44 Planning land
everything. The highway network is in the natural area, where it doubtless dis-
rupts nature somewhat, rather than in or by residential areas. Everyone’s home
is quite close to nature. Wildlife from nearby natural areas enriches the residen-
tial areas, as loud, brightly colored birds fly in and wallabies hop in. Residents
say, ‘‘It’s great for raising a family.” The close-by bush encourages exploration
and imagination beyond the confines of a planned community.
YetCanberra is no Utopia. Visitors constantly run into circular and diagonal
streets and get lost. Terrible wildfires occasionally sweep into the city consuming
buildings and reducing air quality. Extensive water use (in a dry continent)
is required to maintain extensive manicured greenspaces and everyone’s tidy
gardens. Signs discourage people from swimming in the central lake for two
days following a rainstorm, due to runoff of stormwater pollutants. Sprawl close
tothecity is rare, though it is beginning to occur >20 km out to the southeast
in the urban region. The total area of the city is large compared with its limited
population. Still, because the centers are separated, very little heat island effect
or concentrated air pollution buildup is evident.
Although town centers provide the basics, specialized needs such as a
tuba lesson or a particular health clinic generally require considerable driv-
ing. Kangaroo--vehicle crashes are frequent, as are ‘‘roo-bars” in front of cars.
Petroleum use and greenhouse gas production per person is high. Public trans-
port is limited and not exactly rapid. A trolley or light rail system connecting the
towncenters and city center was envisioned and space provided in the design,
but it was never built and remains a dream for some. Rich cultural resources
such as museums and historic monuments are conspicuous, and recreational
resources as well. Yet residents and critics periodically say the place is ‘‘dead”
or ‘‘doesn’t have a soul” or ‘‘there’s no beach,” referring to the perceived limited
cultural diversity and nightlife. Some claim the situation results from Canberra
being a government city. Others blame it on the original plan which disperses
people, thus limiting growth of the central city.
Canberra highlights an intriguing perceptual framework. Hardly anyone can
feel emprisoned in the claustrophobic hallways and cells of most major cities.
The freedom of greenspace is always but a step away. Yet the city’s built areas and
greenspaces, the latter largely covered with mowed grass and planted tree lines,
are so planned, so tightly fitting, that to some everything seems predictable,
dominating, constraining, even boring. Planning and design have permanently
snuffed out opportunities for imagination and creativity. Yet take but another
step outward, and one finds nature, with rocks and gum trees and butterflies and
venomous snakes and koalas. Exploration and imagination and experimentation
are available near everyone’s doorstep.
For Canberra, the urban region was a marginal part of the planning vision,
mainly included to protect the land surrounding its water supply. Yet because