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Urban planning in Australia has a significant role to play in ensuring the future sustainability of Australian cities. Australia is one of the most highly urbanised societies in the world. Continued population growth in Australian cities is placing increasing pressure on infrastructure, such as public transport and roadways, energy, air and water systems within the urban environment. Urban planning is undertaken at all levels of Government in Australia. However, the Federal Government is playing an increasing part in setting policy as part of an overall response to developing climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. The local government has also been engaging with the community to make decisions on urban planning designs that help to promote social cohesion. Over the past few decades Australians have developed a respect for urban heritage places and community groups have fought hard to stop developers from destroying them. History Urban planning in Australia has evolved since early British colonial settlement, and has been heavily influenced by contemporary planning movements in Britain, the United States of America and western Europe. However, over the past century, distinctly Australian responses and solutions to Australian urban issues have developed. British Colonial period (1788–1901) Early planning The first examples of town planning in Australia occurred during the early phases of the Colonial era, where critical decisions locked in "path dependency" for the future form of cities. Typically this involved colonial Governors undertaking surveying for land grants and subdivisions, and making executive decisions on the location and construction of roads, rail transport, water supply and other basic infrastructure to support early penal and military settlements. The surveyors general were the chief public servants responsible for subdividing the territory. Primacy was given to the functional and practical needs of Colonial administration, as opposed to more lofty civic or aesthetic ideals. British colonisation policy was based on the establishment of planned orderly towns based on the grid model, which was similar across cities. This was based on the Grand Model first proposed for the Irish and American colonies by Anthony Ashley Cooper and John Locke. This was itself based on the Greek and Roman traditions of urban planning. Another influence was the plan for Freetown by Granville Sharp. Economic and administrative needs caused a settlement pattern based on primate locations separated from each other by large distances in the form of capital cities, which dominated their respective territories. As port cities, they provided connections to Britain and international markets. Early towns included Sydney, Parramatta, Hobart, Port Macquarie, Brisbane, and Albany. In 1829, Governor Ralph Darling adopted Sharp's principles and had Surveyor General Thomas Mitchell plan towns in the colony. The towns were to be identical with 66 feet (20.1 metres) wide streets, equal allotments, and a balance of private and public land. The equal lot sizes could be seen as a democratic expression. Surveyor Robert Hoddle made the Melbourne plan in 1837. Based on British survey technique, the surveyors would plan a town within a larger Township Reserve meant for parklands and future growth, with larger plans setting aside sites for a courthouse, a prison, churches, schools, and larger suburban allotments. Major cities and urban growth Sydney itself was less clearly planned due to the shape of Port Jackson and the disorganisation of the early years. The other capital cities were founded in the early 19th century, with Hobart in 1804, Brisbane in 1825, Perth in 1829, and Adelaide as well as Melbourne in 1837. Adelaide was planned by Colonel William Light, a Colonial Surveyor and the Surveyor-General for the colony of South Australia, and although the plan was not entirely realised, it is widely regarded as an achievement of colonial era civic design and as having an influence on the Garden city movement. Rapid colonial expansion in the 19th century, matched by economic growth, resulted in Australia becoming one of the most highly urbanised nations in the world. The gold rushes and the migration they attracted were key contributors to this effect. However, the simple colonial plans of the cities were inadequate to handle the growth. The suburbs surrounding inner-cities were often crowded and poorly serviced terrace housing subdivided by private developers. The states were also reluctant to provide basic infrastructure such as water and sewerage systems. In 1856, Sydney had a worse proportion of childhood deaths than the cholera-infected London did in 1845. However, the establishment of tram and train lines allowed for broader settlement. For example, by 1861, 40% of Sydney's residents lived in suburbs. In the 1870s, the City of Sydney began slum clearance. Towards the end of the century, it and Melbourne were growing steadily, with the latter reaching the status of the 22nd largest city in the world in 1890. The two cities were comparable to other major cities of the British Empire, such as Singapore, Mumbai, and Hong Kong, becoming centres of economic activity. This boom resulted in both cities building universities, museums, stock exchanges, churches, and public parks. Early 20th century City Beautiful and the Garden City Australia's rapid urbanization meant urban planning became an increasingly important issue, with the early decades of the century characterised by political, civic and academic discussion around the coordinated planning and administration of rapidly growing metropolitan regions. Early town planners focused on the orderly planning of cities, closely following international contemporary town planning and urban reform movements (especially from the UK), where urban planning aimed to improve urban health, efficiency and aesthetics. Critiques of existing urban design began to emerge, with John Sulman and others critiquing the grid pattern. City improvement also made an impact, with Melbourne for example having begun street tree planting in the 1880s. Outside the inner-city, model suburbs also became fashionable, one example being Annandale. Furthermore, railways allowed residential-only suburbs with gardens to be developed. Both European and North American cities provided models for the Australian City Beautiful movement. A combination of elements about 1900 also influenced the movement: It was thought that Australia, being a country that was relatively newly settled by Europeans, had wasted an opportunity to design cities comprehensively and aesthetically. Australian cities were seen as lacking beauty and civic pride. The lack of architectural features, and extensive street advertising, were also concerns. This was attributed to “materialism, apathy, short-sightedness, political interference and indifference”. Utopian city plans were another influence on the Austral.... Discover the Stephen Freestone popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Stephen Freestone books.