The limits to urban consolidation

Urban consolidation has been a major planning policy in Australia\u27s largest cities for the best part of two decades writes Glen Searle. It has seemingly offered a serendipidous solution to a range of pressing urban problems. But how are planners planning for the future? In this paper Glen Searle argues that we should be identifying the longer term constraints on higher residential densities in each part of the city as planning needs to recognise the limits on the scope for further consolidation. The paper considers five kinds of such potential limits on urban consolidation - infrastructure capacity, land capacity, maximum density, loss of economic activity and market demand