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Davies, Alan
Structure of Suburban Employment in Melbourne
Abstract
This project will investigate whether or not the spatial structure of employment in suburban Melbourne has entered a new phase in response to wider economic and technological changes associated with the transition to the new economy. The progressive dispersal of employment to the suburbs over the last 50-60 years in western cities is well established. From around the middle of the 20th century, much of the growth in manufacturing, retail and ‘backoffice’ employment shifted from the centre to the suburbs, but strategic office employment largely remained in the centre. This new growth in suburban employment was generally confined to dispersed commercial and industrial zones. While the strength of the CBD in advanced services remains unchallenged, recent suburban employment growth seems to be shared between: (1) dispersion throughout the suburbs at relatively low densities; (2) the emergence of distinct, higher density suburban employment concentrations, often covering an extensive geographical area; (3) distinct specialisation of many of these concentrations in one or more industries; and (4) some growth in producer services in some locations outside the CBD. The core idea of this research is that these changes reflect the way some firms concentrate to enjoy agglomeration economies while others follow consumer demand into dispersed locations. To explore this tension, the research will investigate changes in the spatial structure of employment in Melbourne over the period 1981-2001. It will use Census Journey To Work employment data for 1,000 areal zones (TZN) classified by industry sector. It will measure the characteristics of these patterns by investigating the influence of key variables, including density, degree of industry specialisation and distance from the centre. The analysis will utilise appropriate multivariate analytical techniques.
Biography
Alan Davies started his career in Sydney as a social planner with MSJ Keys Young Planners and subsequently worked in transportation planning, strategic land release planning and as an adviser to the NSW Attorney General and Minister for Energy and Water. In 1985 he took out a Masters degree in planning from Sydney University and moved to Melbourne as head of the Resources and Development Division, Department of Premier and Cabinet. Other relevant appointments in his career include Executive Director, Qld Office of Regional Development and Deputy Director General, Qld Department of Tourism, Small Business and Industry. Alan returned to Melbourne in 2000 and established Davies Pollard P/L to work on strategic planning and water policy.
Abstract
This project will investigate whether or not the spatial structure of employment in suburban Melbourne has entered a new phase in response to wider economic and technological changes associated with the transition to the new economy. The progressive dispersal of employment to the suburbs over the last 50-60 years in western cities is well established. From around the middle of the 20th century, much of the growth in manufacturing, retail and ‘backoffice’ employment shifted from the centre to the suburbs, but strategic office employment largely remained in the centre. This new growth in suburban employment was generally confined to dispersed commercial and industrial zones. While the strength of the CBD in advanced services remains unchallenged, recent suburban employment growth seems to be shared between: (1) dispersion throughout the suburbs at relatively low densities; (2) the emergence of distinct, higher density suburban employment concentrations, often covering an extensive geographical area; (3) distinct specialisation of many of these concentrations in one or more industries; and (4) some growth in producer services in some locations outside the CBD. The core idea of this research is that these changes reflect the way some firms concentrate to enjoy agglomeration economies while others follow consumer demand into dispersed locations. To explore this tension, the research will investigate changes in the spatial structure of employment in Melbourne over the period 1981-2001. It will use Census Journey To Work employment data for 1,000 areal zones (TZN) classified by industry sector. It will measure the characteristics of these patterns by investigating the influence of key variables, including density, degree of industry specialisation and distance from the centre. The analysis will utilise appropriate multivariate analytical techniques.
Biography
Alan Davies started his career in Sydney as a social planner with MSJ Keys Young Planners and subsequently worked in transportation planning, strategic land release planning and as an adviser to the NSW Attorney General and Minister for Energy and Water. In 1985 he took out a Masters degree in planning from Sydney University and moved to Melbourne as head of the Resources and Development Division, Department of Premier and Cabinet. Other relevant appointments in his career include Executive Director, Qld Office of Regional Development and Deputy Director General, Qld Department of Tourism, Small Business and Industry. Alan returned to Melbourne in 2000 and established Davies Pollard P/L to work on strategic planning and water policy.
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