Design in New Development: are we going in the right direction?

For many years we have heard concerns from communities that new development lacks in design quality; in other words that it's ugly. The Planning and Design Code came with a promise to tackle this, and the Expert Panel review into the planning system included recommendations to improve this.

Recently, the Government has moved to legislate matters relating to car parking, including mandating increased garage sizes. However, in doing so, acknowledging that this will make house construction more expensive, the Minister for Planning, in his speech to Parliament introducing this Bill, highlighted some important changes to the Planning and Design Code beyond just the garage sizes. Namely:

• Removing the guideline seeking a habitable room facing the street;
• Removing the guideline seeking a 2.4m wide window facing the street, and replace it with a 1x1m window (which would no longer need to be from a habitable room);
• Removing the guideline that for single storey dwellings, garages should be no more than 50% of the frontage width of a site; and
• Adjusting guidelines relating to front doors so that dwellings on frontages of 6m or less may no longer have pedestrian entrances, and that entry should only be via a garage on sites less than 4.5m wide.

This jeopardises the principles of passive surveillance which have been long established in the planning system, and allows development with little interface between the private and public realms.

Does this also compromise not only design quality, but quality of life in these dwellings?

With that context then, what direction are we really heading in terms of the architectural quality of new development? How do we balance functionality, affordability, and neighbourhood character? How much of a role does the Planning and Design Code really have to play when it comes to design matters? What does it mean for community safety and social cohesion if we reduce opportunities for passive surveillance and neighbourly interaction? What does good design actually look like? Are there better solutions for the sort of popular problems the bill is purporting to solve?

Join us to discuss these questions and more!

We will also be holding our Annual General Meeting at 5:30 just before the main event, so please come early to get the best snacks and help play a part in the future of this organisation!

Panellists:

Craig Holden- State Planning Commission

Damian Madigan- UniSA

Event Details
Where: Mâché Coworking | 451 Pulteney St, Adelaide
When: Wednesday 10th December- 6pm-7pm (AGM from 5:30)
RSVP: Eventbrite
Light snacks and drinks provided
Free

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