Urbis analysis has shown that in some cases, the PSPs need to take heed of the requirements of both consumers and retailers. Infant centres need to be anchored by a strong store – generally a full-line supermarket. Retail uses that are used regularly and generate a high number of visits such as a supermarket should [...]
The NSW Marine Parks Audit report was presented to the Minister for Primary Industries and the Minister for Environment late last week. Based on a comprehensive review of current marine park systems, the report has called for significant change to the management of NSW coastal waters and their resources. The scientific audit was commissioned by [...]
In Warren Buffett’s annual letter to investors, published in Forbes magazine, he affirmed the value of real estate as one option within the best of the three catgories of assets. My own preference … is our third category: investment in productive assets, whether businesses, farms, or real estate. Ideally, these assets should have the ability [...]
Last month’s Urbis Insights discussed the challenges of managing the identity of the peri-urban locality of Beveridge in Melbourne’s north. Studies from our Sydney Public Policy team have found similar issues arising in Sydney’s south-west, and have uncovered both practical and emotional issues that are central to the tension. Residents living in the outer suburbs [...]
The Subiaco Redevelopment Scheme is a project that has and continues to revitalize 80 hectares of former industrial land in the heart of Subiaco, in Inner Perth. The redevelopment scheme is based on applying a number of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) principles, resulting in a cosmopolitan mix of townhouses, apartments, parkland and commercial and retail [...]
Urbis is a world leader in the analysis of the Asian retail property market, and in 2011, we undertook a number of studies in Shanghai, across a range of centres. One of the striking findings was the difference between the extent of trade areas in Shanghai and Australia. This comparison is illustrated below. With far [...]
In Brisbane, Forest Lake has been the star performer in sales volumes with 292 settled house sales over 2011 and a median house price of $384,500. Forest Lake was Brisbane’s first master planned community, developed by Delfin Lend Lease, with the first blocks of land released in 1991. Rather than releasing just traditional blocks of [...]
When one thinks of significant sustainability objectives there is no doubt that the PlantBank should be up there as one of Australia’s most important projects. On the 13th January 2012 construction finally began on the 3000m2 building that will safeguard the future of our precious plant species through ‘seed-banking’, research and information-sharing. This project will [...]
A far less interventionist approach from the State Government towards local authorities as a result of the 2011 Liberal-National Coalition election victory means that it is now left to Local Government to deal with increasing numbers of larger and more intricate projects. Recent strategic research by Urbis has analysed the performance of Councils in Inner [...]
Last year, the Productivity Commission report on Planning, Zoning and Assessments commented on regulation affecting retail markets that: While the prescriptive requirements provide some clarity to prospective developers, they also make it hard for some innovative businesses to find suitable land and thus enter the market. More generally, they also work to prevent the market [...]
The Expert Panel on the Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians handed down its report to the Prime Minister today, recommending significant changes to the Constitution, to be put to a referendum. Urbis’ report analysing the 3,464 public submissions to the Panel formed a major part of the report, with a key finding being that 83% [...]
Two insights relating to Industrial land have emerged from Urbis projects this month. New Design Standards For Industrial Estates The first relates to a new breed of Industrial estate, such as those recently developed by Dexus (see photo), and being developed by LandCorp in Perth and Places Victoria (formerly VicUrban) in Melbourne Urbis has worked [...]
During 2011, Urbis has noticed significant momentum in the market for medical and health properties, both from developers and medical operators. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry is set to be the fastest growing sector for job creation over the next 5 years, and in conjunction with our ageing population, this is driving a [...]
Urbis are currently engaged in many residential projects on the fringes of Australian cities. In some cases, these communities are described as peri-urban. But the question is: when is peri-urban really outer urban? The phrase peri-urban comes from “on the perimeter” of urban, and is intended to describe localities where the city meets the bush. [...]
21 December 2011 , 8:03 AM by Amanda Dell Does Brisbane have enough bridges? How should they look? What is the future of the bridge in Brisbane? Radio interview with James Tuma from Urbis Property Consultants Click here to listen to the interview (Note: If the above link is not working please download first by [...]
