ABSTRACT: The concept of sustainability now underlies much strategic urban policy. In Victoria the current strategic plan intended to underpin future growth in Melbourne, Melbourne 2030, adopts the goals of sustainability as its guiding ethos, indicating amongst other goals the desirability of a more compact urban form and a move away from near total car dependence. One of the key components of the strategy has been to nominate a large number of activity centres into which more development should be encouraged. These existing activity centres are to be rated against criteria to measure their sustainability and improvements are to be sought where performance is found wanting. Many of these improvements may be difficult to bring about. It is often difficult and expensive to retrofit existing urban form and infrastructure as it involves the combined elements of large private capital investors, public and private sector transport and infrastructure providers, local governments, retail and other business owners. Given this, new retail and activity centres currently being planned for and developed in growth areas on greenfield sites on the fringe should be designed from the outset with sustainability criteria in mind.

This paper presents results of research into the retail provision currently being planned and built in the newest residential estates on Melbourne’s urban fringe.