Melbourne's inner city is home to an increasing number of families, who see it as a viable place to live and raise children. The CBD has grown rapidly, leading to strain on services and facilities for families, particularly childcare, and issues to do with urban planning, housing size and affordability. With recent figures painting an even more crowded picture of Melbourne’s future, it’s time to reconsider how families fit into the frame.

By HANNAH SCHOLTE

Family-friendly is friendly for everyone: Melbourne is witnessing an intense period of residential development, with rapid growth in city-dwelling families leading to strain on resources and facilities, particularly childcare. But addressing these issues and working towards a family-friendly city may have benefits for the broader population, too.

On a Sunday afternoon, the local park is packed. Beneath the trees, clusters of people cross the paths as big, steady feet accompany little, wobbly ones. Wheels of all kinds hit the pavement: bikes, trikes, scooters and prams.

It’s the type of tranquil setting that may be found anywhere across the country. But this park is in an urban heartland, bordered by busy highways thick with traffic and loudly dinging trams.

The grassy expanse of Carlton Gardens sits just off Melbourne’s CBD grid. With its museum, playground and space to run free, it is a hub of activity for many city-dwelling families. It’s an entirely different setting to the suburban neighbourhood that was once was seen as the ideal place to raise children.

As cultural norms change, city life beckons to families who see benefits in the activities and opportunities an urban setting can provide. No longer the domain of business figures and dual-income-no-kids couples, Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs are now packed with families with young children.

These new families create a need for new facilities, services and amenities in education, health, recreation and more. Yet provision is running behind demand, especially when it comes to young children.

In 2006, the City of Melbourne housed nearly 14,000 individual family households. By 2011, this number had risen to 18,000; a 30 per cent rise in just five years, and a significantly higher increase than other household types, at 24 per cent. The CBD itself accommodated more than 1400 of these families.

Within these five years, the city has also witnessed a sharp rise in young children, with a 46 per cent increase in 0-4-year-olds, the largest percentage increase of any group.

The rapid growth is putting a strain on services, particularly childcare. This could potentially worsen, with residential growth expected to continue. Figures released through the Victorian Government’s metropolitan planning strategy Plan Melbourne set the greater city’s population projection at 7.7 million people by 2051. And with inner Melbourne rapidly growing too, the city is facing a bigger need than ever for family-oriented policies and planning.

The City of Melbourne’s recently released discussion paper Future Living highlighted critical issues in housing affordability and diversity for families, with apartments decreasing in size while increasing in price. It also acknowledged an undersupply of schools in the city, and it noted this shortage might be limiting community diversity, deterring residents that need those services.

But the population surge has led to one service being placed under greater demand than any other– childcare, both affordability and availability.

Early Childhood Australia’s Mark Paviour says the organisation is regularly made aware of the troubles parents have in finding a childcare place.

“Melbourne in particular has one of the highest numbers of children using care. We estimate that about 18,500 children are in some form of approved care in the Melbourne electorate,” he says.

“Access is a key problem faced by families, particularly in metropolitan areas. There’s a general sense that it’s difficult to get into not only any sort of care that you want, but a type of care that you want.

“If you have a particular centre in mind that has high quality and a good reputation in the community, it can be really difficult to get in, and parents have to face problems with waiting lists.”

A 2013 study by Melbourne Greens MP Adam Bandt found some childcare facilities had more than 300 families on their waiting lists, and an average wait to access childcare for young children at 18-24 months.

Rssearcher Abigail Brydon,  a Masters student looking inner city families and the services they use, says that while childcare access is difficult in many areas, issues in the CBD make it even harder.

“When you do childcare, you make a choice – ‘do I have it near to where I live, or do I have it near to where I work?’ The problem you have with the inner city is that you’re competing with families that work in the city as well.”

A mother of two, Ms Brydon also experienced this difficulty first hand when finding childcare for her eldest son.

“We were lucky to get childcare … we put Max’s name down on about five [lists], but we only heard back from one,” Ms Brydon says.

She eventually found care at her university’s centre, where her 18-month-old son Zac now attends care too.

“Everyone I know has said that childcare is like hen's teeth. But then at the same time, everyone I know eventually gets childcare, or they sort something out,” she says.

Ms Brydon says this initial difficulty is partly due to staff-to-child ratios.

“The ratio is at birth one to four: one childcare worker to four kids, which means at that young age group, for example, our childcare centre only had eight spots.”

