Planners will need to consider growth quality instead of just growth quantity says Dr Alan March, following news that Victoria's population will double to 8 million within the next fifty years.

"Unfortunately, the recent expansion of the metropolitan area has dealt primarily with quantity," says Dr March, a Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning from the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.  "The high levels of expected population growth have been dealt with by rolling out the same types of growth plans we've had for decades, essentially, low quality inefficient suburban sprawl."

"The debate must now turn to ensuring the quality of settlements for all Victorians improves if we are to expect a healthy, prosperous & sustainable future.

"Quality planning also plays a key role in safeguarding Victorians from the negative consequences of Bushfires.  The Bushfires Royal Commission has detailed a range of ways that urban planning can do this, and what is needed now is a comprehensive response across the urban planning system to integrate what we have learend into the process of managing urban areas."

Dr Alan March,
Senior Lecutrer, Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning