Yes, above shopfronts is generally a good place for housing, and densification is generally a good thing.
But.
Why are we putting more suburban subdivisions and density in towns like Gisborne, instead of having more density in the inner suburbs of Melbourne?
Wouldn't it be better to have more apartments in inner-suburbs like Camberwell, where there are multiple train and tram lines, than have more sprawl on the fringes?
So just imagine we let one man, and his company, buy most of the papers in our regional cities and small towns.
And that man was named Rupert Murdoch.
And that man decided to shut down the print editions, and instead put those papers behind the paywalls of his big right-wing metropolitan tabloids.
Want to read the local newspaper in Lismore? It's now behind the Daily Telegraph paywall.
And then that man gutted the editorial team for each online newspaper to just one person.
And then used generative AI to centrally churn out 3000 local news articles per week across all his local publications, overseen by four human journalists.
One of the interesting details the ABC shows is that retailers along the strip significantly overestimate the percentage of customers who arrive by car.
While retailers assume nearly two-thirds of customers drive to their stores, the real figure is closer to 30%.
Already, just under 70% of customers either walk, catch public transport, or cycle.
Most of those who drive to businesses in the area park in one of the 2000 parking spots off Sydney road, rather than the 450 on the road itself.
Meanwhile, the lack of a dedicated protected bike lane makes it far less attractive to cyclists. The cars significantly slow down trams. And the exhaust fumes make it unpleasant for pedestrians.
Melbourne Airport Rail workers redeployed as project officially paused.
A really disappointing, backwards step here from the Victorian government.
And yes, stopping and then restarting a major infrastructure project (if that's what ends up happening) is almost certain to lead to delays and cost blowouts, when compared to just completing construction.
From The Age:
"Hundreds of tradespeople will be seconded to other projects after the Andrews government confirmed Melbourne Airport Rail Link construction would be paused, awaiting the results of a major Commonwealth review of the country’s infrastructure pipeline.
"Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan on Wednesday ended weeks of speculation about the future of the long-awaited rail line, saying works would be temporarily halted on the $13 billion Airport Rail Link, as well as upgrades of Clyde, McGregor and Racecourse roads."