The Next 25: stations that need to be upzoned

As part of Plan for Victoria, the Government has elected to upzone dozens of train stations as part of the Activity Centres Program. 

This is a sound policy. Melbourne has bountiful infrastructure and the ability to accommodate many more Melburnians in the places where they want to live. 

YIMBY Melbourne has developed an open-source model to measure and determine which stations the Victorian Government should prioritise for upzoning. 

The stations are: Collingwood, North Richmond, Prahran, West Richmond, Jolimont, Burnley, Victoria Park, Windsor, Fairfield, Coburg, Gardenvale, Croxton, Ivanhoe, Dennis, Thornbury, Hartwell, Rosanna, Glenhuntly, Moreland, Burwood, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Ripponlea, Alamein, and Anstey.

Three outlier stations, excluded from our model, should also be considered: North Melbourne, Richmond, and South Yarra.

Read the report

What makes a good Activity Centre?

For each station, and all land within one kilometre of that station, we measure:

• The number of trains per hour during peak travel times
• The amount of spare train capacity during peak travel times
• The frequency of nearby bus and tram services
• The proportion of residential land with low-density zoning, excluding heritage overlays
• The prevalence and diversity of local amenities such as parks and schools
• The station’s distance from the CBD

Because Activity Centres are a housing policy first and foremost, within the report we have set the default weighting to favour proximity to the city and the potential for new housing around the station.

Report methodology

There is no reason to stop at just 50 stations

Our model indicates no significant difference between the upzoning capacities of stations number 25 and 75.

Indeed, there is no reason the Activity Centre Program could not be doubled in scope—from 50 to 100 stations—in the near future.

This report provides the evidence base required for the Government to confidently scale their planning reform policy ambitions as we move our state forward.

Explore the dataset

We have developed a dashboard that allows readers to explore how upzoning priorities might change based on what attributes of a station area they value most.

Use the dashboard

Quotes attributable to Paul Spasojevic, The Next 25 Lead Researcher, YIMBY Melbourne

"Open data and measurement is an essential part of making a great city. " 

"As Melbourne grows, Councils, planners, and the State Government have to become better at communicating and weighing the tradeoffs associated with urban policy.

"A big part of better, more transparent policy is measurement and visualisation."

Quotes attributable to Jonathan O'Brien, Lead Organiser, YIMBY Melbourne

"The ambition of the Activity Centres Program is admirable. What our research shows is that it could feasibly be doubled—from 50 to 100 stations on the network—in the near future."

"More Activity Centres means more homes, more small businesses, and a more sustainable way of life for more Melburnians."

"The announcement of the Activity Centres is an enormous win for Melbourne and Melburnians. Now it's time to see them delivered in a way that makes it much easier to build, and unlocks more homes where people want to live."