Planning Process: Spatial Tool- Geographic Information Systems

Image: Example of GIS: Google Earth image of Canberra's parliamentry zone and surrounding suburbs and edge of Lake Burley Griffin.

Image obtained from: http://www.geoeye.com/CorpSite/gallery/detail.aspx?iid=96&gid=11

Despite being a relatively new technology Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been readily adopted in the urban and regional planning field and no represent a vital analytical and conceptual tool in the planning process. GIS will sympathise overhead photographic imagery (usually from satellites but also from specialised imaging technologies attached to planes) with relative data obtained through health standard primary research. An example of this could of a satellite image such as the one above overlaid with population density data obtained from the census to give an conceptual understanding of where people are located. This could be utilised further by including overlaying the location of in demand amenities such as schools, parkland's, shops and health services to identify how far local residents may have to travel to such amenities and the transport routes they may utilise. The value of GIS to the planning professional resides in such sympathise of data in a manner that is clearly interpretable and assessable subsequently aiding the discovery and decisions making processes.

Esnard, Sappington and Ospina's 'Geographic Information Systems' (2006) makes some of the following point on the dynmaics of GIS. GIS systems are inclusive of 1) "hardware components": computer systems to drive software 2) "software": displaying, manipulates and analyses GIS images 3) "Data Sources": information that serves as overlays or the information requiring investigation 4) "Metadata": quality and information on the aforementioned data sources 5) "Data Types":  Vector (Cartesian co-ordinates) and Raster Data (information stored within the images grid matrix).

Planning Process: Metropolitan Plan

Image: Example of a Metropolitan area: San- Diego-Tijuana urban agglomeration.

Image obtained from: Smith and Yuan- Planning Theory and Process Presentation (2011)

Urban Metropolitan Regions have become increasingly common, established and expanding in the strive for adequate space in the modern expanded population context. Whilst the metropolitan existence is both predictable and understandable their are a number of major concerns they give rise too. Considering the mass populations that metropolitan house and serve as well as the fact that established metropolitan areas are irrevocable, it's essential that urban planners understand what these concerns are as well as methods in which they can be augmented within their existing framework. The core concerns as well as some potential solutions are documented in 'Planning Metropolitan Regions' (Hack, 2001) and have been summarised by Smith and Yuan (2011): transport systems (particularly road infrastructure subject to the pressure of increased number of cars), rising land cost (especially inner city regions- land prices will decrease towards fringes away from city centres), decreased access to open space (land in demand is being increasing used for infrastructure), increasing pollution of air and water (trend with a long observable history in dense human populations- concentration of people results in concentration of anthropogenic by products that can not be distributed or 'removed' by environmental systems quickly enough to avoid accumulation) and increased moral degeneracy and crime (rates of crime increase in socially disconnected areas-19th century City Beautiful Movement tried to improve this).

Some potential approaches and mechanisms for improving some of the flaws of metropolitan areas and plans include: adapting the employment and shopping centre clusters that have arisen in areas of the metropolis into functioning civic centres, reuse of parking areas around the employment and shopping clusters as new mixed use areas for business and retail to increase connectivity that will result in less car dependence within the cluster, creating housing solutions that fit the new varying demographic patterns of single parents, couple with no children etc., planning to facilitate growing interest in residential area with cultural, shopping and entertainment amenities and services, recognising and promoting difference within the metropolis (remove internal competition notions) and an encompassing regional development plans and strategies that provide pragmatic solutions in making the plans visions into realities.

 

Planning Process: Town Plan

Patently town plans are on a smaller scale metropolitan plan but they take their lead from the regional agenda. As summarised from 'How to make a Town' (2000) by Duany, Plater-Zyberk and Speck a own plan should:

* Encompass and promote mixed use development: Mixed use development will help mitigate sprawl, help create a diverse and socially cohesive community, reduced car dependency and potential economic self sufficiency.

* Ensure connectivity: neighbourhoods/cities for people. Narrow, low speed streets.

* Adaptive site usage: Utilising and including a sites natural features into design to help create pleasant environmentally harmonious spaces.

* Aim for the Pedestrian Shed: 5-10 minute neighbourhood walk.

Planning Theory: "Old" New Urbanism

Image: Jane Jacobs influential and alternate planning theorist whose work contributes to New Urbanism.

Image obtained from:http://escoladeredes.ning.com/profiles/blogs/jane-jacobs

New Urbanism isn't so new anymore but still has a number of interesting, idealistic and tangible ideas that are highly relevant to today society and urban planning field. New Urbanism promotes concepts of city neighbourhood street walk ability and diverse  mixed use development for both business and housing. There are number of benefits to new Walkable neighbourhoods will have amenities such as school and shopping facilities close by and in doing so reduces car dependence. Mixed use zoning and development results in multi-purpose places that help form social diverse spaces as a a result of the varying persons utilising them. This can result in close nit neighbourhoods where streets are for people not simply car passageways, people can walk to work, schools, shops and other daily amenities and city centres provide a sense of centre and civic space.

 Jane Jacobs was a greatly vocal critique of the then prevalent planning modus operandi through her book 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities' (1961). She sold her own brand of urban planning that favoured chaotic ans organic cities that was at odd was at odds with ordered nature of conventional planning. Jane wrote in simple and engaging form on issues that affected the masses, which perhaps contributed to her books success.

Planning Theory: How Plans Work

Plans are often diverse complex and visionary entities and whilst they may look to be tangible and well though on paper there is a significant process in forming action from plans. Hopkins (2001) documents this in 'How Plans Work' and suggest that plans work in 5 ways: "agendas, policies,visions, designs and strategies" as well as highlighting the influence of investments and regulations in urban development followed by evaluative notes for determining whether plans work.

Firstly agendas are simply a mechanisms for focusing the attention of  an organisation of any size on a given issue. This ensures that plan makers are not merely reactive to daily planning work but be preemptive in engaging in or conducting initiatives that are congruent with the overarching agenda. Here polices are used as decisions making tools for guiding action in "if-then" scenarios. This works to streamline the decisions making process to ensure productivity by not habitually engaging in decisions that have already been made. Policies will be designed to be commensurate with overarching agenda and will also work to provide equity for all parties involved in the decision making process by establishing set standards. Vision work to establish "what should be"- they inspire people to see more than what already is, to imagine new possibilities, new solutions outside the norm that will ultimately guide the action taken. Designs function as a "fully worked" composite of individual actions tested to analyse how the will interact collectively in a system. This is essential in determining the success of a project before it implemented as it ensure that mistakes are not integrated in the final project. Innately alternations to design will occur in response to emerging unforeseen elements of the construction process. Finally and perhaps most importantly is strategy. Strategy will provide the "set of decisions" that defines that action through a decision making process. Strategy is vital as it provides a holistic overview that encompasses forethought so that "at the time action is take on a current decision, the future decisions have been thought through for each outcome from that current decision".

Image of the Central Chicago district as included in the Burnham/ Chicago Plan of 1909 which is held by Hopkins as an example of a visionary plan.

Image obtained from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Burnham_1909_chicago_plan.jpg

Planning Theory: New Planning Theory

Image: Archetectual Drawing of the Portola Valley Town Centre as part of their town plan.

Image obtained from: http://www.portolavalley.net/index.aspx?page=76

Modern day planning needs to adaptive to the needs of people of which the planning process serves. There are however planning approaches or paradigms which are observed across the profession- Fainstein in her work 'New Direction in Planning Theory' (2000) suggest these three mainstream contemporary planning approaches:

 1) "The Communicative Model": Planner takes a facilitative approach which does not focus on technical capacities but learning and mediating the needs of the stakeholders. This promotes a somewhat self determinate approach for engaged parties. Acknowledges planners should not take the role of simply prescribing what the city, region, town or community needs but develop workable solutions through consultation.

 2) " The New Urbanism": Popular planning approach which highlights design for close knit, walkable neighbourhoods, mixed use and civic centres/spaces.

 
3) "The Just City": A alternate, left socialist approach that views the decision making process to be biased or even corrupted by those who have the responsibility of power given their tendencies to favour certain polices that established of maintain the 'power' capacity. The Just City approach prescribes that positive progressive change will be the result of participatory and entrepreneurial participation of those who had typically been excluded from or not held positions of power.

Planning Process: Master Plan

As an urban planning student master plans can sometime appear ambiguous in their intent and brief and content and strategy. A lack of clarity in regards to master plans can also be amplified by the varying roles and values individual master plans hold within their respective planning jurisdictions. However master plans maintain immense value especially if the master plan is effectively presented and their specific role within the planning process in understood. Haar (1955) in the 'The Master Plan, an Impermanent Constitution' ostensibly explores the concept of a master plan as it pertains to the planner and stakeholders.

Haar initially makes note that master plans have different meaning in different scenarios as are it subsequent effects. Haar then explains the role of master plans to the planner: 1)"Source of information": Preliminary/background that illuminate the current state of the city or region. Such information is vital given that it should form the rational and empirical bases for subsequent decisions 2) "A program for correction": Identifying attenuated areas and envisaging augmenting solutions  3) "A estimate of the future": Encompassing the long term and the preempting future change. 4) "Indicator of Goals": Objectives congruent with community wan:ts/needs after appropriate public consultations and discussions. 5) "Technique for Coordination"; A holistic coordination and mediation between the interrelated  and various physical  attributes. 6) "Device for stimulating public interest and responsibility": Education and information for all relevant at stake parties, planners may learn additional and even crucial information during the discovery period of forming the master plan.

Image: Cover of the Canberra 2004 City West Master Plan Document.

Planning Theory: Modernism

Urban and Regional Planning is and adaptive field that responds almost exclusively to societal occurrences using practical and idealistic solutions. Modernism in urban planning is an example of how the profession has adapted, responded to and planned for the rapid and revolutionary changes to modern society. In a cross disciplinary field such as urban planning it’s important that planning has such characteristics that allow for progression and flexibility since without them the planning field could potentially become irrelevant to the needs of modern society. 'Modernism and Early Urban Planning' (Legates and Stout, 1998) partially accounts for the relationship between planning and modernism.

 An early 19^th century modernist planning response were augmented city- nature related. Industrialism promoted rapid growth of cities and between the rapid flocking of people to city and the pollution from manufacturing, city ambience and well a resident health suffered. Providing parks was viewed as both a method of increasing  city ambience as well as health. This is seen in the Parks Movement were major cities commissioned the establishment of park to integrate landscape design elements into the city which saw great support from city inhibitors. Notions of nature related benefits, as well as a socially altered (typically more ‘flatly’ structured) was culminated by Ebenezer Howard in his famous Garden City concepts and ideals. Similarly urban aesthetic focused City Beautiful movement that promoted more beautiful cities with integrated nature components because of the social benefits to society, namely beautiful organised places would promote  ideal human behaviour and activities.
  

 Image: Modern day Letworth City founded by Howard and incorporates his Garden City Ideals.


Image obtained from: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/LocationPhotos-g503876-Letchworth_Hertfordshire_England.html

Essay: Master Plan Assessment

 

Master Plan Assessment

Tuggeranong and Erindale Centre Planning Project

Project area (ACTPLA 2011)

Compiled by: Emma Butcher, Timothy Carne, Ozy Salu and Michael Finch

Introduction

The purpose of this essay to discuss whether the Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres Planning Project (hereafter referred to as the ‘Master Plan Project’) is likely to produce quality master plans. This will be undertaken using an adapted set of criteria proposed by Baer (1997). More specifically, the Master Plan Project will be discussed with reference to four criteria as set out by Baer. These are: (1) rational model considerations; (2) adequacy of scope; (3) approach, data and methodology; and (4) quality of communication. Before applying these criteria, a brief rationale for this exercise will be provided, along with an outline of the Master Plan Project and Baer’s assessment criteria.

