by Nicole Lee

As Australia’s population continues to grow — reaching 24 million in February 2016 — so will the need for housing. A number of developments are underway in Southeast Queensland to create new, well-planned communities.

But have councils thought of everything? Communities are particularly vulnerable during early stages of development. The key issues that arise from individuals moving to early stage developing communities include social exclusion, limited access to public transport, and the capacity of social infrastructure to provide services to expanding populations.

Yarrabilba and Greater Flagstone identify as Master Planned Communities, including provisions for recreation, business, health, and business centres. Both of these locations are Priority Development Areas (PDA) by the Queensland Government in 2010, which require each location to develop their Urban Area Development Schemes over twelve months.

The acceleration of the planning and implementation processes can create vulnerabilities for residents living in these communities. Development in these areas commenced in 2011, with the first residents arriving in May 2013. Flagstone and Yarrabilba sit outside the established centre of Logan and as such,their access to transport services is still in development.

The Development Schemes for Greater Flagstone and Yarrabilba outline the vision and goals for the communities, including ensuring that each respective community meets social, recreational, and entertainment needs of residents. In addition to these, an integrated transport system to facilitate access to work, education, and other opportunities in the region. The infrastructure and services are required to be implemented in a timely and integrated manner to support uses and networks.

Greater Flagstone and Yarrabilba are predicted to take 30–40 years to complete and will include over 70 000 new residences, housing up to 170,000 people. These communities aim to be vibrant and engaged upon their completion.

Until that time, what do outcomes look like for residents who move in during the development process, without access to services and facilities that development schemes promise?

Risks and vulnerabilities

Karen Healy has explored the risks for social isolation that young families face when moving to non-metropolitan or developing areas. Housing prices are identified as the main attractors of families to non-metropolitan areas as well as a pressure to leave metropolitan areas — a major risk factor for families is losing their established networks. The loss of personal and community networks has been linked to increases in low level crime, depression, and child safety issues.

The main factors that increase vulnerability are exacerbated in developing areas where there is a lack of local transport, health, and community services. Non-working parents who rely on public transport or in one-vehicle families are most likely to become socially excluded. A lack of services in these areas can make it challenging for new families to establish themselves, engendering poor mental health outcomes.

Teenagers and young people have particular risks in developing communities with some studies finding that teenagers show a desire to build relationships with family, friends, and communities but require access to recreational to do so. They also found that poor access to amenity was an antecedent to antisocial behaviour among teenagers. Access to mobility — either a family vehicle with an adult willing to drive or public transport — was identified as the number one impediment to accessing recreational amenities. These limitations are compounded in areas where teenagers’ homes are no co-located with schools, stores, services, and activities.

“Without parents to drive them, teenagers struggled to access friends, sport, work, and even school in some cases”

Commuting is essential for residents of the Yarrabilba community that currently provides residents with access to one service station and one child care facility expected to open this year. All other major shopping districts are a minimum 20 minute drive away. Public transport in the area is provided by Logan Coaches; commuters have one chance in the morning to commute to Beenleigh and Loganlea stations and one chance to get back.

Similarly, the bus service transports secondary school students to surrounding areas, offering only one service in the morning and one after school. Transportation access is an essential component in families maintaining their networks and decreasing the risks of social isolation.

Long term planning for community health

The Queensland Government released a report on plans for increasing transport needs based on population projections for 2026 and 2056. The PDA of Greater Flagstone, Yarrabilba, and Jimbooba highlight the need for creating an east-west transit corridor in their region. The report predicts that by 2056 Yarrabilba may have one high frequency bus route, connecting routes to Browns Plains and Loganlea, and local service to Tamobrine; it is estimated that 25–35% of all trips to, from, and within Greater Flagstone and Yarrabilba will be on public transit. Until then, residents must rely on private vehicles and the limited services for their needs.

Social infrastructure in a region provides community services, facilities, networks, and relationships that connect residents and support community participation. Residents of Gold Coast’s Northern Growth Corridor, which overlaps with the Yarrabilba jurisdiction, are already travelling outside of their communities to access social and community services.

Not only will future residents of Yarrabilba face potential social exclusion and transport issues, they will also need to compete with other communities for limited resources. Young families face particular disadvantage resulting from the high risk of teenage disengagement from community due to limited opportunities.

Upon completion in approximately 2051, public transport and community and social services will be in place, but what safeguards are there to protect residents moving to these areas during the development phase?

There is a high risk for people, especially young families, to experience social exclusion and negative mental health outcomes; teenagers are apt to disengage from their communities and partake in antisocial behaviours. There are opportunities for intervention to occur to limit these risk factors, but action needs to be taken now, not in 40 years.

Logan Together is a community based initiative working to improve the social, health, and educational outcomes of children in the Logan area. This initiative has the ability to grow community support groups and create networks amongst young families and residents in these developing communities.

They can also assist in Greater Flagstone and Yarrabilba’s capacity building of residents and community organisations to take leadership roles in strengthening neighbourhood groups and cohesion.

An increase in residents’ network building and locally available services are two crucial steps that need to be taken to ensure that the outcomes for families living in Greater Flagstone and Yarrabilba during their development processes are as good as those who will have full access to a finished community.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NICOLE LEE

Nicole Lee is a Masters of Public Administration student at the University of Victoria, Canada.

While on exchange with the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University, Nicole is working as a Research Analyst with the Logan Together program. Nicole is interested in local level governance structures.