From Brunswick to Heidelberg to South Melbourne to Richmond, buildings with bits missing permeate our streetscapes, with almost every new dense build taking on this architectural form.
But why?
It's because of a planning control known as an ‘upper-level setback’, which is codified within planning schemes all across Melbourne.
This is not just a harmless piece of prescriptive design regulation: upper-level setbacks are terrible for both environmental sustainability and housing affordability.
They have almost no benefits, and are making our city worse.
In the context of dual climate and housing crises, it’s time we abolish unnecessary upper-level setbacks.