Rationale for Exercise

The master plan is arguably one of the most effective products of the planning profession (Alexander 2011). It is an important tool used to guide the development and redevelopment of our towns and cities (ACT Government 2011). Therefore, the assessment of master plans is an important issue. In other words, it is important to be able to distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ plans before they are implemented. As Baer (1997) discusses appropriate assessment criteria are required in order to do this.

Outline of Master Plan Project

The Master Plan Project is run by the Australian Capital Territory Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA). The purpose of the project is to develop master plans for the Tuggeranong and Erindale town centres, as well as Erindale drive which is the main transport artery connecting the two centres.  The plans will be non-statutory documents that will provide guidance for growth and development over the next 20-30 years (ACT Government 2011). According to ACTPLA (2011) the project was initiated to address a number of key planning problems. These can be categorized into three broad areas: climate change adaption; responding to increasing population and demographic change; and ensuring that communities are healthy and active. Clearly, the resolution of these problems will be significantly influenced by the quality of the master plans produced.

Baer’s Assessment Criteria

Baer (1997) has proposed a set of criteria that can be used to assess master plans as they are embodied in the preliminary documents. With regard to the Master Plan Project, various draft proposals will be assessed to this end, as well as the ACTPLA website and other documents produced during the project’s consultation process (links to these can be found in the references and bibliography sections). According to Baer the criteria are to be used while the plan is being formulated. It is therefore relevant to the Master Plan Project which is intended to be completed by “early 2012” (ACT Government 2011). Finally, Baer describes the criteria to be “advisory and suggestive.” This implies that it is at the discretion of those engaging in assessment to choose and adapt criteria that are applicable to the particular plan they are assessing. Hence, the authors of this essay have chosen and adapted four criteria for the assessment of the Master Plan Project, namely, rational model considerations; adequacy of scope; approach, data and methodology; and quality of communication.

Application of Assessment Criteria

Rational model considerations

‘Rational model considerations’ refers to the underlying planning theory guiding the plan and whether this theory is clearly stated and adhered to throughout the process. In this case, the purpose and characteristics of a master plan must be kept in mind when assessing the Master Plan Project. Haar (1955) outlines the various purposes a master plan should serve, one of which is to act as a program of correction. Thus the plan must indicate the negative aspects of the target area. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis outlined in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011) of the Tuggeranong and Erindale town centres provides a comprehensive

overview of the weaknesses currently associated with the planning sites, consistent with those raised through community consultation (Rossiter 2010). Weaknesses such as the low residential population in Tuggeranong, the lack of pedestrian scale and lack of sense of place experienced in both areas are reiterated throughout the report. The success of the master plan will depend upon its capacity to address such weaknesses either directly or through the guidance of subsequent planning documents.

One aspect of rational model considerations that is lacking in the Master Plan Project is the identification and use of a set of criteria to assess the progress of the plan during the formulation stages. Such criteria are not clearly outlined on ACTPLA’s website nor in the project’s preliminary documents, the closest equivalent being a list of shortcomings and limitations associated with the consultation process mentioned within the consultation summary documents. The inclusion of such a list would help identify the success of the formulation process, and allow any shortcomings to be identified and suitably acted upon.

