30% of postcodes75% of postcodes

Discovering our city through data

The city of Melbourne is one of the world’s most liveable – but key to that liveability, is our ability to move.

We wanted to take a closer look at how Melbourne moves, through a preliminary study leveraging transit data of morning peak hour* trips into the CBD. This way, we could get a better understanding of how certain areas of Melbourne are served by our public and private transport network.

Understanding CBD access is even more powerful when considered in the context of housing affordability - and the Department of Human Services – Quarterly Rental data was mined to explore this relationship.

How does your area stack up?

Keep scrolling to explore.


*Leveraging Google Maps Distance Matrix API


Data Sources: Travel times and optimal mode leverage the Google Maps API. Rent prices sourced from Department of Health and Human Services bonded non-commercial rental property data in Victoria. Geospatial data and maps from the Australian Bureau of Statistics - Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).
Assumptions: Travel times and optimal mode are calculated by the Google Maps API during morning peak times from Google's selected area center. Google data was accessed in November 2018. Median rental pricing data is limited to two bedroom apartments in postcodes that have at 25 least rentals in the Greater Melbourne Area and is current as of March 2018.

Is time on your side?

Time is our most precious resource – and for those who work or play in the CBD, spending plenty of time commuting is expected...

What’s less expected, is seeing the extent to which equidistant postcodes from the CBD have contrasting travel times.

This diagram is called an isochrone – it represents travel time by colour. Areas with faster travel times to the CBD appear lighter, whereas areas with the longest travels times appear darkest. Here, optimal public transport trips from the centre of each postcode to the CBD have been visualised.

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Tap-on or fuel up?

Taking another perspective on peak morning commute to the CBD...

The city has been visualised to demonstrate how people living in certain areas could choose particular modes (including driving) to optimise the journey. This map visualises the primary mode that would be used on the fastest journey to the CBD.

Despite road traffic being at its worst during peak hour, the vast majority of Melbourne postcodes still appear to be best suited to driving. This isn’t the case in parts of Melbourne’s Northeast and Inner South, where main driving corridors become relatively more congested.

Major works such as the Metro Tunnel project (which is expected to decrease rail commute times on several lines) will continue to transform mode efficiency.

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Our public transport perspective

Removing driving from the equation illuminates how different parts of the city are best served by public transport modes for the morning commute.

Trams appear to serve as the most efficient commuting mode in and around the inner city. However, other public transport modes take over as the commute extends outward. Here, the well- established rail network is the mostly the optimal commuting mode. However there are pockets where rail infrastructure is lacking, such as the Airport precinct in the Northwest, where bus is the optimal mode.

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How we stack up

When postcodes are ranked by CBD peak travel time, the overall accessibility profile of Melbourne can be observed.

Here, 75% of observed postcodes have an above 30 minute commute time, while it takes 30% of postcodes more than an hour to make it into the CBD via public transport.

As further transport infrastructure comes online in the coming years, we can expect this profile to transform.

Beyond this, the arrival of new mobility technologies such as connected and autonomous vehicles as well as autonomous VTOL passenger aircraft in the coming years will undoubtedly revolutionise accessibility.

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Time and Money

How does travel time proximity to the CBD affect the cost of living?

When a housing cost dimension* is applied to travel-time-ranked postcodes, we can observe the relationship across the city. We can see how travel proximity to the CBD affects the cost of living – and to what extent.

Living proximate to (or within) the CBD generally appears to be accompanied by higher housing costs. However the price difference between areas of similar proximity can be significant – for instance, Fairfield average rental cost is over $100 higher than neighbouring Ivanhoe.

*Median two bedroom apartment/flat weekly rental

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In the zone

Viewing the relationship by city area.

Adding the specific travel time dimension and city area groupings highlight how postcodes in different parts of the city are spread or concentrated across these dimensions – and more (or less) price affected by their proximity to the CBD.

For instance, the Inner City area demonstrates the highest rent disparity within a zone - with rents ranging from $382 to $615.

Viewing the city this way can also help us uncover potential ‘pockets’ of value between zones. For instance Moonee Ponds has a median rent of $400 vs Collingwood at $521, despite an identical commute time to the CBD. Areas already supported by efficient public transport infrastructure for fast commutes (but lower rental costs) could be ideally suited for potential gentrification or urban renewal projects.

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THE PRICE PATCHWORK

Melbourne’s rental cost by neighbourhood.

Mapping out the average two bedroom rental cost by postcode illuminates the radial decrease in housing prices as we move outward from the CBD – however this doesn’t occur at a consistent rate in all directions. Prices drop swiftly west of the CBD (contrast West Melbourne at $510 with neighbouring Footscray at $369), whereas they experience a more gentle decline towards the Northeast (see suburbs such as Templestowe).

In addition, a ‘coastal premium’ is visible, with many Inner South postcodes that are adjacent to the coastline also maintaining high rents. The suburb of Brighton bucks the ‘radial decrease’ trend – commanding substantially higher rents than its northern neighbours of St Kilda and Elwood.

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This is Just the Beginning...

There’s so much more to where we choose to live and how we choose to move than time and money...

Healthier and zero carbon travel options are viable travel alternatives in many areas, while local community features and quality of life will always drive living preferences.

If cities can better understand why we make the choices we do, they will be equipped to predict and respond to our changing needs faster than ever. Data is at the centre of this – and those who can harness it will enable the foundations of a truly smart city.

Leveraging the latest in analytics and AI will ensure these cities are planned and built to perform for all residents – irrespective of their preferences or where they live.

About Smash Delta

Smash Delta is a data strategy consultancy.

We believe amazing things can happen when you combine commercial strategy with science and design. We help government and corporate organisations design, test and realise their future in Analytics and AI.

To learn more, pay us a visit at smashdelta.com


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