Property Development, Governance and Design Excellence

Abstract

This chapter reviews a vast body of literature to provide a framework for thinking about the role of public sector agencies in the pursuit of design excellence. The chapter casts the property development process as a form of ‘battlefield’ in which developers, planners and designers must struggle for ‘opportunity space’. In this context, design governance offers a means to protect and pursue the public interest. The chapter discusses the advantages and disadvantages of design competitions as a design governance tool and identifies the various factors that increase the chances of successful competition outcomes. Finally, the key impediments to effective design governance are summarised, setting the scene for an examination of Sydney’s mandatory design competition policy in action.