Factsheet 8 - Amenities / Services

Overview

This factsheet deals with the provision of amenities/services in the neighbourhood, such as restaurants, cafes, shops, employment, health care facilities, parks and recreational facilities. Providing services within the community has been linked to residential satisfaction and quality of life. Research shows that a person’s ability to experience meaning in public space can be limited by issues of access, mobility and quality of social resources [1]. It is therefore important for amenities, services and recreational facilities within the neighbourhood to be accessible and socially inclusive places for all members of the community.

Liveability benefits of providing accessible amenities / services in the local area include:

reduced car dependence if services are accessible by foot
psychological benefits from increased social interaction through accessing goods and services within the local community

Parks and public open spaces provide the "lungs to the city" and are essential to the liveability of urban regions, offering significant social, environmental and economic benefits [2].

Important social and psychological benefits can be provided by urban nature spaces [3].

“Access to the urban open space network should be a primary consideration for planning and development of dense urban centres, and urban corridors. People will much more likely embrace increased density in the subtropical urban environment, if it is supported with easy and appropriate access to passive and active recreational resources in open space. “ [4].

What our findings revealed

Access to Amenities / Services
Satisfaction with Neighbourhood Features
Parklands

Access to Amenities / Services
In the QUT High Density Liveability Study, when residents defined what they considered to be their neighbourhood, the most common responses were local services and recreational facilities. Having access to amenities in their local area was very important for residents. Survey responses indicate that the main reasons residents made a decision to live in their high density complex was because of the location with respect to the city’s centre (94%), facilities in the neighbourhood (71%) and facilities within the complex/design of the complex (71%). Proximity to recreational facilities was also an important determinant for choosing to live in the area with nearly half of survey respondents (49%) selecting this reason.

Interview data further revealed the importance of accessible services in the local area, with many residents identifying this as one of their favourite aspects of where they live. Residents discussed associated lifestyle advantages of living in a locality where residents can easily access amenities, work and recreational facilities.

(Things I like about the dwelling) It’s the area. It’s the fact that, two minutes and I’ve got twenty odd restaurants to go to. I can see work from here. I get the bus to work. I can walk to get my haircut, see my doctor, walk, walk, walk ... And it’s reminiscent of the environment I was brought up in overseas, where you just walked a few minutes and there was ... all that you needed, all the shops and so on.

So the whole notion of some sort of built environment that incorporates parklands, greeneries, walkways, bike ways, restaurants, village type atmospheres within a city area, I really, really like the sound of that because when people have that sort of amenity, it tends to contribute to a relaxed lifestyle. But people don’t have to travel too far to get things they need in order to live, they might choose to but they don’t have to.

Lack of local services, such as shops, was identified by some residents as an inconvenient, negative aspect of their area.

I suppose what’s not great is there’s not that many local shops, so ... you know, if you do have to go and do grocery shopping, you’ve got to get in the car and get somewhere.

However, interviews revealed that even when services were offered within the local area, some residents chose to access more distant locations, particularly for shopping trips. Many residents expressed preference for driving to shopping centres, describing them as ‘one‐stop‐shops’ where they could do all their shopping.

West End has the West End markets where the Coles supermarket is. I don’t tend to shop there. Because when I go shopping I like to go to one place to get nearly everything that I need to get. So strangely enough I actually drive to Carindale. I mean that’s only like eight or ten kilometres and most people think I’m mad but it’s convenient for me to take one drive once a week and get nearly everything that I want. … I choose to go and shop at Carindale but I only need to do that once a week or once a fortnight.

Satisfaction with Neighbourhood Features
When asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with their neighbourhood features, participants reported they were most satisfied with the location of their neighbourhood with respect to the city centre, accessibility in terms of footpaths and bikeways, as well as proximity to parks and gardens, employment and public transport.

Overall the majority of residents were very much (50%) or extremely (23%) satisfied with their neighbourhood. Only 1% were not at all satisfied and 5% were a little satisfied. The table below indicates the particular facilities residents were most satisfied with in their neighbourhood, with the greatest level of satisfaction attributed to restaurants, cafes, public transport, walks and nightlife. Residents obviously value these facilities in their area.

Analysing the percentage of respondents indicating ‘not applicable’ to this question provides insight into the type of services utilised by residents. The most commonly identified ‘not applicable’ responses included childcare facilities, schools and playgrounds, indicating a limited number of residents with children in our inner‐urban high‐density sample.

To what extent are you satisfied with the following facilities in your neighbourhood

Parklands
Local parklands were also identified as an important feature within the neighbourhood. One resident who had a small child explained how she would prefer accessing the local park rather than a shared area within her complex. The quote below indicates a positive experience raising a child in an innerurban high‐density location.

I: You said before there were a few kids in the building. Is there a common area that the kids [can] play in?

P: No.

I: Do you think that’s needed?

P: No, I probably wouldn’t use it anyway. We’d probably just go to the park. New Farm Park is just down the road. It’s a nice walk. We walk down there often anyway.

I: Do you think this a good place to bring up kids?

P: Yeah I do. People say ‘what are you going to do, you’ll have to get a yard and a garden’ and I say ‘No’ – that’s the last thing I want. I mean it’s one more hazard to have to watch everything. I’d rather take him to the park every day where he can play and it’d be a bigger area and I don’t have to maintain it and look after it. You know he’ll meet other people there. Many European kids have been brought up in apartments for years. There’s nothing wrong with them.

Accessing local services can also improve the sense of community within the area. This is further illustrated in Factsheet 9 on Sense of Community.

Recommended Guidelines

The following table presents practical suggestions for Residents, Local Authorities, Designers and Developers for the provision of local amenities and services in the community.

Further Information

Your Home Technical Manual and Website
http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs21.html

Transport Futures
http://www.transport‐futures.com/TP09_files/TP09‐91.pdf

References

Lloyd, K., and C. Auld, Leisure, public space and quality of life in the urban environment. Urban Policy and Research, 2003. 21(4): p.339‐356.
Department of Sustainability and Environment, Inquiry into Enhancing Victoria’s Liveability. Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission: Melbourne, 2008 [cited 22 May 2009]; Available from:
http://www.vcec.vic.gov.au/CA256EAF001C7B21/WebObj/Submission58‐
DepartmentofSustainabilityandEnvironment/$File/Submission%2058%20‐
%20Department%20of%20Sustainability%20and%20Environment.PDF
Chiesura, A. The role of urban parks for the sustainable city. Landscape and Urban Planning, 2004. 68(1): p.129‐138.
Centre for Subtropical Design, Subtropical Design in South East Queensland, a handbook for planners, developers and decision‐makers, 2009. Queensland University of Technology: Brisbane.