In the English-speaking world, the emergence of modern post-medieval mapping coincided with the emergence of modern land markets. Maps were found, very quickly, to be a useful tool in defining the extent of land and thus in adjudicating land disputes between owners. They soon became part of a proto-planning system used to envisage, to describe...

Reformist ideals underpinned South Australia as a colonial endeavour and manifested from foundation in an enduring nexus between Adelaide’s urban plan and its social identity. During the first half of the nineteenth century Adelaide strove to stand out from a cohort of colonial cities established during a wave of Imperial expansion. It competed with cities...

Key Commitments Australia’s cities are home to the majority of our population and responsible for more than 80 per cent of national economic output. Liveable, accessible cities with clean environments are now essential economic assets. In the knowledge economy, people are our greatest resource, and smart cities put people first. The Coalition will innovate with...

Sydney’s Chinatown is currently in transition. Asia-led globalisation in the past few decades has intensified flows of people, commodities and financial resources across the Asia-Pacific region, and this has brought significant challenges and opportunities to Chinatown. Given the major developments at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), on Broadway and at Darling Harbour, Sydney’s Chinatown...

The Federal Government’s Better Cities Program (BCP) of the early 1990s is credited with providing the financial stimulus that facilitated the nation’s long term economic growth. This $814m package was invested in 26 strategic projects around the country. In each case, this Federal investment was matched by state funding and provided the catalyst to unlock...