Adequacy of Scope

A master plan should serve as an estimate of the future, and as stated by Haar (1955, p. 143). “…. the planner should be concerned with emerging conditions”. This links to the idea outlined in Baer’s (1997) criteria of ‘adequacy of scope’, which refers to the consideration of the plan in the context of the larger world. Two main challenges facing communities presently, and pertinent to all planning decisions, include the impending risks of climate change and the implications of a growing and aging population. Both of these issues are specifically mentioned in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011) as ones of great importance that has been considered as part of each topic. On a practical level, these considerations are evident in a draft proposal for the Tuggeranong town centre (ACTPLA 2011) through the promotion of walkability and increased density surrounding the centre, reducing the prominence of automobile generated pollution. The focus on creating a mixed use and higher density housing choices will not only promote self sufficiency, but will help ease the burden on aged care facilities by allowing ‘aging in place’.

A master plan should not only identify probable future trends and respond to them, but also, according to Haar (1955), actively promote a set of goals to achieve a type of environment that the community wants. Throughout the consultation feedback and in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011), emphasis is placed on the creation of an economically prosperous, socially vibrant and environmentally sustainable community. Whilst these are broad goals, they correspond to the tone of the plan which aims to provide “… a vision to guide growth and development…” (ACT Government 2011, ‘Tuggeranong and Erindale centres master plans, para. 2) with little design resolution itself, but the ability to provide guidance for future land use decisions. This relates back to Baer’s rational model consideration outlining the need for a plan to explicitly state its scope, so that the reader is fully aware of the aim of the plan and what to expect.

Approach, Methodology and Data

This section will discuss the ‘approach, methodology and data’ of the Master Plan Project. With regard to this criteria, Baer (1997) infers that a quality plan should make clear its technical bases, data sources and the ways the data is used. If this has been achieved, “… others may check the plan’s thinking by use of the same sources” (Baer 1997 p. 339). With regard to approach, which is understood to be the general way of undertaking the Master Plan Project, some description is evident. For example, in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011), the diversity of sources used to assemble an initial understanding of the planning sites demonstrates a type of approach. These sources of information included community consultation activities; original planning documents; interviews with designers; summaries of current planning policy and contextual issues; technical papers from external consultants; and ideas produced by specialist planners and designers. This wide range infers that the approach of the Analysis Summary Report was to incorporate a variety of different opinions and perspectives. Given that the report provides the “… basis for subsequent consultation, design and planning” (ACTPLA 2011, p. 48) it can be assumed that the Master Plan Project in general is also directed by this approach.

Looking now at methodology, which is distinct from ‘approach’ in the sense that the former concerns more specific and systematic techniques used in the Master Plan Project. For the purposes of this study, methodology is considered to comprise three activities i.e. the gathering, interpreting and applying of information. With regard to the Master Plan Project, certain activities are clear while others are not. For example, the methodology for gathering information from community consultation is provided. A detailed description of the consultation process is included as an appendix in the Stage One Consultation Report (Rossiter 2010). Also, Survey Feedback Forms are provided as appendices in the report concerning the second stage of consultation (Rossiter 2010). Despite this, however, the methods for interpreting and applying the information derived from consultation is not explicit. It is not clear, for instance, how issues raised by the community where determined to be of value and by what means community input was applied to the creation of subsequent draft proposals.

Turning now to data, which in this context refers to quantitative or qualitative information derived from the systematic techniques of the Master Plan Project. Although the project documents provide summaries of data (e.g. key points raised during community consultation activities) the original data from which the summaries are based is not shown. This could include, for example, transcripts from interviews made with planners, designers and community members, or any other raw data such as traffic statistics. There is one exception, however, in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011) with the provision of initial planning documents from the 1970’s as appendices. It may be suggested that most original data was not included because such detail would not be necessary for the purposes of the preliminary documents i.e. to keep the public informed. However, instruction on how to access original data could have been provided so that the logic on which the plan is based could be assessed by planning researchers or other interested parties.

Quality of Communication

Tentative urban master plans are specifically designed to communicate often complex information to a broad range of persons (e.g. planners, development professionals and the public) in a manner which is readily interpretable. It is therefore vital to the plan’s success that the information contained within such documents is presented both professionally and unambiguously, so that persons external to the plan development process can adequately respond to the documents. Baer (1997) makes provisions for effective communication within his suggested criteria for plan assessment. Such provisions offer an evaluative capacity that can objectively judge the clarity and communicative veracity of the planning documents. This criteria is termed ‘quality of communication’. It includes, but is not limited to, the “convincing presentation” of ideas and the inclusion of “criteria with which the plan is intended to be judged”.

