Urban Planning: Australian Planning History

The Americanization of Australian Planning - Robert Freestone (2004)

This article by Robert Freestone addresses the impacts American planning on Australia. Australia has been influenced in a number of ways including economic, political and cultural means. Australia as a new country was very open to new technologies, capital and people from across all sides of the world. ‘Modern Australian society is often portrayed as steering between “British cultural imperialism and Coca-colonisation alike.’" Some of the basic American influenced movements and happenings are listed below;

• -        The Aesthetic City; American planners were influenced by American features, buildings and landmarks, in particular by the City Beautiful Movement.
• -        The City Functional; around World War II a functional city planning method was introduced where capital city based planning practices around their communities and locals. ‘The “great difficulty” with Australians, according to James Peddle, was their individualism: “we think of my piece of land, of my lot, of my garden, while our American neighbours think of their city.”’
• -        Toward War and Reconstruction; During war periods Australia was looking towards other countries for ideas and innovation. Urban renewal projects, planned community development and innovative site planning were all introduced in Australia thanks to America in this period. These also included slum clearance, rehousing schemes, master plans, roads and freeways, greenbelt towns and community/neighbourhood style planning.
• -        Post-World War II;’The rise of the planned shopping mall in the late 1950s captured the broader impact of American consumerism and automobilism in the post-war era, with planning systems and strategies largely adapted to accommodate new forms of suburban life.’ Increased traffic demand encouraged the influence of freeways and Chicago inspired traffic models. Freeways were introduced as a link between the infrastructure and accommodates the urban economic growth.
• -        Multiple Narratives; There was then a time when planners were identified as more than just ‘urban architects’ and they were accounted for more analytical tasks and projects including; environmental management, landscape planning, public participation, transference of development rights and human scaled place sensitive planning.
• -        The New Australian Urbanism; was when there was a refocus on design and streetscape, liveability and walkability, compactness and community. 

Progress in Australian Planning History; Traditions, Themes and Transformations (2014)

This piece, also by Freestone, discusses the Planning History of Australia along with the arguments for and against the different historical planning processes. He begins by acknowledging why planning history is important for the development of planning in Australia today. He exclaims how history are ‘the pathway to a more critical understanding of planning’s goals, achievements, limitations and failures’. He then continues to discuss the concerns of depending on planning history for future reference; these include the empirical approach of research, the history is written by the planners and the stories are dominated by Western perspectives.

The article then goes on to discuss more specifically the Australian planning history and its development. Freestone examines five phases of planning history in Australia and their economic, cultural and social challenges and practices.

• Inventing planning (1900s-1930s)
• Post-war reconstruction (1940s-early 1950s)
• The long boom (1950s-1960s)
• Re-imagining planning (late 1960s-1970s)
• Neo-liberalism and beyond (1980s to date).

The next section of the article compares planning history to the history of other fields. This is important to consider as planning is such a multidisciplinary practice. Architectural history explores three main areas interconnecting with planning, that is that many architects moved towards planning as a practice when it first emerged as there was no professionals in the field, there has also been a greater appreciation for architectural management thanks to planning and regulations. The final link is between architecture and urban design; that is the design dimension of planning controls and spaces. Urban history is another aspect that connects to planning, an important connection is the interest of urban growth and control. Key drivers of growth include migration, employment, economic restructuring, car ownership and capital investment. These factors are all researched in urban history and are considered today in planning processes, social history is another branch which crosses paths with planning, for example social structures and development. Environmental history is another practice which forms a connection to planning, particularly in Australia where the landscape is significantly important to urban life and to the Australian identity. The following section acknowledges different areas that have also influenced planning practice in Australia they include;

• Community participation
• Morphology of planned landscapes (urban form, resolution and time)
• Womens contributions to planning
• Children and planning
• Indigenous people and planning
• New data (big data, technology)

The final section discusses further concepts and evaluations which have changed planning history and have given planning a push forward; they include evaluations and outcomes, collaboration with other disciplines and with the community.