Research relating to Australia’s urban planning and policy agenda is dominated by what happens in Australia’s five metropolitan cities. However the growth of Australia’s medium cities and the sources of this population growth, suggests an increasing importance for many medium-sized cities.

Assisted by concerns and movements associated with concepts such as; ‘food miles’, grow local, ‘slow food’, farmers markets, food security, the social and community benefits of growing your own food, community gardens and the realization of the links between food and the local economy, urban agriculture is experiencing a strong revival.

Australia’s urban hierarchy of large metropolitan areas and a second level of centres with over 200,000 people create one of the world’s most urbanized countries. Australia’s urban planning agenda has understandably focussed on the major urban areas. Third level cities, those with a regional service centre function and a population of around 80 - 130,000...