COMMENDATION
Nick McFarlane
PROJECT
Parcel Amalgamations for Urban Consolidation: The Role of Statutory Planning Mechanisms
The need for more housing provision in established areas where people have good access to transport, jobs and community facilities is widely acknowledged. Against this backdrop, Nick’s work presents a strong argument for urban consolidation policies to move beyond blanket upzoning practice, towards more targeted intervention in strategically optimal locations. His work challenges planners and policy-makers to consider how current practices may inadvertently re-direct development intensity to unintended locations.
The Judges considered this to be an excellent research piece on a very topical matter. Nick’s approach to data analysis and research, including the use of GIS inputs and real estate data provided an excellent sample size and geographic analysis of the topic. Qualitative analysis, through discussions with professionals, provided another layer of rigour to the research.