The next 25 stations should become hubs of activity, according to YIMBY Melbourne

The analysis suggested sites under heritage protection could not be developed, but the group said it would have more heritage information next year.

In the calculations, proximity to the city and the possibility of building new housing were of greatest importance.

The analysis did not include any upcoming changes such as the subway tunnel due to open next year or the commuter rail loop. It also failed to make adjustments to amenities that could be affected by planned projects.

Collingwood Station received the highest rating, particularly due to its links to local bars, cafes, restaurants and supermarkets. Despite the area being largely subject to local heritage regulations, YIMBY Melbourne still found 824 residential sites suitable for zoning around the station.

Neighboring stations North Richmond, West Richmond and Victoria Park were also among the most suitable.

The Yarra, Darebin, Banyule, Merry Bec, Boroondara and Stonnington local government areas topped the YIMBY list. Eighteen of the 25 stations identified are served by the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines, including stations further from the city center such as Thornbury, Ivanhoe and Heidelberg.

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South Yarra, Richmond and North Melbourne were dropped from the list because extremely high train frequencies were skewing the data set, but they could be prioritized first, the group said.

Paul Spasojevic, lead researcher on YIMBY Melbourne’s “next 25” analysis, said government, councils and planners needed to communicate better and weigh trade-offs as Melbourne grew.

“A big part of better, more transparent policy is measurement and visualization,” he said.

Allan is yet to specify how high housing production could be in the final 50 activity centers as this will be based on consultation. But housing in the first 10 floors is expected to be limited to three to 20 floors, with lower heights allowed on surrounding streets.

Matthew Bowes, a fellow at the Grattan Institute’s housing and economic security programme, said how activity centers interacted with heritage rules and minimum parking requirements would be key.

“Details like this really make a difference in how feasible the development of these centers will be and how easy it will be to create affordable apartments,” Bowes said.

“Ultimately, if there’s one message for me from the work that YIMBY Melbourne is doing, it’s that there are actually a lot of great places out there that could be expanded.”

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YIMBY Melbourne chief organizer Jonathan O’Brien said the government’s ambition was admirable.

“Our research shows that this figure could well double,” O’Brien said.

“Now it’s time to see them delivered in a way that makes them much easier to build and opens up more homes that people want to live in.”