Sustainable Urban Planning

although many find ways to gain an income from working outside

the tax-gathering system. In other words it is possible to be ‘sub-

sistence employed’ in an often pleasant land-use environment

which includes produce and exchange gardens, second-hand

consumer-durable goods recycling, production from kitchens and

sewing rooms, along with exchange skills and services of the

‘piano lessons for child minding’ variety. Social services are

limited, yet even this drawback assists the formation of friend-

ships and neighbourly support on a community-care basis,

younger households keeping up a helping contact with the

aged and isolated, and the aged supporting each other. Small

towns harbour declining (increasingly aged) populations; yet

these elderly are amazingly resourceful

and capable.^35 There is no limelight, yet

there usually exists healthy support for

local football and basketball teams, an

active and high level of participation in

small-court sports and maybe golf, as well

as good attendance at a variety of well-

patronized historical and special interest

clubs.^36

Small ‘country’ towns confront three

main vectors for change, which challenge

their viability and their future.^37

• The least likely (ever-welcome when
  it is positive) change to the viability
  of small towns is that which arises
  from a gainful metamorphosis of
  the surrounding agriculture. Diversity
  within agriculture, ranging from
  intensive horticulture to extensive sil-
  viculture, has of course the potential
  to add value to the economic base of
  country service centres. On the distaff side there is also the global complexity of
  agricultural resizing to put into the equation; as has occurred throughout the 1970s
  and again as a consequence of GATT–WTO protocols during the 1990s and on into
  the twenty-first century. The denial of agricultural subsidies within agri-trading
  nations induces an upswing for only selective parts of the rural sector. More pro-
  ductively efficient agribusiness is likely to further centralize specialist agricultural
  services in provincial cities and larger rural towns, rather than in hamlets and
  small country towns, although in general the nearest small town is likely to remain
  as the schooling, watering-hole and small-goods purchasing focus for an adjoin-
  ing rural community. In short, the economic prognosis for smaller country towns
  is: anticipate the rural economy to at best hold its own, but maybe to further
  decline, and do not rely on permanence from agribusiness.

218 Practice

The Small Town Planning

Handbook(Daniels, Keller

and Lapping 1995) offers

a US-focused review of

organizational and

procedural issues,

including a useful ‘what

can go wrong’ checklist.

The small-town scene is

sensitively depicted in

the evocative text by

Kristina Ford,Planning

Small Town America, 1990.

Martinborough, my family home town, a speculative
nineteenth-century property venture by an Anglo-
patriot. At a loss for a place name, Mr Martin chose
Martinboro. At a loss for street names he picked
world-famous locations. At a loss for a layout design,
Mr Martin chose the British Flag! Martinborough is
now a boutique wine-producing centre.