Melbourne has been hailed as the world’s most liveable city. But residents can testify to a more down to earth interpretation of the fancy title, knowing that – in recent times at least – the statement is more accurate for those closer to the city centre.
When consulting firm PwC undertook its first CityPulse analysis in 2018, to assess the best Melbourne areas to live in, it came as no surprise that “proximity to the CBD and related access to jobs and amenities was a strong factor in determining a suburb’s liveability.”
But their newest report suggests a major shift is already underway in Victoria’s capital city, much attributed to the new working modes for many since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos, PWC’s Melbourne Managing Partner, Peter Konidaris, points to the major highlight of the report being that “liveability in Melbourne’s middle and outer suburbs has increased”.
He explains this is due to a sustained recent surge in remote working which renders CBD proximity less relevant.
“COVID-19 has forced people to think about how they work. And I think people have accepted that they can work with a high degree of productivity from home,” he says referring to technology as the main driving factor behind the shift, with virtual meetings for instance having now become the norm.
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Outer-city pockets leading the way
In determining a suburb’s liveability, the CityPulse analysis didn’t just focus on jobs’ accessibility. The assessment took into account housing affordability, crime rates, access to health, education and importantly the ‘Play’ factor including recreational options, cultural attractions and sports or entertainment facilities.
The game-changer however for fresh observations in light of coronavirus-imduced changes, was introducing commute saving as a metric.
This applies largely to office employees who are therefore able to transfer their workspace home.
Nevertheless, Mr Konidaris explains, it remains the case that a big cohort of outer city dwellers have been enabled to spend less time in traffic and more in their local communities.
“What we found was that those suburbs where we saw an increase in liveability, had a high percentage of white collar workers, because they were some distance away from the city and therefore the saving from commute times was high. Whereas, others were quite close to good ‘play’ amenities. Now, in suburbs where you can combine these two scores, liveability goes through the roof.”
Examples, he says, include eastern suburbs Doncaster, to the north-east end, and south-eastern Carnegie.
“Both have a combination of access to great retail shops, access to parks, reserves and open spaces.”
Surrey Hills and Carnegie are among the areas concentrating the biggest scores within a 10-20 km radius from Melbourne’s CBD.
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In the breakdown of suburbs more than 20 km away from the city, Cranbourne East tops the list, while in the western pocket, Point Cook regions stand out for the biggest improvement in liveability rankings since the last report.
Within the inner-city suburbs’ cohort – garnering the highest scores overall – you’ll find the ‘usual suspects’ on top of the lists, like Richmond and Southbank or Hawthorn and Northcote a tad further away.
Putting scores into perspective
So, what do these updated numbers mean for policy-makers and Victorians really?
According to Mr Konidaris, a big question arising from the report is whether a renewed focus is needed “on the ‘play’ and amenities factors in some suburbs where traditionally there hasn’t been much, because people are going to be spending more time there than before, working from home.”
“That’s a real opportunity for planning and for government to think.”
While the data-led insights can have a broad usability potential for the government and non-profit sector, he notes, the analysis is also aiming to help individuals and families navigate the liveability equation when choosing their home in a rapidly-changing urban environment.
“The reason we did this was because we felt people are more likely in their lifetimes to consider moving in a different suburb within their city than to another state or country.
“When people understand the relative merits of their suburbs […] as citizens they find that really powerful and insightful because they know their local area, they know the areas around them. And that’s what effectively we’re trying to do, share data and perspectives that govern liability in our cities, given the challenges as these cities continue to grow and expand.”
A case for business to work for society
Mr Konidaris’ personal belief is that a shift towards creating ‘strategic mini CBDs’ across Melbourne could help liveability conditions flourish more proportionally in outer suburbs, moving away from geographical divisions between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’.
The 2019 recipient of the HACCI (Hellenic Australian Community of Chamber and Industry) Professional Excellence Award, has built a reputation advocating for the corporate sector doing their bit in tackling inequality and societal challenges.
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He argues there is a range of issues where the business community and the Greek business community in particular have a role to play in driving change.
“I think the Greek community has a responsibility to step up and continue to try and inform, help shape social issues.
“Be it the challenges facing Indigenous people, migration, homelessness, there’s a host of issues that I think the Greek business community could clearly have a role in a leadership position[…] We’re such a significant population within Melbourne in particular. We have a really powerful voice. Let’s choose the issues and try to improve them, not just for Greeks but the broader community.”
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