the robina residential archipelago

An analysis of Walkability in a late 20th Century Master Planned suburb on

Australia’s Gold Coast

Nigel Cartlidge

Nigel Cartlidge Second Gold Coast Urban Design Conference 2009

An analysis of Walkability in a late 20th Century Master Planned suburb on Australia’s Gold Coast

The study area of Robina/Robina Woods

The factors affecting connectivity

Mapping pedestrian mobility

The Route Deviation Index (RDI)


Contents

Nigel Cartlidge

The study examined the barriers to urban connectivity in Robina

•Robina was chosen as a prominent example of new settlement planning and development in late 20th century Australia

•The residential suburb of Robina Woods was chosen for its central position in that development

•Walkability was chosen as the primary tool for analysing the future sustainability of the suburb


Second Gold Coast Urban Design Conference 2009


Robina/Varsity Lakes Study Area

Google Earth™ image

Sprawl has 3 CharacteristicsSprawl has 3 Characteristics

3.3. Low Density DevelopmentLow Density Development

5.5. Low Mix of Use DevelopmentLow Mix of Use Development

7.7. Low ConnectivityLow Connectivity




Robina is a car dependent Robina is a car dependent Sprawl developmentSprawl development

• It has a density of 12.94 dph It has a density of 12.94 dph (GCCC, 2007)(GCCC, 2007)

• It has widely separated land usesIt has widely separated land uses

• It has low levels of connectivityIt has low levels of connectivity




The edge city spatial layout of

Robina Town Centre




PacificMotorway




Rail Lineto

Brisbane

PacificMotorway




Rail Lineto

Brisbane

PacificMotorway

Robina Town Centre

Layered barriers to pedestrian access

Nigel Cartlidge

Robina Woods Study Area


•Ten residences were selected as representative of a geographical spread in the suburb •All three internal destinations and seven theoretically walkable local destinations were identified

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Robina Woods Study Area


The four lane median strip highways and the golf course constrain and define the suburb

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The Layered Barriers to Pedestrian Connectivity

Factors affecting connectivity


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The study focused on selected aspects of the barriers to connectivity created in Robina:

•Time and distance•Proximity of origins to destinations•Spatial layout of the development•Route choice


Nigel Cartlidge


The study focused on selected aspects of the barriers to connectivity created in Robina:

Physical

•Car focused design•The physical barriers to permeability



Town centre aligned to the motorway and heavy rail line

A residential core separated from needs

Amenities and facilities on the edges of the development

Truncated routes

Un-walkable distances

Land uses and routes

Spatial & Physical Barriers


Google Earth™ images




Wide Roads& Fences




Wide Roads& Fences

Roundaboutsas crossings




Wide Roads& Fences


Open Space & Car Parks




Wide Roads& Fences


Open Space & Car Parks

Loops &Lollipops


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The car focused design limits pedestrian mobility

Arterial Roads


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Arterial Roads Collector Roads


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Arterial Roads Collector Roads


Crossings

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The location of private open space

The inappropriate location, size and shape of Golf Courses or other private open spaces is an unacceptable long term land use especially if it forms barriers to all forms of mobility.


Nigel Cartlidge

Mapping Pedestrian Mobility

The study adopted a walking speed of 4.5km/h, giving a walking distance of 375m in five minutes. Based on a study of older pedestrian speeds (US Roads 2008).

The study rejected the common practice of drawing pedshed circles on maps and sought to establish actual route times through mapping.

“Design for the young and you exclude the old: design for the old and you include the young” Dr Bernard Isaacs quoted in “Healthy Spaces and Places”.

The metric: The distance someone can walk in five minutes


Nigel Cartlidge

Compared to the reality for residence 6 in actual permeability

Proximity of origins to destinations determines walkability

Traditional 400 & 800m pedsheds centered on the Primary School


Nigel Cartlidge

Proximity of origins to destinations determines walkability

Physical barriers to pedestrian mobility include limited route choice


Residence 10: 550m in a straight line from Varsity College (H) is 2410m by road separated by 22m of golf course buggy track

Residence 6: 660m in a straight line from Robina Town Centre (A) is 4080m by road. Blocked by the golf course and Robina Parkway

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Route structure is a shared problem for all forms of mobility

Impermeable barriers are formed by the spatial layout



The Route Deviation Index is the variation between the straight line distance and the actual travel distance as a percentage of the straight line distance.

The route deviation maps sought to measure the distortion caused by the route structure and the impermeable barriers.

These maps were used to produce a mean average and range of RDI for each destination

A benchmark RDI was established by analysing the RDI of a grid road system in a suburb of Vancouver Canada


Nigel Cartlidge

The spatial layout of the arterial road system used in Robina Woods was compared to the grid system employed in a suburb of Vancouver.

Suburb of Vancouver RDI 135 to 140


Nigel Cartlidge

The spatial layout of the arterial road system used in Robina Woods was compared to the grid system employed in a suburb of Vancouver.

Suburb of Vancouver RDI 135 to 140

Robina Woods RDI 108 to 1045

The relative scale, disconnect, lack of amenity, permeability and route choice in Robina Woods is shown in these two images



The mean RDI for the selected ten residences to Robina Town Centre is 239 with a RDI range of 117 for residence 2, to 618 for residence 6

Robina Town Centre RDI map Varsity College RDI map

The mean RDI for the selected ten residences to Varsity College is 220 with a RDI range of 147 for residence 2, to 438 for residence 6

The Town Centre The Local State School


Nigel Cartlidge

Using the grid system RDI as a benchmark it is possible to calculate the excess travel costs and CO2 emissions imposed on residents by the arterial road system.

A family of four living in residence 6 making 5 round trips to Robina Town Centre and Varsity College will travel 47.96kms extra each week, this will cost them:

•$31.46 and 5.07 kgs of CO2 if driving a Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3 CVT

•$38.27 and 7.19 kgs of CO2 if driving a Ford FG Falcon XT(RACQ 2008) & (timeforchange.org 2008).

The spatial layout and the arterial road system imposes costs on people and the environment


Nigel Cartlidge

Conclusions

The residents of Robina Woods have little or no option but to travel by car to the amenities, facilities and employment they need within or outside of their residential suburb.

There is a lack of destinations within the suburb to meet residents needs locally.

There are layers of barriers to pedestrian mobility in the car focused urban design utilised in the development of Robina.

Walking speed and achievable distances should be reduced to promote equity in planning and pedestrian mapping needs to replace the 400m circle.

The Route Deviation Index (RDI) could be adopted to as a measurement tool to analyse and improve urban layouts.


Nigel Cartlidge


“Sprawl is bad aesthetics, it is bad economics. Five acres being made to do the work of one, and to do it very poorly." William Whyte, January 1958.


the robina residential archipelago

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