Aysin Dedekorkut

Tempering growth: planning for the challenges of climate change and growth management in SEQ

Abstract South East Queensland (SEQ) has experienced voracious growth over the past five decades. Spanning some 200 km, this sprawling subtropical coastal conurbation is beginning to reach its ecological and socio-political limits. Over the last decade there have been concerted efforts to manage this growth with a new regime of plans and policies, but climate change has significantly complicated the challenge. This paper offers a preliminary analysis of the situation. The major climate adaptation challenges for the region are identified, including: rising sea levels, storm surges, higher temperatures, and increased freshwater scarcity. These will impact most on the elderly, sick and disadvantaged who have lower levels of resilience. The key plans and policies that address these issues are then reviewed, including: ClimateQ; the SEQ Regional Plan; and, the Draft SEQ Climate Change Management Plan. The overall planning regime is appraised in light of five core themes of strong ecological modernisation (technological innovation; engaging with economic imperatives; political and institutional change; transforming the role of social movements and discursive change) and the principles of environmental justice. It is argued that together these schools of thought could provide criteria for a more effective and equitable climate adaptation response for the region.

Suwannee River Partnership: Representation Instead of Regulation

The “water wars” in the Tampa Bay region between the governments of Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough Counties and the cities of St. Petersburg, Tampa, and New Port Richey began in the early 1970s when densely populated but water-poor Pinellas County started buying land and developing drinking-water wellfields in Pasco and Hillsborough Counties (Figure 4-1). Groundwater pumping in the Tampa Bay region increased 400 percent between 1960 and 1996, and currently over 20 billion gallons of water is exported from Pasco County to Pinellas County every year (Glennon 2002). Pasco and Hillsborough Counties were not happy with the southbound flow of the water. The impact of the wells on lakes and wetlands, including damage to local residents’ homes, prompted countless legal challenges, but courts and the legislature supported the claims of Pinellas County and the city of St. Petersburg. This chapter analyzes two attempts to create institutions to resolve the conflict, one that failed and the current one that holds some promise. We present the history in some detail to demonstrate the complexity of resolving conflicts, and then consider lessons for adaptive governance.

Gold Coast is not only all that glitters: understanding visitor and resident perceptions of the Gold Coast

Utilising the case study of the Gold Coast, Australia, this paper aims to discuss city identity and the role of branding in the formation of the city image and explore whether residents and tourists perceive identity of a city differently. The paper views place identity from the perspective of modern practices of place marketing and branding, rather than experiential self-identity. City identity forms the context from which planning policies, plans and decisions are made, making it a significant area of theory in the planning discipline. However, if the perception of this identity by outsiders is inaccurate, attracting investment and residents will be challenging. The inherent multifaceted nature of city or place identity further emphasises the need for those planning the multiplicity of communities, suburbs, cities, regions and states to understand the context of those who live within such places.