As Australian cities urbanise, challenges associated with rapid urbanisation are coming to the fore, particularly the need to deliver equitable access to services. To respond to the increasing challenge, it is necessary to observe rapid changes across the built environment, the socio-demographics of locations and other relevant factors. Access to services such as schools or primary health care in urban areas are unevenly distributed throughout cities, resulting in considerable inequality (Rashid 2022). In Australian cities, for example, inequalities exist in service provision between residents in the peri-urban areas (non-urban landscapes next to or surrounding metropolitan areas) compared with residents in inner city areas (Nice et al. 2024). The role of urban density is key to understanding how to deliver equitable access to key social services such as primary health care, education and public transport.
