This week our Planning class was privileged enough to have Hamish Sinclair (Consultant Planner and ACT PIA director) as a guest lecturer. As an individual who has had substantial experience working within the ACT Planning legislation- as well as contributing to formulating it- it was certainly illuminating to have an ‘insiders’ insight into the prevailing planning environment.
Surprisingly one of the most the conspicuous and intriguing notions in this week’s discussion was simply how complex navigating the dual National and Territory ACT planning process can be (This is demonstrated in the flow diagram below). Additionally the idea of what could be described as a presence or culture of complexity was also breached- specifically how it is common place for governments or planning bodies (at various levels) to overregulate by amending planning legislation or protocol-even when in some instances it has clearly become out-dated or miscellaneous- as opposed to reducing, simplifying and modernising it. These issues are confounded within the Australian context by the varying intricate interstate local level planning codes that add to complexity of the ‘operational planning environment.’ Interestingly Hamish juxtaposed the Australian planning system with the New Zealand system which is to a greater extent homogenous and not as complicated by differing state planning codes.
A second fascinating and perhaps more poignant idea discussed was that of the role of the planner in a local planning framework that is dominated by private development sector. The work of a planner is inherently communicative, visionary and idealistic however how much ‘positive change’ can be achieved by planners who operate in such developer dominated fields that subject to economic/market forces? The suggested answer lies within first recognising the need that developer driven investment is essential and that successful development goes hand in hand with sound planning. Once that is understood it could possible for a planner to work within the planning system to develop a solution which resonates the needs and ideals of all stakeholders within the community.
There are certainly many different ways one can learn about Urban Planning, however surely one of the best ways is to simply listen to and discuss planning issues with those experienced individuals in the profession who are willing to impart their knowledge and thoughts to the new upcoming generation of planners. This is what our class experienced with Hamish and it would certainly seem that some great trains of thought and ideas for consideration arose from it.
Great overview. Do you think that Australian Planning System is more complicated than New Zealand? Is it a challenge as a planner to work in the comlicated system?
ReplyDeleteNice writing Michael, I agree with what you've said about our planning structure being complex and how we are inevitably influenced by the private development sector.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that the Australian Planning system needs to be complicated, kind of like our taxation system, to be as fair across the board as possible? Or would you prioritise streamlining and efficiency?