Higgins vs Macnamara

Higgins and Macnamara are neighbouring areas in the Australian Capital Territory with very different levels of activity. Higgins is a very walkable area with a population of 3,321 people and 163 businesses. In contrast, Macnamara is largely non-residential with a population of zero. This gap is clear in their accessibility; 100% of Higgins homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, compared to just 15.6% in Macnamara. While Higgins is described as very walkable, Macnamara is car-dependent, with far fewer amenities and only two schools within 3 km compared to 19 in Higgins.

Both areas share almost identical climate conditions, with average maximum temperatures around 21 degrees and annual rainfall between 842 and 891 millimetres. Despite these environmental similarities, their infrastructure differs wildly. Higgins has far more public transport stops and routes than Macnamara. It also has far more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with 87 residents compared to none in Macnamara.