Exploring the way in which the exercise of power by developers, stemming from superior money-based resources, distorts planning processes, this paper looks at how urban over-development can occur even when planning controls to limit development to levels acceptable to the community are in place.

This paper provides a new frame of reference for addressing the governance role of councils in ensuring good urban development and illustrates this with examples drawn from a four week study tour of 18 new urbanist developments in the USA undertaken by the author in February and March 2003.

Using the ADI St Mary’s site to explore long standing issues in the planning and management of urban development, this paper identifies the generic nature of issues such as constraining the scale of development and empowering people in specific contexts, resulting from a complex interplay of individuals, community groups, firms, local governments, state agencies

The aim of this paper is to reflect on lessons emerging from the recent Australian and international renewal of interest in engaging citizens and communities in urban planning and development processes.