For some time, Urbis has noted a lack of purchaser demand for sub-regional retail centres. However, the first signs are emerging that this pattern is turning. We are now seeing more activity in the smaller to mid-sized sub-regionals, particularly up to the $30m mark. There have been limited transactions beyond that mark. What we have [...]
The Australian vocabulary is widely considered one of the most laid back in the English speaking world. The national enthusiasm for swearing is epitomized in the virtual adoption of “bloody” as ‘the Australian adjective’. But what about ‘coarser’ types of words? In a landmark study for the ABC the Urbis Social Policy research team explored [...]
For Urbis, so much of our work with cities and property relates to changes in population. Today, the ABS released the latest update on Australia’s population growth. Although our growth rate in year to 30 June 2011 slowed compared to the previous year, we still had a very healthy increase of 1.4%, which was a [...]
In September this year Urbis led a client delegation to the US and UK to learn about the very latest in retail centre design, format, planning and development delivery mechanisms. The tour visited 40 centres across California as well as retail centres in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool. One key lesson from the tour was [...]
Australia’s Large Shopping Centres Come Clean. The 2010-11 edition of the Urbis Retail Averages for both regional and sub-regional shopping centres is now available. This is the latest edition of Urbis’ annual survey of Australian shopping centre performance, which has produced industry benchmarks for turnover, turnover per sq. m and other key metrics since 1992. [...]
Property ownership helps make households comfortable The ME Bank Financial Comfort Index released today shows that ownership of a property is a positive contributor to high levels of household financial comfort. Household net worth has a marked impact on how comfortable households feel financially (the most important asset is super, followed by property). However, households [...]
07 December 2011 , 9:30 AM by Anne Debert ABC Radio What is it about our love affair with tall buildings? Can you remember back when the City Hall clock tower was the tallest building in Brisbane’s cbd? These days it’s hard to even find the Brisbane City hall in our city skyline. Like it [...]
Yesterday the ABS released the monthly retail trade data. Australia’s retail trade for October 2011 was up 2.2% on October 2010. Food retailing was up 4.2% while non food was weak with only a 1.2% gain on last year. The result was supported by a very strong result in WA (up 6.0% on Oct 10) [...]
Urbis was commissioned by the Queensland Government to evaluate the State Schools of Tomorrow (SSOT) Program. The $1 billion program is the largest infrastructure roll-out across state schools in Queensland to date, and the program tested a new approach to ‘whole-of-school’ infrastructure and renewal. The SSOT Program was guided by distinct principles which differed from [...]
Over a long 4½ years, Urbis worked with IKEA to plan and develop the largest IKEA store in the Southern Hemisphere in the inner Sydney suburb of Tempe. Its recent opening was celebrated with considerable fanfare as many thousands of keen DIY customers flocked to peruse the Swedish designed goods displayed upon the 2.5km path [...]
Urbis have been involved in half a dozen recent major projects in the Macquarie Park/North Ryde corridor. Originally leveraging off Macquarie University, this corridor has emerged as a sought after scientific and technology business park over the past 10-15 years, but it is the major residential projects making the current headlines. Stage 1 of Toga’s [...]
The Living Links Master Plan created by Urbis was formally recognised at the recent AILA Victoria awards, where the project earned recognition in the area of Planning in Landscape Architecture. Posted on 22 Nov 2011 by admin in General 0 Comments
This morning, Urbis Planning Director, Sarah Emons presented “Planning for employment in the 21st century” at the PCA Victoria seminar “Work, Rest & Play – Delivering employment land for Victoria”. She emphasised five key city shaping priorities: 1. Leverage infrastructure, via: Industry and Logistics hubs Mixed use corridors 2. Get health employment on the planning [...]
Based on comprehensive data supplied by the owners of major Australian shopping centres, Urbis Retail Averages reveals unique, independent insights into the composition, performance and occupancy costs of shopping centres throughout the 2010/11 financial year. Four comprehensive reports have been compiled and are available for purchase: Regional Centres : Contains benchmarks for All Regional Centres, [...]
