Melbourne stage four restrictions: Best and worst suburbs for walkability
Melburnians suffering through stage four restrictions can only stray up to 5km from their homes — but some have it better than others. Is your suburb one of our best or worst for walkability?
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Walkability is at an all-time premium for Melburnians suffering through stage four restrictions.
And Melbourne’s inner north is home to the city’s most walkable postcodes, according to Finder analysis revealing the best and worst suburbs for ‘walkability’ — now residents can only wander within 5km of their homes and exercise one hour a day.
Carlton and Fitzroy scored 98.5 and 98 out of 100 respectively to top Finder’s walkability index.
Walkability was defined by access to open space, tree cover, fresh food and health facilities, plus ease of running daily essential errands without a car to create the rankings.
Suburbs with a higher density of fast-food and liquor stores were graded negatively.
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RMIT professor of planning Michael Buxton said inner suburbs scored highly for their convenience, attractiveness and access to amenities, with South Melbourne, Collingwood, Richmond, Fitzroy North, St Kilda and South Yarra also rating in the 90s.
“You walk around the inner suburbs and it’s interesting — there are historic buildings, established historic streetscapes and lovely parks,” Mr Buxton said.
“Attractiveness is a really important element in liveable cities because it encourages people to get out and walk.”
Mr Buxton said the CBD and Southbank — which also sat comfortably in Finder’s top 10 — over-achieved because of accessibility, dubbing the latter “an urban desert at night”.
At the other end of the scale, Junction Village, south of Cranbourne, scored just 13 to be Melbourne's least walkable postcode.
“(In) the outer suburbs, you really can’t walk to get to anything because they’re designed around the car,” Mr Buxton said.
The Clyde region was “one of the least walkable and difficult places to live” in Melbourne, featuring some of the city’s “most poorly planned” suburbs.
“You go out there and to go shopping you’ve got to drive, there’s busy roads, with a very poor level of services,” he said.
Other low scorers were Warranwood and North Warrandyte, both 17.5, and Park Orchards, 18.5.
But Propertyology head of research Simon Pressley said these suburbs had their own appeals amid the pandemic, offering residents larger properties with more space.
The Macedon Ranges and Mornington Peninsula had also become targets for those keen to escape the “cabin fever” of high-density inner suburbs, he said.
Finder insights manager Graham Cooke said walks helped reduce the mental toll of the stage four restrictions.
“Areas with good access to footpaths and trails are increasingly important as Victorians try to keep their sanity during another mentally exhausting lockdown,” Mr Cooke said.
Fitzroy resident Renee Buckingham said she was “grateful” to live so close to both Edinburgh and Carlton Gardens, where she jogged daily.
“I’ve learnt to appreciate the small things in life during lockdown,” Ms Buckingham said. “If you’re not doing it for the physical health, the routine is important for your mental health.”
TOP 10
1. Carlton, 98.5
2. Fitzroy, 98
3. Melbourne, 96.5
4. South Melbourne, 96
5. Collingwood, 96
6. Southbank, 95.5
7. Richmond, 95
8. Fitzroy North, 94
9. St Kilda, 94
10. South Yarra, 93.5
BOTTOM 10
346. Junction Village, 13
345. Warranwood, 17.5
344. North Warrandyte, 17.5
343. Park Orchards, 18.5
342. Burnside Heights, 21.5
341. Eltham North, 23
340. Dandenong North, 24
339. Templestowe, 25.5
338. Lower Plenty, 29.5
337. Vermont, 30.5
Source: Finder, scores out of 100
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Originally published as Melbourne stage four restrictions: Best and worst suburbs for walkability