Will neighbourhood liveability be promoted by new housing related planning policy in Adelaide, South Australia?

Health and health equity are strongly influenced by the design and planning of the neighbourhoods where people live, work, and recreate. This article looks at one aspect of neighbourhood liveability, housing. A healthy liveable neighbourhood is one with a housing stock that accommodates the evolving diversity of residents, reduces energy requirements, adds to the safety and amenity of the public realm, and provides equitable access to health enhancing employment, goods, destinations, and services. This research undertakes a policy analysis of two pivotal documents in South Australia’s strategic planning system regarding their ability to enable a transition of established suburbs to a healthier more liveable form and function. The first document is the Thirty-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, released in 2017, which is the strategic plan outlining the State Government’s policies for urban development. The second is the Planning and Design Code, released in 2021, which regulates day to day residential development and redevelopment. The analysis showed that these documents and therefore the South Australian strategic planning system are currently overlooking opportunities to transition of existing neighbourhoods towards liveability.