Urbis is pleased to welcome nationally respected Urban Designer Graeme Harvison as Director of Design, based in the company’s Brisbane office. Graeme brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which includes involvement in major projects across Australia, South East Asia, China, the Middle East and New Zealand. Graeme’s extensive experience and comprehensive understanding of Urban [...]
A feature report from the ABS today has proven what we all thought – over the last 15 years, it’s been taking longer to build residential dwellings. Barbecue conversations about building inevitably turn to the issue of how hard it is to secure a builder, and “how long was your delay”. This report shows that [...]
Much of the talk around the global economy throughout August and September has been about the growing likelihood of a double-dip recession in the US and Europe, which in turn has led to convulsions on international stock markets. Hardly the backdrop to an almost glowing appraisal by the International Monetary Fund of Asia’s economic prospects [...]
Housing affordability has fallen The most recent release of “Measures of Australia’s Progress” from the ABS shows that on the elements of Society and Economy, life in Australian is better than it was 10 years ago. However, Housing was one element of the Economy where we are not progressing. The ABS commented that “The [...]
Legendary songwriter Cat Stevens asked, ‘Where do the Children Play?’ and now, 40 years later, urban planners are asking the same question. With green space in our cities disappearing, leading property consultant Urbis has investigated how we can make our communities more child friendly. Urbis Social Planning Director, Stephanie Wyeth, recently completed a research project [...]
The UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) has developed a very neat website called 7 Billion and Me that you can access at http://www.7billionandme.org/. The site allows you to estimate how many people were on the Earth before you, and how many since. Of particular relevance to studying cities are the statistics on the proportion of [...]
A major part of what Urbis’ does every day is to evaluate policies and programs, for government and business. Policy and program evaluation is the process of making a judgement about the worth or value of a policy or program through systematic assessment. Our clients tell us how important this work is. “Evaluation is essential [...]
As part of a new city revitalisation project in Queensland, Urbis has reviewed three best practice examples across Australia from Brisbane, Ballarat and East Perth. Although urban revitalisation master plans tend to make some grandiose claims, these three success stories provide concrete guidance and great lessons. 1. Identity and heritage All three cities placed a [...]
The Australian tertiary market continues to be driven by strong growth in the number of international students. In its publication Education at a Glance 2010, the OECD identified that Australia had the highest proportion of international students of OECD countries at 21% compared to an average of 7%. Among other OECD countries only Austria (16%), [...]
In the new PPS Act, ‘Personal Property’ is defined extremely widely and includes any property other than interests in land including goods of all kinds; crops and livestock; minerals; intellectual property; investment entitlements and instruments. The new laws are complex, but may affect property businesses in several ways. Settlement process for commercial transactions will change [...]
There are two precincts in Central Sydney that facilitate heights up to the maximum of 235 metres (65+ storeys) permitted within Central Sydney. However, our recent work on the Brookfield Multiplex project at 115 Bathurst Street highlighted the numerous constraints that significantly limit the number of sites where this height can actually be realised. The [...]
Today, Ric Battellino, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, described the volatile conditions in the world economy and yet again hinted at the possibility of lowering interest rates if tomorrow’s CPI is low. However, of more importance to the property sector were his assessment of the tourism and commercial property markets. In the case of [...]
Although Australian real estate markets weathered the GFC better than other developed nations, the Industrial market was one of the first and hardest hit.
Today, Luci Ellis, head of the Financial Stability Department at the Reserve Bank gave an interesting speech on the financial stability of the Australian economy. A couple of points are important for the property sector. First, Australia had over 20 years of a credit boom commencing in the late 1980s due to lower inflation and [...]
A landmark change to the UK Legal Services Act will see banks and supermarkets selling legal services in England and Wales. While this idea has not been put on the table in Australia, could it happen? Like the UK, Australia has a highly developed and mature legal services market. According to IBISWorld, the Australian legal [...]
A recent project by the Urbis Heritage team presented challenging evidence to the common perception that heritage listing adversely impacts upon the value of residential and commercial property. The applied research project provided a comprehensive national and international literature review which concluded that property values are not negatively affected by heritage listing – and in [...]
