The rise of working from home and hybrid office flexibility has contributed to less people travelling to CBDs for work. This has contributed to a growing re-imagination of city design and structure, accelerating the urban design theories of walkable neighbourhoods, and decentralised city design. Decentralised cities are complex due to the rapid development and increasing density of targeted suburbs and regions, and there are a lot of cost requirements. Therefore, it is important for parties involved across both the public and private sectors to receive quantity surveyor reports and accurate cost estimating services to ensure development is appropriate and sustainable.
What does decentralising a city mean?
Simply put, decentralising a city involves creating new “satellite hubs” and destinations for work and higher density living, rather than simply the CBD and immediate inner-city surrounding suburbs. This helps reduce pressure on CBD infrastructures, such as roads and transport, during peak times, and spreads people out across suburbs.
Why are cities focusing on decentralised city design?
In theory, these ideas have some benefits for all parties. The government has an increased tax base within the hub suburb, allowing it to invest in better infrastructure, including in lower-density suburbs. By creating new work destinations and reducing the distance people need to travel for work, traffic is reduced in the CBD region. Having work close-by, or from home, means reduced commute times, which leads to increased happiness and health. People within the neighbourhood have more public facilities and private businesses in their area, greatly increasing land values. Land values can be further improved by having retail, hospitality, and work easily accessible within walking distance. Local businesses and shop owners get increased customers and foot traffic from people spending more time in their local neighbourhood rather than in the CBD. Private developers can profit from building new housing and infrastructure. However, during the stages of rapid increasing development, disruptions to transport and increases in traffic can occur – especially before infrastructure is upgraded.
Increasing density
Density refers to the number of people living within a specific space. Low-density suburbs may have single-family detached houses on most/ all blocks. Mixed and mid-density suburbs may have a combination of detached houses with townhouses, apartments/ units that reach up to 3 or 4 stories, as well as more mixed-use streets that combine commercial and residential buildings. Meanwhile, high-density suburbs such as CBDs are predominantly made up of tall apartment buildings and mixed-use developments. Increasing the density of development via a subdivision is profitable for developers as they can sell multiple properties whilst only purchasing one area of land.
However, the introduction of more people to an area may put pressure on public and council facilities. Large developments require quantity surveyor reports and Section 94 contributions to address the cost of the project for private developers and council facilities.
Examples of decentralisation in Australia
Decentralisation of cities has received support in some regions across political party divides in Victoria and NSW. Sydney aims to become ‘a metropolis of three cities,’ with a plan to balance infrastructure across three key areas, the eastern city (current CBD), central city (Parramatta), and western city (Bradfield). In Melbourne, many suburbs are being targeted for transformation into hubs, largely along key transport infrastructures such as existing train lines and the proposed suburban rail loop. Some examples are Box Hill, Clayton, Glen Waverley, and Sunshine.
Many public sector jobs have been transferred to regional hubs in Victoria, such as Geelong, Bendigo, and Ballarat to increase job stability in those areas. This in turn aims to help stimulate private investment, followed by more public infrastructure. Many people migrated from cities to regional areas and hubs over the course of the covid-19 pandemic for a change of scenery and to get the benefits of a regional lifestyle whilst working from home.
Section 94 Contributions – Quantity surveyor reports
Increasing the density of a block of land will have consequences, both good and bad, for the neighbourhood. Some of the immediate impacts will include additional pressure on public systems such as roads, schools, water, and power systems, as well as reducing the publicly available green space. This is where a Section 94 quantity surveyor report comes in. Any development where construction exceeds $500,000 must have a Section 94 contributions report undertaken by a quantity surveyor. This report details the costs of the construction project and will allow the council to request funds if the surrounding infrastructure needs improvement due to the project or development existing.
Do you need accurate quantity surveyor reports?
If you are looking for quantity surveyor reports for your development, get in contact with our experienced team. At Section 94, we will ensure your development progresses smoothly, without inaccurate and excessive budget hurdles. There’s no point in paying excess costs and fees unnecessarily.
With over a decade of industry experience, our qualified building quantity surveyors are AIQS certified with a fast turnaround time and clear communication. Give us a call today at 0413 953 869 or email us at info@section94.com.au to discuss our quality budget services for residential and commercial builds.