John Minnery

Stars and their Supporting Cast: State, Market and Community as Actors in Urban Governance

In the search for better ways to govern cities there has been a shift from an emphasis on the role of ‘urban government’ to an emphasis on ‘urban governance’. Governance is now widely understood as incorporating the role of the state in policy making and implementation but extending beyond that single actor to include the roles of the private sector (market) and community (civil society). The relationships amongst the three are both complex and changing. This article proposes a conceptual framework that structures our understanding of how the actors in urban governance interact, based on relationships where one of the actors has far greater influence than the other two, in other words where one is the ‘star’ or central actor. The framework then addresses the question of the roles of the ‘supporting cast’, or the other two actors. The ‘governance orthodoxy’ is that relationships are collaborative and consensual, expressed through ideas about ‘partnerships’ and ‘networks’. The framework, however, draws attention to the possibility of conflict. The article explores some of the implications for urban governance theory and practice of these complex relationships.

Bounding Neighbourhoods: How Do Residents Do It?

Abstract The ‘neighbourhood’ holds an iconic position in planning, yet there has been longstanding empirical criticism and debates about both the use and intellectual underpinnings of the concept. Despite this, it continues to provide a focus for local area planning, local policy interventions and urban design approaches, including in new urbanism. Neighbourhoods may be given physical dimensions so the boundaries that distinguish what is within and what is outside each neighbourhood can be defined. This paper asks what we can learn about such localities through a better understanding of how residents themselves actually identify these boundaries. It derives a series of questions that are addressed through analysis of resident perceptions of neighbourhood boundaries in an inner-city fringe suburb in Brisbane, Australia. The research confirmed many previous concerns about defining neighbourhood boundaries and that many residents were uncertain of the physical boundaries of their neighbourhoods.

Planning the Outward Growth of Australian Capital Cities: Brisbane

The South East Queensland (SEQ) region recently has experienced the highest growth rates of any urban fringe region in Australia. The belated appreciation of the significance of this rapid growth and of the implications for public policy and public finance by government have led to what may become a major shift in coordinated metropolitan planning in Queensland. The potential for a significant shift in policy is enormous, but the actual impact is as yet uncertain.

Beyond the beach : Balancing environmental and socio-cultural sustainability in Boracay, the Philippines

Abstract Though considered the ‘number one beach’ of the Philippines, Boracay has been through periods where it has been considered as an example of environmentally and socially unsustainable development. In response there have been a number of programmes since the late 1990s aiming to improve Boracays sustainability. In these, significant attention has been given to the aesthetic landscape of tourisms consumption, most especially ‘the beach’ and associated water quality. This paper further examines the dynamic growth of coastal tourism development and sustainability practices in Boracay, inclusive of broader socio-economic and cultural change and impact. The intent is to highlight those aspects of contemporary resort growth that need greater attention by policy makers and planners. While a number of interventions have led to improvement of the ‘visual’ environment, the concept of environmental sustainability needs to be expanded beyond visual cleanliness and more effort is still required on social and cultural sustainability.

Understanding daily life of older people in a residential complex: the contribution of Lefebvre's social space

This article contributes to the theoretical and applied understanding of daily life and the meaning of home for older people living in purpose-built, age-segregated complexes. Whilst gerontology has embraced spatial perspectives, it often fails to capture their diverse and changing nature. This article considers findings from a larger qualitative study that explored the geography of residential complexes in Brisbane, Australia, through the lens of Henri Lefebvres theory of social space. Data relating to Lefebvres concepts of spatial practice and spaces of representation clearly capture the routines, activities, attachments and imaginations that help or hinder older people connecting to their living environment. Talking with older people gave a rich account of how they use, think about and produce space and highlighted the tensions in providing this form of specialised housing. As well as providing theoretical insights, a nuanced understanding of social space informs policy and public discussion of older peoples living environments.

Scale and Public Participation: Issues in Metropolitan Regional Planning

Abstract Public participation is as important at the metropolitan regional scale as it is at the neighborhood scale, yet most of the approaches to participation are grounded in experience or theory appropriate to the smaller scale. At the metropolitan regional scale, three issues—the magnitude of the spatial extent and population; inequalities of power; and the resources needed—demand that approaches to metropolitan regional participation are given special consideration. This paper explores these three issues through two case studies: one in South East Queensland and the other in Metro Vancouver. The examples help identify the difficulties of metropolitan regional public participation and draw attention to issues about effectiveness and capacity that dog debates about participation and democracy.

The Evolution of a Masterplan: Brisbane's South Bank, 1991–2012

South Bank is now a well-established part of Brisbanes lifestyle and entertainment scene. From the preparation of Expo 88 as part of Australias bicentennial celebrations to the redevelopment of the site post-Expo, South Bank has been intensely masterplanned. This qualitative research is a longitudinal study of the evolution of the South Bank masterplan described by tracking the masterplanning responses to crises. The evolution of South Bank masterplanning is related through its leaders who participated in a semi-structured telephone interview. The interviews and archival masterplans chronologically illustrated the responses to crises and effects of masterplanning for certainty and uncertainty.

Caravan Parks as Social Housing: The Tensions between Public Goals and Private Interests in Brisbane, Australia

Abstract Planning both facilitates the activities of the market and addresses areas of market failure. It can also remain aloof from intervention in either direction. There are potential tensions inherent in these various roles and their expectations, which are exacerbated by the fact that many planning policies rely on the market for their actual implementation. The provision of housing, especially low-cost housing, is a case in point. This paper reports on research in Brisbane, Australia that explored the role of privately-owned caravan parks as providers of low-cost housing. Their vulnerability to redevelopment pressures, partly through market forces and partly as a consequence of public policies, is used to explore the tensions that can arise in urban governance between public goals and private interests.

The place of public space in the lives of Middle Eastern women migrants in Australia

ABSTRACT For Middle Eastern migrants to Australia, the process of acculturation is compounded by Islamophobia, which is on the rise, with many incidents occurring in public spaces and targeting women. Through in-depth interviews, this paper examines how women migrants from the Middle East, especially Muslim ones, are affected. The study finds that Middle Eastern women migrants have a different perspective on public space compared to local populations, and this difference stems from their cultural, political and religious backgrounds. These findings can help cities create inclusive and culturally-sensitive public spaces, which catalyze a ‘sense of belonging’ and ‘sense of place’ among migrants.

Bushfires and land use planning in peri-urban South East Queensland

Bushfires pose a significant threat to Australias peri-urban development. They are likely to intensify in the coming decades, reflecting drier conditions and reduced rainfall. Continued development and expansion at the city fringes has implications for the level of risk to property and life although it is now widely accepted that land use planning can help mitigate the risks of bushfires. This paper examines the extent to which bushfire planning legislation and regulations in South East Queensland provide for the reduction of risk for development in bushfire-prone peri-urban areas by exploring their ‘on the ground’ implementation. The paper uses case studies from the Gold Coast City Council, Ipswich City Council and Sunshine Coast Regional Council. It explores the ways that Queenslands State Planning Policy (SPP)1/03 (Mitigating the Adverse Impacts of Flood, Bushfire and Landslide), which was in effect from 2003 until 2013, was incorporated into development assessment decision-making. The investigation is based on development assessment data and semi-structured interviews. SPP1/03 was found to provide for the incorporation of key bushfire planning elements into development assessment intentions, reducing the risk posed by bushfires, although significant differences were apparent amongst the local authorities studied and a number of implementation problems were identified.