“But by the time you get to four-year-olds, you only need one teacher for 24 kids. So suddenly, you have much more availability: instead of having eight spots you have 24 spots,” Ms Brydon says.

“It becomes easier to get into childcare as kids get older, it’s just really hard to do it in that first 12 months because there’s just no space available.

“The ratios are important, for obvious reasons, but by the same token that’s what makes it hard.”

Aside from access, affordability is another issue, with many inner-city parents facing some of the most expensive daily fees in the state.

Mr Paviour says the average cost of care in Melbourne is about around $98 a day, “which is quite high for an average”.

Though childcare costs are often scrutinised and considered in terms of providers, there are other potential considerations or causes too, which may be worsened by the density of urban space.

“Things like rent, utilities and parking have a big impact on the availability of services, and also the opportunities for competitors to come into the market,” Mr Paviour says.

“[In many cases] there’s simply not enough space and it’s not viable for them, and they have to charge high costs.”

Childcare researcher and former childcare worker Yarrow Andrew says there is a need to explore new options in the way childcare is set up and delivered.

“Certainly basing it on schools would allow centres to set up with perhaps a nominal rent, or even just a low rent, because a lot of schools particularly in older areas have quite big playground areas,” he says.

He suggests local councils should push for childcare spaces.

“If they mandated that spaces were made available for things like after-school care or childcare centres, that would help to build local childcare networks and make for some community-level development that I think would be advantageous.”

Mr Paviour also says that councils should take on this consideration, particularly in areas of population growth.

“We would like to see some sort of move towards ensuring that when new developments take place, there is consideration for space for early childhood centres,” he says.

Broader urban planning issues also have an impact on children and their inclusion in the city.

Associate Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne Dr Carolyn Whitzman says there is a lack of consideration of children when it comes to some urban planning decisions.

“Quite often local governments have child-friendly city initiatives and the social planners are interested in consulting with kids. But there’s a very sharp divide in Australia between land use planning and social planning,” Prof Whitzman says.

“There’s all these folks out there who are talking with kids about what they want and what services they want. But it’s much rarer for instance for transport planners … or the development control … or even the strategic planners to be involved in consulting with kids.”

Prof Whitzman says this is partly because there is no strict obligation for councils to consider children in these areas.

“[In] decisions around child-friendly cities, ranging from traffic safety to play spaces to the relationship between housing shops and public transport … people don’t tend to think of kids as citizens.”

Prof Whitzman notes that another key problem for children in cities, and an issue that often comes up in urban planning, is our dependence on cars for transport. She says this dependence was demonstrated through a research technique she employed, providing children with a camera for a week to record their journey from home to school or to other places.

“The number of kids that would just take a picture of the back seat of their car is really high,” she says.

“It’s really a stark contrast to feeling like you know your neighbourhood.”

Father of two Andrew Brydon agrees that car-based cities are dangerous and inhibiting to children.

“The car is the most dangerous thing for children everywhere. You’re far more likely as a child to be killed by a car than any of these other things that parents worry about, [such as] falls or drowning,” he says.

“This car-based culture … sees kids hop into a car, learn nothing about their journey and magically arrive at childcare. They’re not connected to the journey, they haven’t walked the route dozens of times, said hello to all the people that live along the way, or had that sense of being linked into the community.”

Mr Brydon says the issue is particularly evident around childcare centres based on busy roads.

“Parents are naturally paranoid about children leaving the centre, you know, ‘hang on tight’, ‘hold on to the pusher’.”

It’s a scene that occurs all across the city in the mid-morning drop off time outside busy inner-urban childcare centres. Four-wheel-drives line up in a row, hovering in timed drop-off bays, the whole act a difficult balance of hurry and caution. It plays out again at afternoon pickup as adults warn, “be careful”, and hands cling to bags and prams.

What this lack of planning consideration for children and reliance on cars has led to is that increasingly, the city has become a space that can be dangerous and fearful, something children cannot explore alone. 

In 2009, Whitzman headed Vertical Living Kids, a study of 40 children aged eight to 12 years old, living in buildings of four storeys or more in inner Melbourne. The study mapped the children's independent mobility, or ability to explore public spaces by themselves, and found that in many areas of the community this independence was incredibly low.

Prof Whitzman emphasises the importance of independent mobility in a child’s life.

“There’s the physical health reason, which is that kids need about 60 minutes of moderate physical activity per day and a lot of them aren’t getting it … the easiest way to get your daily dose is to walk or cycle to school,” she says.

