Open space amenities and residential land use: An Australian perspective

Abstract In a competitive market the individuals will bid up house prices to a level reflecting the capitalised value of the benefits that property owners perceive they receive from the presence of amenities, however there have been relatively few recent studies into the relationship between house prices and active open space. This is an important area of research as active open space helps to address some of the high profile and emerging problems in society including lack of exercise, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. In the findings the distance to active open space was found to have a significant relationship with the level of house prices. When distance was broken down into 100 m intervals, associations differed in terms of their direction and strength. Since demand for access to active open space outweighs the demand for passive open space, the findings confirm that large-scale residential developments need the assistance of planning authorities to revise policy in response to changing community needs.