Built environment indicators

Built environment indicator outcomes

The NSW Built Environment Indicators are based on the 10 built environment performance outcomes for evaluating movement and place projects across 5 themes. These outcomes contribute to well-designed built environments and include:

• Transport choice
• Reliable Transport
• Equity
• Comfortable
• Convenient facilities
• Local opportunities
• Link to nature
• Human scale
• Low risk
• Distinct

Using the Built environment indicators

The built environment themes, outcomes, and 36 indicators provide a consistent framework for assessing movement and place performance across a wide range of projects or plans. The Built Environment Indicators are used at three different stages of the Movement and Place core process:

• Step 1: establish evaluation criteria for the project vision and objectives
• Step 4: present a gap analysis including the current, baseline (planned intent), and desired future performance of the study area
• Steps 5 and 6: develop and compare options and assess the preferred option.

The built environment can be assessed in a number of ways, including quantitative and qualitative comparison; gap analysis by reference to benchmarks or standards; needs assessment; an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; analysing the capacity and performance of an area; and studying its character.

Factsheets

A standardised factsheet for each of the built environment indicators has been developed to assist with the interpretation and application of each indicator. The factsheet outlines the objective of measuring performance against an indicator and informs practitioners about the limitations and recommendations associated with the indicators and their relevance for other related indicators.

If applicable, the factsheets offer metrics for each indicator that can apply to a link (i.e. street or road segment), point, or area (i.e. travel zone, Local Government Area (LGA) etc.). The factsheet also outlines where qualitative data is required to support the quantitative assessment of the respective indicator.

Performance Assessment Tool

The Built Environment Indicator Movement & Place Performance Assessment Tool is a simple and effective way to visually display the performance gap between the existing built environment and desired future vision for a study area. It starts a conversation within project teams around setting ambitious targets and ‘what good looks like”. The tool provides two reference scenarios that allow for comparison against average values for a selected region and the best performer against an indicator for a similar centre type in NSW.

Anybody taking a Movement and Place approach can use this tool to identify priority areas that inform options and interventions and investigate why and how other areas are performing in a certain way. The intent is to raise the bar and start the stakeholder conversations at the early stages of a project with the positive notion of “what if we achieved this target”?

This tool is best used when working at a precinct or neighbourhood scale. It is important to select the right tool for the task as the type, scale, or stage of a project varies. Read more on the Supporting Tools page. 

Built environment indicators web map

The baseline performance of each built environment indicator has been mapped across the entire state of NSW. The information is made available in a web map, offering practitioners a first glimpse at the current state within a study area. The web map is most useful in communicating and visualising the gap between the existing state and desired future state to stakeholders.

The Built environment indicators

Access and Connection

Mode share Walking paths Cycling accessibility Public transport accessibility

Freight network accessibility Bus and strategic freight reliability Equitable access Steepness

Amenity and Use

Public Space Local Living Primary Schools Transport Node Facilities Places to Stop & Rest

Mix of Uses Population Density Housing Diversity Local Jobs Economic Development

Green and Blue

Tree canopy Biodiversity

Impervious surface Waterways

Comfort and Safety

Road Safety Pedestrian Crowding Safe Speed for Environment

Community Safety Air Quality & Noise Urban Heat

Character and Form

Permeability Building Height Street Enclosure Street Space for Pedestrians

Culture & Heritage Land Division Legibility Building Density

Core indicators

There are nine core built environment indicators (Mode share, Public transport accessibility, Freight network accessibility, Permeability, Public space, Mix of uses, Tree canopy, Air quality and noise, and Road safety). These core indicators are the minimum data inputs for each relevant theme for all projects to report against, ensuring that they are focused on both movement and place outcomes.

The core indicators have been selected based on available public and government data, or new data sets currently under development, that are good proxies for the outcomes that are sought under each theme. Each core indicator has a measurable direction for improvement (for example increase in tree canopy, increase in sustainable mode share) and they can be cumulatively used to compare whether outcomes are balanced across all aspects of the built environment.

Supplementary and project-specific indicators

Supplementary indicators are not required for every project or plan but are selected by the core team according to the context and objectives. Supplementary indicators are selected from the NSW Movement and Place Framework standard list to enable similar projects to be compared.

Similarly, project-specific indicators can be adopted (in addition to the core and supplementary indicators) where the context and objectives cannot be addressed using the indicators included in the standard list.

For example, within a metropolitan centre, average speed is a specific indicator to complement bus and strategic freight reliability in order to determine not only that public transport trips are reliable, but also that they are reliably fast (or faster than a benchmark rate).