@ckent @nickzoic @jessta That 3–5 storey range is a good happy medium. Especially if there's shops or cafés on the ground floor.

Having looked at apartments lately, it's amazing the difference that bigger room sizes, a wider living room, and a larger balcony can make.

I think there's also an underserved need for more 3 to 4 bedroom apartments.

And in terms of housing affordability, 4 bedrooms might make housing more affordable for people.

How?

Because many people — especially younger people — share an apartment.

So even if the apartment costs $1000 per week, if it's shared between four housemates, that works out to just $250 each per week.

@tom_andraszek I think we've got a not dissimilar reference point.

For me, its Laisves alėja in Kaunas (in Lithuania).

There's two rows of trees down the middle.

There's park benches under many of those trees.

The generally accepted rule is that you cycle (or skateboard) in that area.

There's a wide pedestrian space either side.

The buildings on either side are around four storeys tall.

You have shops and cafés on the ground floor, with all fresco dining.

You have small offices (doctors, dentists) and apartments on the floors above.

The pedestrianised street runs the entire length of the Kaunas CBD.

It begins in the old town, near Kaunas Castle and the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris Rivers.

It runs around 1.6 kilometres east.

There are trolleybuses running parallel along the streets one block north and one block south.

It would be worthwhile for Australian urban planners to head out to Kaunas just to see this one street.

I guarantee they'd learn a lot about what a pedestrianised space should be.

@drtcombs.bsky.social Is the key factor really the amount of traffic as the article claims? Or is it the amount of time spent commuting, mixed with low-density suburban sprawl?

Imagine spending an hour or more getting ready in the morning, and an hour travelling into work, and then eight hours at work, and then another hour of unpaid overtime, and then another hour heading home.

I don't blame you after all that not wanting to spend an hour preparing and cooking dinner!

And if you're in a low-density suburb where most of the options are fast food, it's understandable if what you end up with is a Big Mac.

Especially if you're in a car, and a drive thru gets you home quicker.

I think the answer is to give more people the option to live closer to where they work, or to work from home more often.

And denser areas close to public transport tend to have a greater variety of meal options than the car-dependent outer suburbs.

So the answer isn't more roads. It's more quality housing, work, and transport alternatives.

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@ajsadauskas@pixelfed.social Some background on this project.

Sydney Metro West is a ~24km (14.9 mi) automated train line

When it's completed in 2032, it will connect the two main downtown areas in the Greater Sydney metropolitan area: the Sydney CBD and Parramatta.

It will also feature 8 (and potentially 10) other stations, including Sydney Olympic Park (where the 2000 Olympics were held), Parramatta's Westmead hospital precinct, and urban renewal precincts like Rose Bay.

One of those stops is at North Burwood in Sydney's inner-west, roughly half way between the Sydney CBD and Parramatta.

The southern end of Burwood has become a hub for Sydney's Chinese community.

It features a bustling Chinatown precinct, with night markets, many restaurants, and new apartment blocks. It's served by a train station, with two indoor urban shopping centres within walking distance.

The metro station aims to bring some of that dynamism to the northern end of Burwood Rd.

The local city council recently adopted a masterplan outlining its vision for urban renewal in the area, which you can see here: https://participate.burwood.nsw.gov.au/burwood-north-precinct-masterplan

It will see new public parks, apartments, and retail businesses built within a short walk of the new station.