“There’s the mental health reason, which is that kids who learn and master skills early like being able to walk to school by themselves have more confidence in themselves.

“And then there’s the citizenship reason, which is that you want kids to be environmentally aware, and aware of their neighbourhood and comfortable in their neighbourhood – you don’t want to raise fearful children.”

Prof Whitman says this independence is also a measure of how considerate of children a city is. Four years on from the study, she says a lack of children’s independent mobility is still an issue in Melbourne. She says one way to counter it is to build networks around early childhood centres, school areas and throughout the community through limiting car use.

Mr Brydon also suggests walking and cycling to school as a simple way to increase these networks.

“Children who walk to their childcare centres are much more embedded into their community,” he says.

“It’s not only better for the other people on their route, but they are more safe in terms of child protection issues, because people know them and they know people that they might trust.”

Prof Whitzman says several other countries across the world have already made great progress in considering children in cities.

“Germany, Finland, Japan, Denmark are often talked about countries where kids generally have more independent mobility, and that actually has to do with a set of attitudes, not necessarily planning.”

She also cites lower speed limits in some European metropolitan areas and more parental leave in Sweden as important progress, and that a lower birth rate in South Korea and Japan has led to more consideration for children as they are, in fact, a “declining resource”.

“In Japan it’s common for five and sixyear olds to go on the train by themselves to school so it’s a different social attitude in places like that than in the rich Anglo countries like New Zealand, Australia, Canada, US, UK where children’s independent mobility has declined most radically.

“And that, in turn, a lot of people theorise, has to do with a culture of individuality. In other words, kids aren’t everybody’s business.

“Australia is very good in commitment and research right now, it’s just not that good in terms of outcomes because there needs to be more of a societal shift. But it’s happening,” Prof Whitzman says.

She says this shift involves the concept of “child-friendly cities.”

Ms Brydon provides an example of such a shift, saying that in her area of Carlton many kids travel to and from school independently.

“You spot the uniform, because it’s bright blue, and there’s kids that scoot and ride their bikes by themselves, she says.

“There are a lot of people around here. I’d never be worried about my kids being ‘taken’ – there’s no deserted streets,” Ms Brydon says.

But while safety and neighbourhood ties are important to parents and children, Brydon says her studies illustrate that the things families want, also appeal to the broader public.

“I think overall, if you ask people what they like about living in the city, families are going to say the same thing,” she says.

Prof Whitzman agrees. “Generally a child-friendly city is friendly for everyone,” she says.

“I’m 50 years old and I sometimes like being playful in public space; I like dabbling my feet in a fountain, I like even going on a swing – why shouldn’t I?”

A family in the city 

Fun while it lasts: The City of Melbourne attracts a growing number of families each year. While those in the CBD area may struggle for resources, the municipality’s established inner suburbs are proving a great place to live for many parents and their kids. But the popularity of these areas coupled with housing size and affordability means not everyone can live here, and those that can might soon outgrow it.

Four-year-old Max has just woken from his afternoon nap. Brimming with energy, he wants to play. His 18-month-old brother Zac awakes and wants to join in, having recently learned to walk. Rapt with this new skill, his little legs carry him in wobbles and starts. It’s hard to imagine how two boisterous boys could be contained to a second-storey apartment with no backyard, but there’s a bigger picture to observe.

Mum and dad put shoes on and pack snacks. An elevator ride and a short stroll finds them in Carlton Gardens. Vast, green and grassy, this is their backyard.

Though Abigail Brydon and her husband Andrew only own 100 square feet of Carlton, along with their sons they call the entire suburb home. Its gardens, supermarkets, cafés, shops, footpaths and open spaces are theirs to use.

While decades ago Melbourne’s outer suburbs may have held appeal, the coveted inner suburbs of North Melbourne, Kensington, and Carlton are proving a haven for families, with proximity to the CBD balanced with a number of services and a community feel.

Landing in Carlton was luck for Abigail and Andrew. The couple have lived here since 2009, when they bought their flat in a four-storey block of 58 apartments, off-plan and online. Neither was from Melbourne, but they took a gamble, and it paid off.

According to Ms Brydon, moving “wasn’t even a consideration” when their sons came along. While the original attraction was the bars and restaurants, it had all the services required for a family as well.

“Everything I’ve ever needed in terms of my family has been within a five-minute walk,” she says.