Over the past 100 years the average household size in Australia has decreased by 42%. The decrease in persons per household coincides with a major change in family structures and this broader trend is forecast to continue. The ABS projections of families structures estimates that by 2013 the number of couple families without children will [...]
While horse racing has been a key fixture of the Australian sporting landscape for well over a century there are a range of threats to sustaining revenue streams. There is also considerable pressure on land holders with large sites in inner urban areas to maximise the use and value of such sites – to which [...]
The Melbourne Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is currently being reviewed to assess certain properties that could be added as “logical inclusions”. This process has received significant media attention, particularly as the process relates to some of the borders with Melbourne’s “green wedges”. The criteria being used by the Minister are that the land must meet [...]
A recent Urbis project on the NSW Central Coast has revealed some important insights about coastal developments outside of the capital cities – particularly in the units/apartment sector.
Today the Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten introduced the Consumer Credit and Corporations Legislation Amendment (Enhancements) Bill into Parliament. One of the effects of this Bill will be to place a cap on the maximum amount that can be charged by payday lenders. Mr Shorten mentioned in the explanatory memorandum that: the introduction of the cap [...]
US commercial real estate markets are expected to improve in coming months according to recent analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (FRBSF). By analysing the trends in cap rates since mid 2010, it is becoming apparent that investors are expecting an appreciation in CRE prices. Of interest, the FRBSF noted that “Most [...]
Urbis is pleased to welcome Helen Deegan as the new Director of Planning based in the company’s Sydney office. Helen is no stranger to the Urbis team, having initially worked as the first employee in Urbis’ Sydney office in the mid-nineties. Since then, Helen has worked for a number of well-known private developers, in government [...]
In 2008, New York City introduced a law requiring chain restaurants to post the calorie count of each food in the same size and font as the price. This was extended this year in the US by a Federal law introduced by Barack Obama. And today, a similar British law was introduced. So, what has [...]
The Award was announced at the international conference dinner, and described as “one of the most remarkable pieces of work I have ever seen” by David Roberts, Chair of the AES Awards Committee.
Macquarie Bank, GPT, Google and now Commonwealth Bank are leading the way. It is the new trend in office layout – Activity Based Workspaces or ABW. According to leading Melbourne architects, Gray Puksand, these new approaches are here to stay, and they will have quite an impact on the commercial sector. And Urbis agrees – [...]
If an official Capital City of the World were to be designated there would undoubtedly be a tremendous amount of lobbying and jockeying (and probably attempted corruption!) of the judging panel. While there is no such move to annoint a world capital there is a growing range of annual indexes that attempt to rank and score the world’s cities [...]
Australian Retail Increasingly In Chains Retail sales growth is still weak, and concentrated in the chains. The underperformance of the independents in categories such as clothing is concerning for its duration and its depth, and suggests structural change in the industry of a more permanent nature. Consumers Sound The Retreat Consumer spending fundamentals retreated in [...]
We are getting older, but ignore octogenerians at your peril We’re getting older. Yes, every day we know that, but statistics from the ABS today really do confirm it. The average 65 year old is going to live to 84 if they are a male and 87 if they are a female. What is more, this [...]
In the context of extreme variations in commentary about online retailing in Australia, independent consultant Urbis has recently completed an in-depth research project on the subject. This comprehensive piece of work is based on factual internet and sales data and detailed knowledge of consumer attitudes and behaviour. Urbis is well known as one of the [...]
What is the role of a council in determining whether landlords will renew retail tenancies? Generally they have no role at all, but in the unusual case of the City of Port Phillip, the council is also the landlord of the South Melbourne Market. The South Melbourne market is managed by a committee which receives [...]
In this month’s Urbis Insights we report on findings across our company: Social housing needs are changing – and economic efficiency is needed to deliver better social outcomes. Greening Greenfields – sustainability initiatives save carbon and water. Why Outlet Centres have performed so well in Japan. Fremantle needs a planning system make-over. If you are [...]
