Study of new town canberra, australia

STUDY OF NEW TOWN –
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA.

INTRODUCTION
 Australia is the world's smallest continent and the
world’s largest island.
 Canberra city was designed to be the Federal
Capital of Australia.
 The word "Canberra" is derived from the word
Kambera or Canberry and mean "meeting place" in
the old Ngunnawal language.
 It is located near the Brindabella Ranges,
approximately 150 kilometres inland from
Australia's east coast.

INTRODUCTION
ESTABLISHED 12 March 1913
POPULATION 3,58,222 as on 31 March 2011
DENSITY 428.6/km²
COORDINATES 35° 18′ 29″ S and 149° 07′ 28″ E
AREA 814.2 km²
LOCATION 286 km SW of Sydney(New South Wales)
669 km NE of Melbourne(Victoria)
1159 km E of Adelaide(South Australia)
1203 km SSW of Brisbane(Queensland)
3726 km ESE of Perth(West Australia)
MEAN Max TEMPERATURE 19.7° C or 67° F
MEAN Min TEMPERATURE 6.5° C or 44° F
ANNUAL RAINFALL 616.4 mm

HISTORY
 European exploration and settlement started in the
Canberra area as early as the 1820s. Before
European settlement, the area in which Canberra
would eventually be constructed was seasonally
inhabited by Indigenous Australians.
 Archaeological evidence of settlement in the region
includes inhabited rock shelters, rock paintings and
engravings, burial places, camps and quarry sites,
and stone tools and arrangements. The evidence
suggests human habitation in the area for at least
21,000 years.

HISTORY
 The European population in the Canberra area
continued to grow slowly throughout the 19th
century.
 The oldest surviving public building in the inner-city
is the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist, in the
suburb of Reid, which was consecrated in 1845. St
John's churchyard contains the earliest graves in
the district.
 As the European presence increased, the
indigenous population dwindled, mainly from
disease such as smallpox and measles.

SELECTION OF NEW CAPITAL
 There was a long dispute over whether Sydney or
Melbourne should be the national capital, later a
compromise was reached: the new capital would be
built in New South Wales, so long as it was at least
160 km from Sydney.
 As a result of survey work done by the government
during 1908-1909, Canberra District was selected
as a site for a new City of Australia due to its
prominent location and commanding position with
extensive views.
 In 1911, an International Competition (conducted by
the Department of Home Affairs) for the design of
its new city was launched.

 Walter Burley Griffin, a Chicago
landscape architect was the first
prize-winner of the International
Competition for the design of this
city.
 Griffin’s design approach was
greatly influenced by
topographical and landscape
considerations, which left for
further development of the
Capital City today. However, it
was also criticized as
extravagant.

TOPOGRAPHY OF
CANBERRA CITY
DISTRICT

ORIGINAL PLANNING CONCEPT
 Griffin’s design of Canberra was influenced by two
popular movements.
 ―City Beautiful‖—an idea used in Chicago City Plan
by Daniel Burnham involving planning and
landscaping, main buildings around formal water
basins.
 ―English Garden City‖ by Ebenezer Howard which
used parks to screen residential areas by major
highways and used street patterns to change
directions so as to discourage through traffic from
using residential roads as shortcuts.

ORIGINAL PLANNING CONCEPT
 In comparison with the Central Washington Plan
designed by McMillan in 1901, Griffin’s Geometrical
Concept is much the same.
 With this regard, it is evident that government
buildings were located around an artificial lake—
named Lake Burley Griffin—and reflecting the
identity of Canberra as a National Capital and
residential buildings adjacent to North Bourne
Avenue and Federal Highway were built and
separated by residential streets.

CANBERRA, BASED ON GRIFFIN’S PLAN, 1912.

Study of new town canberra, australia

GRIFFIN’S ILLUSTRATION OF HIS CITY
PLAN

LAND AND WATER AXES
 Walter Burley Griffin defined two bisecting axes -
land and water - that determine the central part of
the design of Canberra.
 The land axis begins at Mount Ainslie, the mountain
with the domed building (the Australian War
Memorial) at the base, continues across the water
axis defined by Lake Burley Griffin, through
Parliament House, the large building in the
foreground with the tripod flagpole, and terminates
some distance outside the city at Bimberi Peak in
the Brindabella Range (not visible from Canberra).