“In general there are a lot of services … there’s more for families in the city than there are anywhere else.

“Hospitals, doctors, anything health related … within a kilometre there are three or four GPs, so if we cant get in to see one we go to a different one.”

The family were lucky enough to get childcare for Max and Zac. The boys attend Ms Brydon’s university-based care three days per week. And when it comes time for schooling, while there is an acknowledged undersupply of schools in parts of the municipality, like the CBD, there are at least five schools within as many kilometres from their home.

Ms Brydon says they plan to send Max and eventually Zac to Carlton Gardens Primary School, less than half a kilometre away.

“There’s one road to cross, so the plan is the boys will walk when they get to an age that’s appropriate. But the other plan is that we can always walk to school.”

The family walk almost everywhere else too. After a good run and some leaf throwing with his brother at the park, it’s time for Max and his family to hit the supermarket. He’s bursting to run ahead, but listens to his parents’ warnings to hold on. At the road, he stops, and like all kids squirms with glee at the chance to push the button, giving it an authoritative slap with his small palm.

Though walking is fun, for Max, the best thrill is hitting the pavement with two wheels.

“He scoots now if we’ve got any distance to walk … that means that he often goes ahead but he knows to stop, and I can trust him,” Ms Brydon says.

They walk or scoot together to a number of activities.

“Max has swimming lessons down at the city baths; we spend a lot of time in the park; we go to the zoo; if it’s raining we go to the museum, which is just across the road from us.”

“There is so much incidental exercise in our lives. He scoots down to care, he scoots home from care, and he runs around at care all day.”

Being out and about has other benefits,  which Ms Brydon says includes an increased sense of community.

“I think that is why we are part of our community, it’s because we’re in our community a lot. And in other places I’ve lived, I’ve never been that involved.

“We know all the coffee shop guys, and we know the neighbours and the people down the street. When we go to the parks, we know the kids, because we’re out there all the time, and everyone around here is in the same boat.”

However, for all the benefits that the area provides, there are still issues, particularly those that have come as part of an increasing population.

In 2006, the City of Melbourne had 1703 families with children aged 0-12 years. By 2011, it had 2400 – a 44 per cent increase in five years. Total population increased just 23 per cent.

Additionally, over 60 per cent of these families live in inner suburbs of Kensington, North Melbourne and Carlton.

Aside from having personal experience of the area, Ms Brydon is completing a Masters degree researching population increase in the City of Melbourne, the families that live in the city, and why they choose to do so.

She used demographic data, conducted a policy review and interviewed 10 families to assess ways to make their lives healthier and happier. She says of the issues she found, the biggest concerned the size and cost of housing.

“Apartments are getting smaller, and it’s just not viable for anyone,” Ms Brydon says.

“Just because you want to live in an apartment, doesn’t mean you want to live in a three-by-three cell … it’s not that people want a detached four-bedroom backyard in the city, people like the apartment lifestyle.

“You’d like to be able to have room for a table and a sofa and some space for kids to play,” she says.

Ms Brydon explains that while there are bigger places, they are too expensive. This an issue not just in her research, but also for her own family.

“The reason why we are still here is because we have looked for three bedroom places and there aren’t any … for us to afford to live in a three-bedroom house, we’re going to have to be able to find one and a half million dollars, that’s the reality,” she says.

“My children are going to share a room for a while,” Ms Brydon says.

In 2011, the Grattan Institute’s The Housing We’d Choose identified a critical mismatch between housing choices Australians want and what they are able to access and afford. With further population increases and additional housing demand, these issues could become worse.

The City of Melbourne has attempted to address these issues through a recently released discussion paper, Future Living. The paper states there is a demand for family-friendly apartments in the City of Melbourne, identifying the need for housing affordability and diversity of housing choices, and outlining shrinking apartment sizes and a predominance of one- and two-bedroom apartments as key issues. The council’s draft housing strategy is due to be released later this year.

But the same time as they are drawing criticism, apartments are being encouraged, with the Victorian State Government outlining a goal of two apartments for every detached home that is built, under its Plan Melbourne strategy.

Ms Brydon says the situation may continue unless developers are brought into line.

“The developers aren’t going to change … they’re making a product that sells,” she says. “I would argue that you would need to regulate to ensure more diversity of place.”

For now, Brydon says her family will be staying as long as they can.

“Once you live here, it spoils you for the rest of Melbourne, because the location is so convenient. Everything is on our doorstep.”