Retail Focus: Mall Movers and Shakers The globalisation of the retail industry has occurred on both the retailer and the development side, with the former getting a lot more attention than the latter. When a retail chain moves into a country it’s a momentous event. When a developer does the same thing the business media [...]
Today the Productivity Commission released their Draft Report into the Economic Structure and Performance of the Australian Retail Industry. Among the key points, the Commission found: While current trading conditions are challenging, over the last three decades, retail sales growth has trended down; with consumers spending more of their rising incomes on a range of [...]
The property advisory firm Urbis has announced the appointment of Ms Sally Herman to the position of Chair of the Board. In announcing the appointment the Managing Director of Urbis, John Wynne, stated, ‘we are delighted that Sally has accepted the role of Chair with our company. Urbis is pursuing a strategy of continued growth [...]
Market commentary and opinions from Urbis’ Research Team. In this months Urbis Insights, we report on findings across our company: Australia’s Clean Energy focus adds more fuel to inner city developments – with no cars Cinemas are flat but can digital screens excite the industry Infrastructure funding uncertainty in the Lower Hunter Place-making in Southbank [...]
In a speech today, Glenn Stephens, the Governor of the Reserve Bank gave an explanation for the ‘cautious consumer’ and predicted that consumption would begin to rise. While he stopped short of predicting when that would happen, he did suggest it would be sooner rather than later. The chart he presented (right) demonstrated that “the [...]
According to a report from Global Times, “A new skyscraper is built every five days in China and by 2016 the country will have 800, four times the number in the US”. While it is clear that the country does need high rise buildings to house the increasingly urbanised population, some commentators are wondering if [...]
THE HON KATE ELLIS MP MINISTER FOR THE STATUS OF WOMEN Women and Leadership Australia’s National 2011 Adelaide Symposium Playford Sebel, Adelaide 15 July 2011 I would like to thank the Women’s Leadership Australia for convening this symposium – which I understand has been sold out (congratulations!). It is wonderful to be [...]
Tesco housing – an affordability fix? UK supermarket giant Tesco has moved into the property sector by selling flat pack homes for $15,000 AUS. The self-assembly ‘Helsinki’ log cabins have five rooms, double glazing and a decking area. It can be upgraded to include a guttering ket, laminate flooring and underfloor heating. Source: bdonline.co.uk [...]
The latest figures from the ABS show that across Australia’s capital cities the approvals for flats, units, apartments and townhouses (non-house type dwellings) continues to close the gap on the number of separate house approvals. The first graph displays the last two years of (monthly) approvals data. It vividly shows how the gap has tightened [...]
The future of Retail: Online/Open Air/ Economic Ambiguity…. Are you Ready? You are invited to join the Urbis US & UK Retail Study Tour to help you prepare for the challenges tomorrow will bring. Explore the best retail projects on the U.S West Coast and learn from their successes and challenges in tough economic times. [...]
The Commonwealth government’s recently released National Urban Policy outlines a range of initiatives designed to promote long-term urban growth and productivity. A key feature of the National Urban Policy is the series of measures put forward to tackle urban congestion which nationwide is estimated to cost up $17 billion per annum in lost productivity. While [...]
A historic agreement was signed last week between the City of Sydney and 13 major commercial property owners in the Sydney CBD to develop collective approaches to improve energy, water and waste systems with the goal to improve environmental performance city wide. The agreement took the form of a ‘Better Building Partnership’ MOU and was signed [...]
Managing Director of Urbis John Wynne was a panellist at a recent Urban Taskforce event to discuss and debate the implications of the Productivity Commission’s report into Australia’s Planning, Zoning and Development Assessment systems. In an opening statement Wynne welcomed the Commission’s report labelling it as: ”…an important benchmarking exercise which assesses the effectiveness of [...]
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART Retail sales have been particularly volatile in the past few months. Discretionary is still very tough but food is looming as a bright spot again as inflation begins to make its reappearance in the sector. Posted on 29 Jun 2011 by admin in Newsletters 0 Comments
The Environmental Planning & Assessment Amendment may impact the way you do business. Find out what the changes mean and how they may affect your business. Urbis have gone over the detail and pulled together all the relevant information to provide you with all the key details in one succinct document. Click the link below [...]
