Mapping urban residential density patterns: Compact city model in Melbourne, Australia

•Dwindling dwelling counts in the inner suburbs with a rapid densification of the inner outer zone.•Density increase around activity centres is statistically insignificant.•Densification is not just restricted to activity centres and the inner suburbs.•The hollowing effect (a localised density reduction) needs further investigation.

The advocacy of the notion of 'compact city' as a strategy to reduce urban sprawl, to support greater utilisation of existing infrastructure and services in more established areas and to improve connectivity of employment and transit hubs is vigorously debated in urban research. Using the urban residential density as a surrogate measure for urban compactness, this paper empirically examines the cadastre database that contains details of every property in order to capture changes in urban residential density patterns in Melbourne, Australia using geospatial techniques. The paper discusses the realisation of the density aspect of compact city policy implemented in Melbourne 2030 Plan. The policy of densification in pursuit of a more compact city has produced mixed results. The findings of this study indicate that urban densities across the buffer zones around Melbourne CBD are significantly different. The dwindling dwelling counts in the inner suburbs and a rapid densification of the inner outer zone is surprising, with urban development following contrasting patterns to what was anticipated to emerge after such a policy change. Contrary, the dwelling density around the designated Activity Centres between the first two zones are statistically insignificant - questioning the fundamental purpose of the compact city model to increase the residential density around significant economic and transit hubs. The 'hollowing effect' (i.e. a localised reduction in dwelling densities) observed in the analysis around inner suburbs necessitates us to further examine the quality of data input particularly the coding of multi-storey developments and land sub-divisions into the cadastre database.