Governments are all on board the transit oriented development train, and NSW is ahead, being the first to focus on housing for seniors. But without a clear vision, we may miss the opportunity altogether.
Transit oriented development (TOD) is a key focus of many Australian state governments, yet NSW is the first state to formally integrate seniors’ housing into the TOD policy. Recent planning reforms from the state environmental planning policy explicitly include senior housing within 400 metres of transport hubs.
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While this marks a long overdue recognition of older adults in housing planning rhetoric, in designing and implementing TOD precincts, the needs of working age populations still tend to be prioritised. This overlooks the real and urgent challenges of Australia’s rapidly ageing population for whom housing insecurity is on the rise, alongside the specific needs of this population to live within a built environment capable of supporting healthy ageing.
While many older people may be reticent to downsize, continuing to occupy large houses better suited to growing families, at the opposite end of the spectrum, this population faces a high level of housing insecurity. Yet, increasing the supply of seniors’ housing without embedding older adults’ actual lived experiences into TOD masterplans risks turning a well-intentioned policy into a missed opportunity. Below, we explore the ways that design and policy can support the health and wellbeing of older people.
Rethinking TOD for ageing well
Imagine a place where older adults can access daily necessities, enjoy the outdoors and engage with others—all within walkable distance of a seamless public transport journey—and where opportunities for social connection don’t come at the cost of a coffee purchase.
Our research suggests that the public spaces included within TODs, where complimented by infrastructure and amenities, and where secure, affordable housing is located within walking distance, could enable older adults to age with greater autonomy and social connectedness, maintaining healthy, independent lives for longer. This is a definition of ageing in places that expands beyond living independently within four residential walls.
TOD policies across Australian cities focus on clustering housing, employment, and public services around existing or new railway stations to reduce urban sprawl and car dependency.
However, these strategies predominantly cater to working age commuters and young families. In NSW, TOD has been integrated into the housing policy as a top priority to create vibrant, walkable communities with a particular focus on active street frontages to promote pedestrian-friendly environments. While Victoria’s TOD strategy focuses on walkable activity centres, Queensland is expanding TOD along transit corridors, WA’s METRONET integrates multi-agency transport precincts renewal, and SA embeds TOD to Adelaide’s transport renewal. While TOD can enable independent mobility, via walking or multi-modal transport networks, and offer public spaces that meet the social and practical needs of older people, current planning policy attends to little beyond the provision of accommodation.
This reflects the shift in focus by policymakers towards older Australians’ housing preferences, which recognise the desire to live near shops and transport. Little planning and policy guidance exist, however, regarding how urban design and public spaces can enhance housing provision to support healthy ageing.
Does NSW’s TOD reform meet the needs of older Sydneysiders?
As the first state to formally integrate seniors’ housing with TOD under NSW planning controls, 37 stations, from a total of 175, across the Greater Sydney metropolitan area will be rezoned for higher density housing, including incentives for independent living units near transit hubs. Developer incentives associated with NSW’s proactive approach include a 15 per cent increase in allowable floor space to encourage the inclusion of independent living units for older people within new residential developments.
This mechanism is largely absent in other jurisdictions. These reforms prioritise housing supply over integrated transport and urban design strategies, often reflecting assumptions about how we anticipate our current ageing population will behave.
Our research suggests that transit oriented public spaces—such as station squares and parks that provide connections between rail hubs and bus stands—can be significant social and mobility nodes for older Australians ageing in place. These spaces provide rich opportunities for direct and indirect social interaction for older adults, yet their design often ignores the spatial preferences and physical and social needs of this group.
A review of existing TOD precincts in NSW reveals that NSW station precinct upgrades continue to be designed with younger populations in mind, featuring outdoor dining, night markets, rollerskating spaces, and playgrounds. But what about older people? Despite their high daytime usage of public spaces near rail based stations integrated with shopping centres, their needs are consistently overlooked in the design elements and amenities provided. Newly upgraded TOD precincts continually fail to prioritise shaded rest areas and social infrastructure that are critical for supporting independent living for older adults, provisions that would support greater engagement in community life, and improving quality of life for older adults.
High density TOD environments can also lead to pedestrian overcrowding and a lack of seating thanks to station operation protocols; both can discourage older adults from feeling comfortable using public transport and participating in community life. As a result, the potential value of TOD public spaces and new housing to contribute to healthy ageing is being largely overlooked in the design and implementation of station precinct developments in NSW.
Thinking beyond housing when designing TOD precincts for an ageing population
As Australia’s population rapidly ages, urban planning must adapt to enable older adults to maintain autonomy, mobility, and social connectedness. The recent NSW TOD reforms integrate seniors’ housing near transport hubs yet neglect to account for the experiences and spatial needs of older adults. Policy must ensure TOD precincts genuinely support quality independent living, and where the definition of independent living is expanded beyond an individual’s four walls. Understanding this gap is critical not just for policymakers and planners but for all of us because the decisions made today will shape the environments we age in tomorrow.
Our ongoing research engages policymakers, urban planners and designers, social planners, and place makers, locally and internationally, to identify how the needs of an ageing population can be better accommodated in TOD policy implementation. The integration of seniors’ housing within TOD precincts is a promising step, but the policy must go beyond rhetoric.
NSW has led the way by formalising seniors’ housing in the TOD policy, yet implementation gaps remain. Without a clear vision integrating public spaces, transport connectivity, and affordability for older adults, TOD risks becoming a missed opportunity for a better future for all of us. We will all grow old; the fate of older Australians should be a priority for us all.
Jialing Xie is a PhD candidate in Urbanism at the University of Sydney. Her thesis investigates how transit oriented urban environments work as contexts for social interaction among older adults in Sydney. Her expertise lies in urban design and landscape architecture, with a focus on wellbeing and environmental behaviours. Jialing also serves as a Research Officer at La Trobe University for the Care in Transit: Designing for Passengers, Transport Operations, and Homelessness Support in collaboration with Transport for NSW. Her passion and work continue to explore the symbiosis between the built environment and holistic wellbeing across all generations.
Dr Rebecca McLaughlan is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and a registered architect, currently serving as the Academic Member on the New South Wales Architects Registration Board. Rebecca’s research explores the ways that architecture embodies care by examining lived experiences and perceptions of the built environment and the processes through which architects create environments capable of extending care through their contributions to end user wellbeing. She recently completed an ARC DECRA Fellowship examining the ways the built environment can support experiences of palliative care for patients, families and staff.
Dr Ian Woodcock is a senior lecturer in Urbanism in the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Australia. He is a UK-registered architect with over 30 years’ experience encompassing practice, research and teaching across government, private and community sector settings. His research focuses on urban change, sense of place, and the use of design as a research method.