When evaluating the preliminary documents of Master Plan Project it can be observed that they are for the most part congruent with Baer’s (1997) ‘quality of communication’ criteria. The ideas presented through the documents are easily understandable by members of the public, who may have limited experience in planning related development processes and the ideas are presented both creatively and in a number of modes including written, diagrammatic and photographic. These positive characteristics are  particularly well exemplified throughout the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011). In addition, the documents are well and logically formatted; these components work to make the plans convincing to a wide audience.

However, the Master Plan Project ostensibly falls short or Baer’s criteria in a number of key areas. Firstly, rationales of the plan are predicated on some cited background research, yet some specific interpretations or conclusions of these research processes are not clearly made evident.

The presented proposals are consistent with the visions outlined in the documents, however a more explicit understanding of the rationales may be needed to analyse the proposal-objective relationship. Finally, none of the preliminary documents are inclusive of a set criteria that will be used to internally judge the quality of the plans continued development, resultantly casual observers cannot account for the quality of the plan by standards set by the plan maker.

Conclusion

This essay has discussed whether the Tuggeranong and Erindale Centre Planning Project is ‘on track’ formulating quality master plans. This was achieved by using an adapted set of assessment criteria proposed by Baer (1997), namely, rational model considerations; adequacy of scope; approach, methodology, and data; and quality of communication. These criteria were discussed with reference to the ACTPLA website, various draft proposals and other preliminary planning documents. With respect to the Master Plan Project the following points can be concluded.

First, the Master Plan Project does address aspects of  the ‘rational model considerations’ criteria in that it corresponds with many of the key purposes of a master plan as outlined by Haar (1955). However, the failure to outline and include a set of criteria to assess the progress of the plan formulation presents a clear deficiency.

Second, the consideration of the plan in relation to the larger world presents a broad set of criteria, but focusing specifically on considerations of climate change and population change, it can be seen the Master Plan Project recognises and addresses these issues as ones of great importance.  

Third, although the project indicates a type of approach, there are aspects of methodology that are absent and, for the most part, there is no original data included. This means that someone apart from the project would not be able to, as Baer puts it, “…. check the plans thinking by use of the same sources” (1997, p. 339).

Finally, the Master Plan Project documents present a prima facie attractiveness that is congruent with some of the points highlighted under the ‘quality of communication’ criteria category. None the less, there are attenuated areas- where criteria have not been met- and require substantive improvements in order to be copasetic with Baer’s pertaining criteria.

Overall, it seems that aspects of the Master Plan Project require improvement in order to ensure that quality master plans are produced for the Tuggeranong and Erindale town centres and Erindale Drive.   The assessment of master plans at this early stage (i.e. before implementation) represents an important planning issue. This is because master plans are vital planning tools and significantly impact the development of towns and cities. Therefore, the resolution of the planning problems that the Master Plan Project aims to resolve will depend to a large extent on the quality of the master plans produced. Thus, assessment of the kind utilized in this essay is a critical part of the planning process.

References

ACT Government 2011, Environment and Sustainable Development, Canberra viewed 3 November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/significant_projects/planning_studies/tuggeranong_and_erindale_centres_planning_project#

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 4A Tuggeranong Town Centre, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/24375/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_04.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres planning project: Analysis summary report, ACT Government viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/22256/TE_Analysis_report_V4.pdf

Alexander, E 2010, ‘Planning Rights: Toward Normative Criteria for Evaluating Plans’, International Planning Studies, vol. 7, pp. 191-212, viewed 3 November 2011, Taylor & Francis Online database.

