Has Sub-centre Policy Produced Sub-centres? An Evaluation of Melbourne’s Urban Spatial Planning since 1996

This study evaluates Melbourne’s longstanding ‘activity centres’ (AC) policies—the first study to do so. It strongly suggests that, across the Melbourne metropolitan area, AC policies have had no effect on the propensity of people to work near their homes. The findings are robust to a number of validity hazards. The study does not warrant a wholesale abandonment of AC planning, but does signal that we may wish to question how we are currently going about transforming ‘places’ into ‘centres’. For AC policies to be successful, designation as a ‘centre’ may be necessary, but is not sufficient.