Planning Minister Matthew Guy has granted a planning permit for a $180 million residential development with two towers, one at 63-65 Kings Way and one at 127-129 Kavanagh Street, Southbank. The developments at Southbank will contain 760 apartments. The proposed development at Southbank comprises a 47 level (143 metre) tower fronting Kings Way and a 38 [...]
Urbis congratulates its recently promoted and appointed Directors. Posted on 24 Jun 2011 by admin in General 0 Comments
In Australia, debates over water usage are not new. But globally, water is emerging as the next major environmental debate, hot on the heels of carbon emissions. The theory of water neutrality is similar to that of carbon offsets: Corporations compensate for any process water they use by providing an equal amount of previously unavailable [...]
Posted on 15 Jun 2011 by admin in Newsletters 0 Comments
Yesterday, Urbis highlighted an article in the Sydney Morning Herald by Tarsha Finney (Love thy neighbour. Gen Y embraces closeness of urban living) which advocated in favour of higher density urban living. In that article, Finney described a conversation with Tony Abbott: From his living room in Frenchs Forest, deep in the electorate of Manly, [...]
Singapore to become no. 2 casino market in the world in 2011 Last week, the president of the American Gaming Association, Frank Fahrenkopf presented at the Global Gaming Expo Asia in Macau, and commented at a news conference: “Now more than a year old, the two integrated resorts in Singapore have exceeded all expectations and [...]
Instead of focusing on the short term movements in the ABS housing data, the longer term trends are revealing. Urbis has identified that growth in the housing finance market has been slowing since 2004, but investors are much more sensitive to economic changes than owner occupiers. However, by tracking the current patterns against what happened [...]
Project Title King George Square Redevelopment Design Location 100 Adelaide Street and 123 Ann Street, Brisbane, QLD Practice Urbis Client Brisbane City Council Landscape Budget $24 million ($3,385/m2) (including busway infrastructure) Site Area 7090m2 Award Queensland Landscape Architecture Award Jury Comments The Jury commend Urbis for the determination and professional skill evident in the many [...]
Urbis is pleased to present its inaugural yearbook. It takes a look back at 2010 and the projects of significance Urbis were involved in. Many of the projects are not only significant to Urbis but to the cities and communities in which they have been delivered. Urbis is very proud to have been chosen to [...]
Managing Director of Urbis, John Wynne recently moderated a Property Council panel discussion focussed on how to ‘unlock’ the potential of Greater Western Sydney (GWS) in the decades ahead. Wynne set the scene for the panel discussion by outlining how GWS represents one of the most important urban areas in Australia, underscored by the fact that the region: [...]
Economists and consumers don’t currently see eye to eye. The former insist that the economy is okay but the latter are acting for all the world like they disagree. The savings rate is up sharply, meaning that what might have been going into retailers’ tills is instead finding its way under the mattress. Can retailers [...]
Despite the passing of 3 weeks since the NSW election, uncertainty remains with Major Project Approvals process. While this uncertainty continues, the planning processes in the NSW Department of Planning seemingly remain at a standstill. This is now causing growing delays and uncertainty for the development industry. As has been reported in the media, the [...]
Tourism & Transport Forum Members’ Circular, 15 April 2011 Tourism planning was under the spotlight this week, with Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson launching a major piece of policy work by TTF and Urbis – our National Tourism Planning Guide – at the Council of Australian Governments Meeting in Darwin. The guide, funded through the [...]
This month the ABS released both the quarterly job vacancy data and population statistics. The job vacancies show that Australia has hit a record level of labour shortage (seasonally adjusted). While WA continues to be under enormous labour stress, it is the surge in job vacancies in Victoria that has pushed the labour market to [...]
In conjunction with architectural plans prepared by Fender Katsalidis Architects, Urbis submitted a comprehensive planning application for an under utilised site along the CBD’s southern edge. The planning controls, context and site characteristics demanded a design response of high architectural quality alongside a planning justification demonstrating a strong synergy between the proposal and the existing [...]
