Background

This research project is a study of six Victorian peri-urban municipalities. Peri-urban areas are those situated between metropolitan centres and rural areas. They are neither fully urbanised nor completely rural, but comprise a "middle band" of land with particular characteristics situated on the periphery of metropolitan and regional cities. In Australia, the peri-urban area usually includes a mosaic of land uses which are intertwined through historical circumstance without any particular order.

The research project seeks to provide information to participating local councils and government on the importance of the study area, pressures, priority issues, institutional arrangements and possible responses to pressures and land use conflicts. It seeks to add to the growing body of knowledge about peri-urban areas. These are understudied in Australia but are the locations of most future development while providing important sources of water, agricultural production, recreation and biodiversity.

The project is designed in two stages, the first stage consists of an audit of trends in the area under study including socio-demographic, land use, biodiversity, water use, agriculture, natural resources as well as governance and institutional arrangements.

The second stage will draw on the issues identified in the first stage to develop instruments and tools to manage change more effectively.

The conclusions from this study will have implications for other areas. However, the project seeks primarily to assist the process of strategic planning for the study area and prevent conflict that may arise from the provision of solutions to emerging pressures.

Key Research Questions

Stage 1: Audit of trends and governance arrangements
1. What social, economic, natural resource, agricultural, water use, land use and environmental trends are evident in the study area?
2. What are the underlying drivers of the major changes observed in the study area?
3. How do key factors associated with these trends interact?
4. What institutional and governance arrangements (agencies, legislative, policy and other instruments) are in place to manage these trends and how/when do these conflict?

Stage 2: New policies and instruments needed for managing change.
5. What institutional directions, policy and planning provisions, guidelines and other tools can be recommended to local councils and state government as responses to emerging regional pressures?
6. Can current institutional and governance arrangements adequately anticipate and respond to future challenges and changes?
7. What are the limitations and failings of past and current institutional settings, policy and planning practice - how and why have these failed to meet the policy objectives for these areas?
8. What gaps and overlaps in institutional arrangements and management can be identified?

Study Areas
The six municipalities comprising the peri-urban group of Victorian councils are the Shires of:

* Moorabool
* Macedon Ranges
* Murrindindi
* Mitchell
* Surf Coast
* Bass Coast

These municipalities extend in a band west to east around Melbourne commencing at the outer rural boundary of Melbourne's green belt. The study area includes the total areas of the six municipalities and comprises a heterogeneous range of land types and uses from growing satellite-urban towns, regional centres, small towns, rural-residential lots and hobby farms, to a broad range of agricultural and other rural uses. The study area contains areas of parks and other public land which are important for recreation, tourism and biodiversity. The area is undergoing rapid and extensive change.

Outputs

Coming Soon

Project Control Group

The project is being guided by a Control group that meets regularly to discuss and assess progress and communicate with wider stakeholders and interested parties. The group consists of members of the research team, Council staff and Councillors from the six Local Government areas and representatives from Department of Sustainability and Environment and Sustainability Victoria

Host Research Institutions

This joint research project is being undertaken by a collaborative team from the School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning, RMIT University, and Latrobe University Bendigo, assisted by a number of consultant researchers.

Strategic Policy Context

Coming Soon

Back to top