Change has engulfed the coastal fringe of Australia. In balancing the built and natural environment, community needs, cultural significance and economic sustainability, planners aim to improve quality of life and create vibrant communities. Yet managing place change, particularly in coastal areas, is fraught with tensions. Most planning discussions about the rapidity of change, the impact...

In December 1974, when the Monarto Development Commission’s Town Planning Division asked this question, the new town of Monarto – arguably Australia’s last such project to date – had less than a year left as a serious proposition. Monarto was to be South Australia’s second such development after Elizabeth, and it was hoped its creators...

Cities have advocated more compact development patterns to address the need to accommodate a burgeoning urban population. One such compact model is the vertical mixed-use (VMU) development.

This report documents the scale of the Melbourne’s recent inner-city high rise apartment boom and the scale of its likely further expansion.

This paper proposes that policy makers should focus on how to design institutional arrangements that engage communities in responding to urban problems and opportunities as they arise. The design of institutional arrangements to support metropolitan plans might include a greater focus on harnessing the capabilities of local communities in policy design and implementation.