The Chinese government is advancing plans to officially combine nine southern cities into the world’s largest urban area. The scheme is called “Turn the Pearl River Delta into One” and will merge the cities of: Guangzhou (15 mill) Shenzhen (13.3 mill) Dongguan (8.3 mill) Foshan (5.4 mill) Huizhou (4 mill) Zhaoqing (3.9 mill) Jiangmen (3.8 [...]
This week, Grattan Institute released its next energy report, entitled, Learning the hard way: Australian policies to reduce carbon emissions. Because Australian governments have introduced more than 300 programs to tackle climate change since Australia signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, we can assess the evidence of what works and what does not in reducing [...]
At the recent UDIA National Congress David Hoy looked at the role planning should have in development in order to achieve the best outcomes. Please find attached a copy of the presentation. For more information please contact Aloni Benau, Marketing and Communications Manager t 03 8663 4861 e abenau@urbis.com.au Posted on 8 Apr 2011 by admin in [...]
A second more detailed presentation from Roberta Ryan expandng on the very succesful Why Places are “Wicked Problems”. Please find attached a copy of the presentation. For more information please contact Aloni Benau, Marketing and Communications Manager t 03 8663 4861 e abenau@urbis.com.au Posted on 7 Apr 2011 by admin in General 0 Comments
When searching for the answers as to what’s happening in the retail market there are few sources of knowledge more informed and in tune with the commercial aspects of the market than Ian Shimmin and Matt Cleary. This presentation was created for a Property Council Breakfast and was extremely well received by the attendees. Get [...]
The trend continues. Products for consumers’ domestic lives are in. Conspicuous consumption is out. Recent results are continuing an ongoing theme. Products that focus on consumers’ domestic lives are in, while those that are used for conspicuous consumption are soft. In the latest period, this is reflected in strong results for NZ-owned homewares company, Briscoe’s, [...]
Drivers of Activity Centre Development in the Fremantle CBD has been prepared by Urbis under direction of the Property Council of Australia (WA). The PCA (WA) has been engaged by the City of Fremantle. The report reviews the City’s strategic direction and aspirations in terms of the Fremantle Activity Centre’s role and function within the [...]
Last week I visited our Perth office and was asked what the effect of high cost of living increases would be on interest rates? My response was that inflation is currently benign in Australia, and is well within the Reserve Bank target range, which means that interest rates are on hold for now. My Perth [...]
The Property Council commissioned Urbis to undertake research in order to provide a base on which to monitor Melbourne’s growing population. This base will provide an indication of how Melbourne is tracking in providing accommodation for the city’s growing population, especially in established suburbs. Attached is a summary presentation by Brendan Rogers. Posted on 22 [...]
Posted on 21 Mar 2011 by admin in General 0 Comments
Each year, the United Nations publishes the Human Development Report. In its 20th anniversary publication late in 2010, Australia had risen to no. 2 on the Human Development Index (HDI), behind only Norway. There is a lot of interest in measures of wellbeing, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Treasury are both reviewing their [...]
Attached is a copy of Roberta Ryan’s recent presentation at the Hobart PIA conference Why Places are “Wicked Problems”. Please find attached a copy of the presentation. For more information please contact Aloni Benau, Marketing and Communications Manager t 03 8663 4861 e abenau@urbis.com.au Posted on 16 Mar 2011 by admin in General 0 Comments
At the recent PIA conference in Hobart Urbis’ Tom Goode and Toby Adams presented ‘More than a bit player? Advancing the affordable housing agenda’ Please find a copy of the presentation attached. For more information please contact Aloni Benau, Marketing and Communications Manager t 03 8663 4861 e abenau@urbis.com.au Posted on 16 Mar 2011 by [...]
