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Bigger homes causing a backyard blitz
Sunanda Creagh Urban Affairs Reporter
September 6, 2007
AUSTRALIA'S backyards are shrinking at an alarming rate in a trend that experts warn could lead to environmental degradation, more friction between neighbours and unhealthy kids.
Research by a Griffith University professor, Tony Hall, shows that while houses traditionally took up about 30 per cent of a block, in newer Australian suburbs they are covering up to 70 per cent of the block.
Professor Hall said the "disturbing trend" was not happening in North America, New Zealand or Europe.
"Whatever the size of the lot, people are extending their house to the edge," he said. "This is a physical example of the way Australian lives are changing: they are not about barbecues and swimming pools and the outdoor life any more. People are not noticing the lack of outdoor space because they are working all the time."
Professor Hall said aerial photos showed houses were more spaced out in outer suburbs, but in newer parts of the same suburbs homes they were crammed together.
His report examined all Australian cities and compared older and newer parts of Mount Druitt for the Sydney example.
"I looked at old bits of Mount Druitt like Hebersham but if you look at the latest bits you can see new ones don't have gardens or swimming pools, even though it's a long way from central Sydney."
In the older parts of Mount Druitt, houses covered between 23 and 30 per cent of the block, while in newer sections of the same suburb the coverage ranged between 40 and 70 per cent.
People in these areas were building homes that maximised the value of the property - extra rooms, extra garages, big living areas - but forgetting the social value of outdoor amenity, he said.
"I couldn't live like this - I would go crazy. There's no view, there's nowhere for children to play, there's air-con going all the time. You could live your entire life without going outdoors at all."
In contrast, newer inner-city apartments focused heavily on the value of outdoor spaces - through balconies and communal courtyards.
Professor Hall said smaller gardens meant fewer trees, which could affect backyard ecosystems, and that privacy between neighbours was limited, which could lead to tension.
A town planner who co-wrote the NSW Government's Metropolitan Strategy, Patrick Fensham, said it was clear people were beginning to value indoor time over outdoor time.
"Expectations around the size of a home have gone up. The big backyard used to require a fair bit of maintenance and people have decided to trade off a few things," Mr Fensham said.
"If new-release areas are planned with reasonable communal open space, then it may not be such a problem."
Bill Randolph, an urban planning expert from the University of NSW, said Australians should prepare for a generation of children who were not very sporty.
"If you want to keep beating the Poms, you need the backyard to do it in," he said. "The whole issue of run-off and drainage is important too. If there is very little [outdoor] space then less water soaks in and it's not good for the soil."
Sunanda Creagh Urban Affairs Reporter
September 6, 2007
AUSTRALIA'S backyards are shrinking at an alarming rate in a trend that experts warn could lead to environmental degradation, more friction between neighbours and unhealthy kids.
Research by a Griffith University professor, Tony Hall, shows that while houses traditionally took up about 30 per cent of a block, in newer Australian suburbs they are covering up to 70 per cent of the block.
Professor Hall said the "disturbing trend" was not happening in North America, New Zealand or Europe.
"Whatever the size of the lot, people are extending their house to the edge," he said. "This is a physical example of the way Australian lives are changing: they are not about barbecues and swimming pools and the outdoor life any more. People are not noticing the lack of outdoor space because they are working all the time."
Professor Hall said aerial photos showed houses were more spaced out in outer suburbs, but in newer parts of the same suburbs homes they were crammed together.
His report examined all Australian cities and compared older and newer parts of Mount Druitt for the Sydney example.
"I looked at old bits of Mount Druitt like Hebersham but if you look at the latest bits you can see new ones don't have gardens or swimming pools, even though it's a long way from central Sydney."
In the older parts of Mount Druitt, houses covered between 23 and 30 per cent of the block, while in newer sections of the same suburb the coverage ranged between 40 and 70 per cent.
People in these areas were building homes that maximised the value of the property - extra rooms, extra garages, big living areas - but forgetting the social value of outdoor amenity, he said.
"I couldn't live like this - I would go crazy. There's no view, there's nowhere for children to play, there's air-con going all the time. You could live your entire life without going outdoors at all."
In contrast, newer inner-city apartments focused heavily on the value of outdoor spaces - through balconies and communal courtyards.
Professor Hall said smaller gardens meant fewer trees, which could affect backyard ecosystems, and that privacy between neighbours was limited, which could lead to tension.
A town planner who co-wrote the NSW Government's Metropolitan Strategy, Patrick Fensham, said it was clear people were beginning to value indoor time over outdoor time.
"Expectations around the size of a home have gone up. The big backyard used to require a fair bit of maintenance and people have decided to trade off a few things," Mr Fensham said.
"If new-release areas are planned with reasonable communal open space, then it may not be such a problem."
Bill Randolph, an urban planning expert from the University of NSW, said Australians should prepare for a generation of children who were not very sporty.
"If you want to keep beating the Poms, you need the backyard to do it in," he said. "The whole issue of run-off and drainage is important too. If there is very little [outdoor] space then less water soaks in and it's not good for the soil."
