Study findings suggest greater density could unlock health opportunities

With record population growth, a housing boom and political warfare over how to accommodate millions of people, density for many has become a dirty word.

But a new study suggests there could be another factor worth discussing: the link between density and health opportunities. Experts suggest a denser suburb could be good for health – if done well.

The Domain Healthy Sydney study, authored by Deloitte Access Economics and Tract Consultants, compared Sydney’s suburbs across 10 indicators that either help or hinder health. These include walkability, proximity to hospitals and allied health facilities, as well as hindrance factors such as density of fast food and liquor stores. Each suburb was given a a star rating from 0.5 to five.

It showed that some of the city’s densest suburbs — like Waterloo, Breakfast Point, and Bondi Junction — rated well due to high scores for access to fresh food, ability to use active transport to get to work and the provision of public open space.

They sit in stark contrast to sprawling suburbs further out from the CBD, where the desire to own a quarter-acre block often comes at the cost of the provision of services that could promote a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Lucy Gunn, research fellow at the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University, said there was an economic argument that underlined density.

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“It really comes down to the fact that people need services, people need public transport … without [people] there is no point providing [services] and that’s what tends to happen in outer and middle suburbs,” Dr Gunn said.

Dr Gunn said research supported 25 dwellings per hectare as the level of density required for effective service provision, including public transport. Sydney’s average density is 18 dwellings per hectare.

“Part of the problem is the density targets are set low, part of the problem is that the government is not provisioning that density on the ground, so it’s not being delivered on the ground anyway,” Dr Gunn said.

Diana Sarcasmo, head of design at Mirvac, a major developer in Sydney, said density could be done well, but is a shared responsibility between the community, the government and the developer.

“It’s really important when you do increase the density that you provide the opportunity to interact with each other,” Ms Sarcasmo said.

She said it was important developers did not duplicate existing amenities, like swimming pools and parks, and instead ensured new facilities would complement a suburb.

Ms Sarcasmo used the example of The Finery at Waterloo,  which will see 223 apartments and terrace homes arranged across six buildings from four to eight storeys.

She said a significant amount of green space was built into the former industrial site, with all buildings facing onto a communal courtyard to encourage interaction between residents.

The director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute at the University of Sydney, Nicole Gurran, said while density doesn’t necessarily correlate with health, Sydney has densified around existing centres and transport networks. The benefits of access to active transport options are expected to improve people’s health.

“The benefit of density is you can potentially reduce distances. As long as you have housing density that coexists with appropriate uses, then you reduce car dependency and that’s the number one health benefit,” Professor Gurran said.

“We’re getting better at thinking how our buildings relate to the neighbourhood fabric. That’s not to say high density is the best answer. We want diverse housing types that range from low to medium to high density. If it’s done well it’s generally valued highly by the market.”