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Standing on his apartment balcony, James Coghlan espouses the benefits of being a short walk from shops, a cinema and an art gallery.<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s not in the CBD or metropolitan Melbourne, he\u2019s instead looking out on Ballarat, where he and his wife moved from their large family home of 47 years to a smaller home with less maintenance.<\/p>\n
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James Coghlan on the balcony of his Ballarat apartment, which looks over the city. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>Jason South <\/cite><\/p>\n If Infrastructure Victoria has its way, many more people will be living just like the Coghlans \u2013 in compact urban developments across our regional city centres.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just so gorgeous,\u201d Coghlan said, looking out on the extinct volcano that became Mount Buninyong rising in the south and the forest of Mount Warrenheip to the east.<\/p>\n But Coghlan, a former mayor of Ballarat, said the CBD, which currently houses about 600 residents, could easily accommodate many more \u2013 particularly in the rooms above shops.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly they\u2019re empty, or they\u2019re used as storage for the businesses below,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A view of Ballarat East from the Black Hill lookout. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>Paul Jeffers <\/cite><\/p>\n Encouraging more housing in established areas will grow regional economies while preserving farmland and natural habitats, the Choosing Victoria\u2019s Future report says.<\/p>\n Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Jonathan Spear said Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo could take a different path to what Melbourne has done historically, by choosing to be more compact.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a real opportunity now for regional cities to avoid becoming sprawling and dispersed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The report modelled a snapshot of a future with rapid population growth in regional Victoria\u2019s three biggest cities.<\/p>\n Infrastructure Victoria wants regional cities, including Bendigo, to rein in sprawl and build more homes in established areas.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Joe Armao<\/cite><\/p>\n In the greatest population growth scenario, Ballarat would increase from 120,000 residents in 2021 to 370,000 in 2056, Bendigo from 122,000 in 2021 to 350,000 and Geelong from about 274,000 to 720,000.<\/p>\n Infrastructure Victoria argues people will be better off when new homes are built in regional centres\u2019 established areas, rather than being spread across small towns and rural areas.<\/p>\n \u201cConcentrating home building in regional centres would use up less land, helping preserve farmland and natural habitats,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n It said living in more compact cities would bring residents closer to jobs, services and infrastructure, while delivering more variety in housing choices.<\/p>\n Geelong would have a population of more than 700,000 by 2056 under a scenario modelled by Infrastructure Victoria. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim <\/cite><\/p>\n It also recommends improving digital and transport connections to keep the regions economically competitive.<\/p>\n The report examined a \u201cnetwork of cities\u201d model for Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong in which the regional centres build more than 15,000 homes each year between 2036 and 2056 and become major economic hubs with vibrant city centres, improved transport and strong agriculture and clean-energy sectors.<\/p>\n According to the report, urban growth boundaries around regional centres would also help encourage more townhouses and apartments.<\/p>\n The \u201cnetwork of cities\u201d model offered fewer economic benefits than more compact scenarios. But Infrastructure Victoria said developing industries, including renewable energy and recycling, while building TAFE and university facilities, would help improve economic growth.<\/p>\n By comparison, a \u201cdistributed state\u201d \u2013 in which many more people live in rural areas and small towns \u2013 would mean many more car trips and hard-to-reach jobs and services.<\/p>\n The distributed state scenario would also need 34,000 hectares of land \u2013 twice as much as a compact city \u2013 reducing the area available for wildlife and agriculture.<\/p>\n Regional Cities Victoria chair Andrea Metcalf said regional centres would need upgraded power, water and sewage infrastructure if they were to accommodate a large increase in residential population.<\/p>\n She said this \u201cenabling infrastructure\u201d could be funded by Victoria\u2019s windfall gains tax, which applies to land that is subject to government rezoning that results in it becoming more valuable.<\/p>\n But Metcalf said denser populations in city centres would make them more vibrant and improve their nightlife.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s safer when there are more people around,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Coghlan has just one main gripe about living in Ballarat\u2019s CBD \u2013 his closest all day parking option is about 250 metres away.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an issue that might be a problem for potential CBD dwellers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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