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Population Growth and Decline

A crucial issue in the debate about reurbanisation versus suburbanisation relates to the distribution of population growth. Certainly there have been changes in the patterns of population change in Australian cities. This can be readily seen by comparing the maps produced in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Social Atlases in 1981 and 1986 which depict the population change in the five years prior to those censuses. Figure 9 shows the pattern of population growth and decline in Sydney in 1981 and a distinct "doughnut" pattern is in evidence with many areas in central and middle Sydney experiencing population decline. A similar pattern is evident in Adelaide (Figure 10).

 

 

 

However, the 1991-96 population change maps for Sydney (Figure 11) and Adelaide (Figure 12) show quite a different pattern. The distribution of areas of population growth is much more complex than at the earlier census with many parts of the inner and middle suburbs experiencing population growth.

A more detailed analysis of trends can be made by comparing population change in concentric rings and the central business districts of the cities. Figure 13 shows the pattern for Sydney. The pattern in evidence here is of almost universal population growth indicating that both reurbanisation and suburbanisation trends are occurring on a significant level in Australia's largest city. Certainly there has been a disappearance of the central rings of population decline evident in 1981-86 by the 1991-96 period indicating that urban consolidation activities have been successful in increasing population numbers in inner and middle suburbs. The pattern in Melbourne has been depicted in Figure 14. Melbourne grew more slowly in 1991-96 than in the previous two decades but there does appear to have been a shift away from a distinct concentration of population growth on the periphery to one which is more consistent throughout the entire metropolitan area.

 

Unlike Melbourne, Brisbane grew rapidly between 1991 and 1996. Growth is evident throughout the metropolitan area in 1991-96 and there is a disappearance of the inner areas of population decline evident in 1981-86 (Figure 15). Again the evidence is of both suburbanisation and reurbanisation occurring. Perth also grew quite rapidly in 1991-96 and Figure 16 shows a similar pattern of change in growth patterns to that seen in Brisbane. Rings in the entire built up area experienced growth in 1991-96 while 10 years earlier there were some rings of decline in inner and middle Perth. Adelaide grew more slowly than the other cities during the 1991-96 period and Figure 17 shows that some inner areas of population decrease remained in 1991-96. Nevertheless, there is evidence of strong growth in some inner and all middle suburb rings in Adelaide suggesting some reurbanisation. On the other hand there is also evidence of growth on the periphery.

 

 

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