The Activity Centre Program is redistributive
Through a focus on building in established areas, the Activity Centre Program is an opportunity to redistribute wealth and means to a greater number of Victorians.
Summary
- The governmentʼs new activity centres are concentrated in areas with declining numbers of children, high socioeconomic status, and high levels of segregation.
- Prior research from YIMBY Melbourne shows a direct correlation between
housing growth and the increase in the number of children. - Allowing more housing choices in higher status and more highly segregated
areas would allow more people the opportunity to live in these areas. - Taxpayers currently subsidise transport infrastructure regardless of where they live—transit-oriented development allows more people to benefit from it directly.
- All of the above has positive implications for equitability.
Policy context: a meaningful intervention
Throughout 2024 and 2025 the Victorian Government has been releasing more details about their flagship housing policy: the Activity Centre Program.
The program will enable more homes to be built in and around 60 activity centres across Melbourne, with the majority of those centred around train and tram lines, with good access to jobs and services.
This represents one of the most meaningful policy interventions in Victoriaʼs urban planning history. Much ink of opinion has been spilled on this program, though little public quantitative work has been undertaken by proponents and critics alike.
This research makes a small contribution to this discourse by exploring the Activity Centre Program (ACP) in the context of equitability in Victoria.
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