Midland infill - what happens now?

I recently wrote a blog about the role of infill development in the established parts of Australian cities.  The example of Laverton, in Melbourne's western suburbs was used.  It showed that despite the incremental nature of infill development, it plays an important role in adding to the dwelling stock.  However the supply of land available for infill is constrained, both by the individual decisions of home owners and the planning scheme.  What happens when a suburb has been infilled?  This blog will consider the example of Midland, an established suburb in Perth's north east.

Australian population milestones - the significance of a number

This week the Australian population is set to hit 25 million.  Those of us who are interested in these things have been keeping a close eye on the ABS population clock as it approaches this milestone.  Every one minute and 23 seconds, another person is added to the population.  The ABS estimates that the 25 million milestone will be reached on the 7th August 2018.  In an environment where population has become a hot political topic, a number of other population milestones have been overlooked.  While 25 million people is a significant milestone, it's the dynamics of population change and where people live that inform planning policy.  For this reason, it's worth looking at other population milestones in Australia.

Australian migrants - just who are they?

There's no disputing that the ABS releases a lot of demographic data.  The quarterly publication, Australian Demographic Statistics, provides regular headline numbers.  These are the ones found splashed across the front page of newspapers and fuelling debate about an appropriate level of population growth in Australia.  But it's the annual releases of data which provide more detailed insights into how the population is growing and changing.  Last week the ABS released Migration Australia (Cat. no. 3412.0).  Given that migration is the topic de jour, it's worth looking at what this data tells us.