Giddings, B and Rogerson, R (2021) Compacting the city centre: Densification in two newcastles. Buildings & Cities, 2(1), pp. 185-202. ISSN 2632-6655
Abstract
The compact city and the associated process of densification have attained almost hegemonic status as a sustainable urban form. Seeking to counteract the negative impacts of sprawl, urban densification has usually focused on areas beyond the city centre. However, a renewed attraction of the urban core is altering patterns at a time when other trends, including the decline of retailing and commercial activity, are also changing demands for space in the city centre. This paper investigates different approaches to the use of urban densification as part of strategies for the regeneration of the city centre. Drawing on two case studies—Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia—it considers the different mechanisms by which city authorities and their development partners are seeking to densify the city centre, and examines the tensions created by the process in these two contexts. In addition to document analysis, data are derived from symposia based in both cities as part of the future of the city centre project led by the authors. Contributors included representatives from local government, non-government organisations, business and community groups. The outcome is an appraisal of contrasting approaches to the densification of city centres.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | city centres,; compact cities; densification; density; planning; sustainability; urban design; Australia; UK |
| Index terms: | Australia, strategy, densification, document analysis, drawing, compact city, urban design, case study, local government, density, urban densification, appraisal, New South Wales, city centre, urban form |
| Subjects: | analytical methods, data science, technical documentation, data collection methods, administrative law, infrastructure and transport systems, urban design, Geography, urban form and morphology, population and demographics, management, factor and component analysis |
| Topics: | Urban Studies, Legal Issues, Design Practice, Business Strategy, Geographical Context, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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