Planned cities 43Canberra, Australia
Canberra, the final example of a planned city, is a contrast. From the
air it appears as a few large strange blobs of European trees with sprinkled
buildings, all surrounded by paddockland and bush (pastureland and woods), a
perception pervasively confirmed on the ground. The city was planned around
acentral reservoir with buildings largely kept well away from it (Color Figure
12 ). Aesthetics was important in designing boulevards and views, and axes lead
theeye,not to dated human structures, but to the surrounding forested hills.
Four town centers with surrounding residential areas were established, some-
what like close-by satellites surrounding the central city area. The five centers
are separated by wide connected semi-natural areas. Each town center provides
daily shopping needs and some cultural activity for its adjoining residential
areas. The surrounding urban region is little planned except for extensive land
protection to the west to maintain a water supply. Unlike the three previous
examples, Canberra has grown slowly. Although well over the population envi-
sioned in the plan, growth has mainly occurred as compact development on the
outer edges of suburbs, and, in general, the population still ‘‘fits” the plan.
The Aborigine community is small though includes many leaders. Rather
fewAborigines (Australian residents for some 50 000 years) from the outback
have visited Canberra. Probably their reaction would be an analog of ‘‘it’s from
another planet,” although it is hard to know how residents from the continent’s
diverse outback areas would view a city (Layton1989,Troy1995,Forman1995,
Rigby2006). Roads divide up the place into countless squares. Traffic is noisy and
dangerous. People put up fences everywhere which block views and movement.
Dreaming (lines) may be disrupted or obfuscated. Sacred sites must have been
destroyed. Food comes covered with plastic. The surroundings are sterile for
walkabouts. Strange deciduous trees from afar corrupt the bush. The place is
boring. It has no meaning.
In contrast, most residents and visitors find Canberra to be a pleasant green
city with boulevards, parks, gardens, and many other greenspaces in the central
city. At the core is a blue lake (reservoir) with clean water, partly protected by
thegreen areas around it. Attractive buildings have appeared over time in the
context of the city’s plan. Except for one massive communications tower that
looms menacingly, development was basically kept off the slopes of the three
surrounding nearby mountains. Utilities, including sewers, are connected to a
site before houses can be built, which helps prevent sprawl. Some say the city is
‘‘ ver y Australian”andresidents already manifest a strong sense of place.
The four nearby town centers with residential areas help create neighbor-
hoods and active communities. Walking and bicycle trails seemingly connect