Baer, W 1997, ‘General Plan Evaluation Criteria: An Approach to Making Better Plans’, Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 63:3, 329-344.

Haar, C 1955, ‘The Master Plan, an Impermanent Constitution’, in Birch 2009 The Urban and Regional Planning Reader, Madison Avenue, New York, Routledge.

Rossiter, S 2010, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres Planning Project Stage One Consultation Outcomes Report, Elton Consulting, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/23779/Item_4.pdf

Rossiter, S 2010, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres master plans project- Community Engagement Stage Two Report, Elton Consulting, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/23782/Item_8.pdf

Bibliography

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 1 What is a master plan?, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/24372/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_01.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 2 Erindale group centre ideas, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/22640/Erindale-Ideas-web.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 2 Tuggeranong town centre ideas, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/22639/Tuggeranong-Ideas-web.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 2 Why are we preparing a master plan?, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/24373/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_02.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 3 Consultation to date…, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/24374/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_03.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 4 Erindale Drive ideas, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/22641/ErindaleDrive-Ideas-web.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres planning project: Youth consultation report, ACT Government viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/22854/TE_youth_consultation_report.pdf

Everett Josh 2011, Erindale Traffic Report- Final Report (Revision 1): Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres Planning Project, Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/25776/20111103_-_Erindale_Traffic_Plan_-_Final_Report_Rev1.pdf

Planning Process: Pluralism and Multiculturalism

Example of a multicultural day in a component of NSW health services.

Image obtained from: http://www.sswahs.nsw.gov.au/Concord/cad/mc.html

Australia is a immensely ethnic and culturally diverse nation and will continue to experience  such trends of diversity in the future.  Consequently multicultural planning has a particularly important and unique role in Australia to help create unique, harmonious and culturally pluralistic  communities, suburbs and cities.   Multiculturalism is applicable to all persons living in a multicultural society and given it is focused on facilitating and respecting cultural differences, multiculturalism acts as unifying force. Development is predicated on the needs of the surrounding society and since we are a multicultural society, multiculturalism will influence the entire development process, but multiculturalism specifically influences planning development in three unique ways:

1)     Additional Rational/ technical component

Differing localised demographics resulting from Australian immigration patterns form significant analytical categories for identifying the need for community services and the social conditions experienced in neighbourhoods. This is already being used in Australian health care planning where the need for health care service provision is partially identified by demographics including race. 

 2)     Enhanced Sensitivity

 Multiculturalism adds to the complexity of society and subsequently the planning field  so Planners need to be pay particular attention  to understanding the needs of clients, especially when they represent minatory groups to ensure they have adequate representation in the planning process. Such a need is highlighted by the Royal British Town Planning whose study found that in Britain, ethnic and racial minorities suffered comparatively high refusal rates  for development “permissions”-  assuming this study is accurate this represent an ethical for planners. Additionally the facilitative planner to spend time listening and understanding the needs of ethnic minorities before action is taken.

 3)      Expanded Scope for Citizen Participation

Planning organisation will need tailor their procedures and policies so that they maximise their accommodation of the needs of the multicultural community.   In Vancouver and Toronto this achieved through the establishment substantial consultative procedures within the planning process. This allows ethnic individuals and communities to articulate their needs and visions to planning departments.

 

Major Metropolitan centres are beginning to accommodate multiculturalism, however these inclusive processes have not yet been widely demonstrated in small cities where ethnic minorities do not typically represent significant political forces. The next major step in strengthening pluralistic planning will be provisions to ensure the inclusion of ethnic/cultural minorities on decision making boards as well as ensuring planning departments employ professionals from diverse backgrounds to ensure appreciation of cultural and racial differences.

Business enclave: Chinatown, Toronto. A paragon of where were planning mechanisms have helped preserve and facilitate an established area of ethnicity and culture.

