Planning in Australia

Further Reading:

Due to Australia's federal system of governance, there is no single planning system. There are nine different regulation-based statutory planning systems which rely on zoning and planning standards. The different systems correspond with the nine jurisdictions within Australia; the Commonwealth, the six states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania) and the two territories (Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory).

Map illustrating the nine areas of jurisdiction in Australia. Sourced from: https://www.jurisdictions.steamforum.com/

The emphasis on regulation in all the systems is based on the traditional British planning system. The 1980s then saw an influence on planning approaches from America due to financial and planning incentives, as well as seeking greater flexibility. Therefore, all planning systems in Australia have evolved into a hybrid of both the British and the American planning systems. (Thompson and Maginn, 2007, p. 100)

I find it interesting how the planning systems have derived from the British and American systems but they have each evolved differently. I think that this evidences how planning depends on the context of the place and the people; what might work for one area may not work for another. It also makes me think about how the planning education system might work there and how planners would have to adapt if they moved across the country.

The fact that the Australian planning systems have created hybrids of regulatory and discretionary planning systems shows there is no right answer to planning and one is not better than the other. It seems as though when there is a regulatory systems in place, there is a desire for more flexibility; and when a system is dominated by a discretionary approach, reforms are made to attempt to make the process more streamlined and efficient.

References:

Williams, P. Statutory Planning. In Thompson, S., Maginn, P. J. ed., (2007) Planning Australia: An Overview of Urban and Regional Planning. Second edition. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2012. pp. 98-118.

Map of jurisdictions of Australia sourced from: https://www.jurisdictions.steamforum.com/