Last week John Wynne presented ‘Delivering TOD’s in Australia at the PIA conferece in Hobart. Please find a copy of the presentation attached. For more information please contact Aloni Benau, Marketing and Communications Manager t 03 8663 4861 e abenau@urbis.com.au Posted on 16 Mar 2011 by admin in General 0 Comments
After a dreadful 2009, and weak 2010, the latest European retail sales data for January 2011 are showing some positive signs. In January 2011, compared with January 2010, the retail sales index increased by 0.7% in the euro area and by 1.9% in the EU27, according to Eurostats (the official EU bureau). In contrast to [...]
The IPD Property indices released today showed that capital returns improved across all sectors in the December quarter, while income remained fairly stable. Capital returns improved (rolling annual %) All Property 1.8% (up from 0.3% in Sep qtr) Retail 2.2% (up from 1.0%) Office 1.6% (up from -0.3%) Industrial -0.2% (up from -1.9%) Hotel 5.1% [...]
The latest data from ABS confirms that very modest sales growth persisted to the end of last year and anecdotal evidence suggests that the modesty has persisted into this one as well. Lack of pricing power has been a major concern for retailers in discretionary categories, and now growing cost pressures in the apparel sector [...]
Retail sales results for the first half of FY11 have been mixed, with most retailers reporting flat or low growth. and more disappointing results than upside surprises. Consumers remain cautious, with some impacts from the November interest rate increase and cool weather. Consumers are also saving more. Coles and Woolworths achieved solid sales increases, but [...]
The Property Council commissioned Urbis to undertake research in order to provide a base on which to monitor Melbourne’s growing population. This base will provide an indication of how Melbourne is tracking in providing accommodation for the city’s growing population, especially in established suburbs. Melbourne is currently experiencing a higher rate of growth than was [...]
When the Federal Government needed a National Tourism Planning Guide they approached Urbis as leaders in the field. Urbis undertook wide consultation with planning authorities to produce a best practice approach for Australian Tourism which can be found below. If you have any queries or questions please contact: Aloni Benau Marketing and Communications Manager tel: 03 [...]
Each month, Urbis produces a barometer of consumer spending based on a number of factors that are predictors of consumer spending. An alternative measure of consumer sentiment is provided by Westpac, and is often referred to in the press. Comparing these two charts (below), we have observed that the Urbis consumer barometer is often a [...]
December Retail Trade figures released this week by the ABS show that the stimulus effects from 2008/09 have fully worn off. Annualised retail growth has fallen to its lowest level since Dec 2005, at only 2.4%. The results are so soft, that we now have the weakest growth of our global comparison countries, after outpacing [...]
Welcome to this issue of the quarterly research briefing on Asia & Middle East retail. The key stories in this edition are: Shifting to the Front Foot – Department Stores go on the Offensive to Stay Relevant ICSC’s ‘Hot’ Retailers – How Many are Getting to Asia? Retail Sales Continue Their Recovery Posted on 4 [...]
As you would be aware, the new Government has released a comprehensive policy vision for Planning in Victoria. The Vision Statement contemplates sweeping reforms across a number of key parts of the planning system, with major changes foreshadowed to planning policy and consultative processes for planning permit decisions. The Statement responds to the issues that [...]
Disability rates declining. Trend may influence future planning. Statistics on Disability, Ageing and Caring released by the ABS today show that the proportion of Australians with a disability has fallen from 20% to 18.5% over the 6 year period from 2003 to 2009. This decline has been observed among both males and females. Importantly, the [...]
Population figures released in late December 2010 indicate that Australia’s population growth has slowed for the fifth straight quarter. The population growth rate dropped to 1.7% per annum with declining net overseas migration the key contributing factor. Posted on 31 Jan 2011 by admin in Newsletters 0 Comments
After heavy falls during the GFC the investment market stabilised in late 2009 and is now in a positive recovery phase. Investors have been satisfied for some time now that the bottom of the investment cycle was reached in 2009 and have showed renewed confidence in 2010 spurred by the expectation of strong future rental [...]
Through the analysis of the latest shopping centre transactions, Urbis Valuations believes that the market pricing has now stabilised. Providing further support for retail property owners, the PCA IPD Investment Index shows Australian retail near the top of the index with a total return of 11.09% over the last 15 years. Urbis has seen an [...]