The shape of Australia’s suburbs—and how they realise the Great Australian Dream—has changed over time, with modern homeowners prioritising liveability and community over the archetypal quarter-acre.
Urban planning in Australia has evolved significantly over the past century, adapting to the changing property landscape and the changing ways that homeowners relate to their neighbourhoods.
Australia has been largely suburban for much of its history, with the birth of our urban centres coinciding with the birth of the modern suburb globally.
“If we think about Australian cities, it’s pretty much the story of sprawl,” says Anne Flaherty, REA Group Senior Economist.
These suburbs often prioritised car-dependency and large land lots over community and public spaces, but this has changed.
“Today’s focus is on sustainability, connectivity to public transport, green space, and lifestyle-driven design,” says Tony Gallagher, Chief Operating Officer at Peet, one of Australia’s leading residential developers that specialises in creating master-planned communities.
“With affordability and accessibility in mind, more Australians are choosing low-maintenance homes in connected, amenity-rich neighbourhoods over traditional large land parcels.”
Master-planned communities have changed the way Australians interact with and enjoy their neighbourhoods.
The history of the Australian suburb
For much of Australia’s history, the ideal Australian home has been set upon a classic quarter-acre block.
While the quarter-acre is not always literal, the idea of urban planning being built around large-lot homes with plenty of private outdoor space has been a part of Australia’s history since before Federation.
The nation’s low-density suburbs were designed around self-sufficiency, with the extra outdoor space initially dedicated to kitchen gardens that could feed a family.
As Australian culture moved to relying on supermarkets this self-sufficient mindset turned more towards leisure, with large backyards used as spaces for the kids to play or for pools and outdoor entertaining.
Particularly after the surge in Australian car ownership in the 1940s, these suburbs became increasingly car-dependant, encouraging long commutes into cities and commercial centres for work, school and shopping.
These daily distances that have only only grown larger in recent years as homebuyers are choosing to live further from their place of work where land is more affordable.
“If we look at the median price of a home around Australia it's increased significantly and a lot of suburbs in our inner and middle ring areas of the capital cities are just not attainable for more and more buyers,” says Ms Flaherty.
While this means that people may need to commute more, widespread working from home and greater local amenities means that homeowners are able to enjoy their neighbourhoods more.
The changing shape of new homes
Australia has the largest homes in the world by floor space with homes doubling in size over the last sixty years, which makes sense for a nation that was developed around quarter-acre suburbs.
The World Population Review reports that the average house size in Australia is 214m2, putting us ahead of New Zealand, the United States and Canada.
Homeowners are reassessing how much land they actually need for their lifestyle, opting to build these larger houses on more size-efficient lots.
In 2022, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that the average site area of new homes had decreased 13% over the previous ten years.
Housing affordability and land supply is a key factor in this change, especially in newer suburbs, as smaller lots allow for more homes to be built in recently developed areas and create more lively, connected communities.
“Homeowners today are prioritising lifestyle and affordability over land size,” says Mr Gallagher.
The design and size of the typical Australian home has changed significantly since Federation.
The 20-minute neighbourhood
So as Australians are reconsidering how large their homes need to be—and what they should include—many are looking outwards and expecting more from their neighbourhoods.
“The focus is really strongly on new suburbs that have their sense of community built within them, especially post-pandemic,” says Ms Flaherty.
According to realestate.com.au’s 2024 New Homes Research, homeowners are increasingly looking for suburbs that put them in touch with their community without relying on cars and long commutes.
For many modern suburbs, this has seen the rise of the “20-minute neighbourhood” as a key feature that homebuyers are looking for.
As defined by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, a 20-minute neighbourhood is one that allows people to “live locally” and meet most of their daily needs within a 20-minute return walk from home.
With work commutes increasing and roads and public transport infrastructure already challenged, Ms Flaherty says that reducing transit times outside of work is critical.
“Whether it’s picking up your children from school, whether it’s going to get your groceries, being able to access those basic things is very important to quality of life,” she says.
Mr Gallagher says Peet’s master planned communities are being built around these changing priorities.
“At Peet, our community planning reflects this shift—ensuring residents enjoy parks, community spaces, and key amenities within a 20-minute walk from home.”
Intentionally planned town centres and shopping precincts allow masterplan communities to make sure residents can cut down on their daily commute times.
Brabham Estate: A modern masterplan
Just outside of Perth, Peet is creating this new vision of the Australian neighbourhood at Brabham Estate.
With 130 years of history in creating Australian communities, Brabham Estate is just one example of how Peet has adapted and evolved to meet modern customer lifestyles.
“Brabham Estate is a leading example of Peet’s future-focused approach to community planning—where sustainability, innovation, and liveability converge,” says Mr Gallagher.
Even though the community is only a twenty-five-minute train ride away from the Perth CBD, the neighbourhood itself is also designed to be walkable with all homes within walking distance of the future town centre and local neighbourhood shops.
Brabham Estate is a master-planned community showcasing the best of what the modern Australian neighbourhood has to offer.
Mr Gallagher also explains that Peet has created Brabham Estate with sustainability in mind, with every home eligible for their $13,000 “Better Life Bonus” that includes features like solar power, heat pumps and home energy management systems.
“With 6-Star Green Star accreditation, Brabham sets a new benchmark for connected, resilient, and sustainable living,” he says.
With even more smart technology in public spaces—including weather stations linked to smart irrigation, Wi-Fi connectivity, and solar-powered charging benches—Brabham Estate is an example of how Peet is committed to the future of urban planning.
“Our approach ensures our communities are not only built for today, but ready for the needs of tomorrow," Mr Gallagher says.
For more information on Brabham Estate and how Peet is using their more than a century of experience to create the communities of the future, register your interest in the form below.
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