built environment
KW - Compact cities
KW - Neighbourhood perceptions
KW - NIMBY
KW - Social cohesion
KW - Urban consolidation
KW - Walkability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173575221&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104565
DO - 10.1016/j.cities.2023.104565
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85173575221
SN - 0264-2751
VL - 143
JO - Cities
JF - Cities
M1 - 104565
ER -