Planning Theory: Planning Theory Since 1945

 

The urban planning field has undergone substantive changes in both underlying theories and its practice since 1945.  There are specific junctions in planning history  at which planning thought may be considered to  have undergone a paradigm shift. These ideas are explored in depth by Nigel Taylor’s ‘Urban Planning Theory since 1945’ (1998) book. To analyse the changes that have occurred in planning theory Taylor uses the work of Thomas Kuhn (1922-1996) work in ‘paradigm shifts’ as an evaluative mechanism. Kuhn’s work dispelled the notion that the development of scientific knowledge occurred gradually and in small increments.  Instead Kuhn found there were certain fundamental ideas in all branches of science that held true for substantial periods of time. As a result of these existing for long periods of time they form the premise of peoples world view of reality to the extent that it was extremely difficult or impossible for people to conceive their realities as anything other than what they had already been taught. It is these engrained long term and broad spectrum world views that which Kuhn terms paradigms. Infrequently a revolutionary shift of thought reveals a whole new theoretical perspective, this is a considered a ‘Kuhnian paradigm shift’. 

Taylor makes note of three changes in planning theory, summarised as:

Art to Science

Science to Policy

Modernist to Postmodernist

In the ‘art to  transition’- occurring pre WWII and into the 1960’s- demonstrates the change from planning being considered as a  exercise in the collective design of building and the surrounding spaces to a recognition that people populated places are dynamic spaces interrelated activities and are in a constant state of flux. Planning therefore broadened its outlook to include the often idiosyncratic systems of a place and analysed these systems using a rational approach that adopted a scientific process using quantitative data. In the ‘science to policy’ transition planners evolved from a technical capacity to be inclusive specialised skills that acknowledged the planning process is value laden and  planners where not experts in dictating the needs of communities and places. Instead planners began to demonstrate their facilitative and mediation capacity where planners protected the overarching need of public interest will working with interest groups to create a solution that represented needs of all involved. The ‘modernist to postmodernist’ transition represents changes occurring across numerous societal fronts, however in planning it represents a change from purely artificial spaces that encompassed simplistic and functionalist values  to focus on the broader perspective that encompassed the values of aesthetic from.

Martin Place, Sydney between 1940-1950. Followed by a modern day Martin Place.

Images obtained from:  http://lifeasdaddy.typepad.com/lifeasdaddy/2008/07/sydney-then-and-now-martin-place.html, http://www.progsoc.uts.edu.au/~sammy/photography/photography.html respectivly.

Planning Theory: Art of Planning

Like most professions, Urban Planning is subject to an “art and science” analysis, where the specific technical capacity of a given profession (the science) is recognised along with the personal and subtle skills that are vital when utilising the exercising the technical skills (the art). The Planning Profession clearly has both science and art components, for example planners need to have strong knowledge of pertinent planning techniques as well as legislation, yet to function effectively as planners they also need to a … communicative capacity, vision and mediation skills. Such specialised skills define the role of the planer and distinguish it from that of other professions. However, planning is a conspicuously multi-disciplinary field and given that, a question of the planners professional skill set is still raised. What specific skills do planners have as opposed to a composite knowledge of skills already present in their respective fields? This question is explored by Birch(2009) in the article ‘ Practitioners and the Art of Planning’.

Birch suggest that the professional skill set of a planner can be observed in the “art of planning”. Three terms are used in the description of the art of planning , they include:

‘Design’- “ physical planning or urban design”

‘Craft’- “understanding of legal, quantitative, social science…”

‘Presentation’-“planner’s personal attributes or skills… oversee planning process… discretion, practical reasoning”

Birch highlights the evolution of these three ‘art of planning’ components through the period of the 1930’s all the way to the new millennia and concludes with noting how planners have evolved from neutral technicians to a profession that blends “design, craft and presentation in numerous roles”. Modern 21^st century planners are actively observed participating in green design for places, cities and communities (design), complex multidisciplinary thought where planners academically engage in many different fields (craft) and complex mediation and dispute resolution when balancing the overarching public interest with that of specific needs of other stakeholders (presentation).