Twenty years of urban growth and change

Australia is said to be one of the most urbanised countries in the world. The 2021 Census showed that 90% of the population lived in urban areas with more than 1,000 people. This blog looks at the growth of urban areas in Australia over the period 2003-23. What are Australia's largest urban areas? Which ones have grown the most? Read on to found out.

The rise of high rise in Canberra

On a recent trip to Canberra I stayed in the suburb of Belconnen. I hadn't been there for many years and I was struck by the number of high rise apartment buildings around the town centre. High rise development is a relatively new phenomenon in Canberra but it is guided by the 2018 ACT Planning Strategy. The Census offers some insights into how high rise development has increased over the years and where these dwellings are located. Read on to find out more.

Building approval trends in cities - behind the headline number

The number of building approvals is generally viewed as an indicator of the state of the economy, and hence is one of the more important data sets released by the ABS.  Approvals are linked to construction activity, jobs and the flow-on effects to the rest of the economy.  Recently I had a conversation with someone who expressed concern at the decline in building approvals, suggesting it was a precursor to an economic recession.  Now I'm not an economist by any stretch of the imagination, but surely it's more than just the number?

Population growth in and around Canberra

Recently the ACT Government released the 2018 ACT Planning Strategy - essentially Canberra's metropolitan planning strategy.  From a population and housing perspective, the main goals are to curb the amount of outward urban expansion.  The strategy also recognises Canberra's role not only as the nation's capital, but as an important regional centre for surrounding parts of NSW.  The release of the strategy provides an opportunity to look at spatial patterns of growth in Canberra and surrounding parts of NSW, because let's face it - urban and regional planning should transcend administrative boundaries.

Birth numbers in Australia remain high

Last week the ABS released its annual births publication.  This is an important demographic release as it not only contains data on the number of births, but also where they occur and to whom.  Despite a decline in the total fertility rate (TFR) over the course of this decade, birth numbers/registrations remain high.  What trends do the latest data reveal?