THE JOURNEY BEGAN
 On 12 March 1913 the foundation stone was laid on
the Capital Hill and the City was formally named
Canberra.
 In mid-1913, due to a change of government, Griffin
was invited to Australia to help the Board with the
development of the City.
 The new Ministry appointed Griffin as a Federal
Director of Design and Construction.
 World War I, changes of government and lack of
money slowed progress of the city but several major
works were undertaken.

 In 1914 the railway was extended from
Queanbeyan to the south-east comer of Canberra,
a power station was built at Kingston, brick-works
were opened at Yarralumla and in 1915 Cotter Dam
was completed.
 Griffin was frustrated by repeated efforts to change
his city plan and his relationship with the Australian
authorities was strained. He was fired in 1920, with
little work done due to lack of funding.

 From 1920 to 1957, three bodies, successively the
Federal Capital Advisory Committee, the Federal
Capital Commission and the National Capital Planning
and Development Committee(NCDC) continued to plan
the further expansion of Canberra in the absence of
Griffin.
 Between 1921-1930, under the guidance of the
Federal Capital Advisory Committee construction
progressed slowly. Road and sewerage layouts
continued, tree planting was carried out, Parliament
House constructed. Shops were built at Civic, Manuka
and Kingston; offices, hostels and houses completed
for 1100 public servants.

 The federal legislature moved to Canberra in 1927,
with the opening of the Provisional Parliament House.
The Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, had officially taken
up residence in The Lodge a few days earlier.

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE WITH THE PRESENT
PARLIAMENT HOUSE BEHIND IT.

 Meanwhile, in 1936 Walter Burley Griffin died.
 The years of the Depression, World War II and
post-war shortages caused a lengthy period of
stagnation in development, and only a small
number of national projects were brought to fruition,
including the Australian War Memorial (1941) and
the Australian-American Memorial (1954). Some
projects planned for that time, including Roman
Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, were never
completed.

AUSTRALIAN- AMERICAN WAR MEMORIAL

 Immediately after the end of the war, Canberra was
criticised for resembling a village, and its disorganised
collection of buildings was deemed ugly.
 Griffin originally designed the city for a population of
75,000 people. The population grew by more than 50%
in every five-year period from 1955 to 1975. Several
Government departments, together with public
servants, were moved to Canberra from Melbourne
following the war. Government housing projects were
undertaken to accommodate the city's growing
population.
 Prime Minister Robert Menzies regarded the state of
the national capital as an embarrassment. Over time his
attitude changed towards championing its development.
He fired two ministers charged with the development of
the city for poor performance.

CITY HILL SURROUNDED BY CAR PARKS, ARTERIAL
ROADS AND EMERGING CIVIC CENTRE, 1960S

 The Federal Government under Robert Menzies
established the National Capital Development
Commission (NCDC) in 1957 to create a capital city of
which all Australians would be proud.
 The Commission had a four-fold task:

 to complete the establishment of Canberra as seat
of government
 to develop it fully as the administrative centre
 to create the buildings, avenues, lakes, parks and
other features appropriate to Australia's national
capital
 to design living areas with high standard of
amenities and attractive surroundings.

 NCDC was responsible for a number of major projects.
 Russell Offices for the Department of Defence were
built flanking the Australian American Memorial at the
end of Kings Avenue.
 Kings Avenue Bridge (1962) and Commonwealth
Avenue Bridge (1963) provided dignified crossings
which allowed Lake Burley Griffin to be formed in 1963.
 Anzac Parade was developed in 1965 to commemorate
the jubilee of the Gallipoli campaign, the Royal
Australian Mint ( 1965), the National Library ( 1968), the
National Botanic Gardens, the Carillon and Captain
Cook Memorial Jet (1970).
 Between 1961 and 1965 new office blocks, retail stores,
banks, theatres and law courts filled in most of the
empty areas around Civic Centre.

 Canberra was growing so rapidly because of the
transfer of Public Service departments in the 1960s
that new residential areas had to be developed.
 either by increasing the density of the existing city
- areas and allowing a sprawl of suburbs to take
place as in other Australian cities; or
 by planning new towns (satellite cities) adjacent to
North and South Canberra.

NEW (SATELLITE) TOWNS
 In 1962, the first new town, Woden was begun 12 km
south of Civic Centre and an adjoining valley, Weston
Creek was later added to accommodate more than 60,000
people.
 Woden-Weston Creek today has its own town centre, a
major employment area with around 8,000 people
currently engaged in government administration, retail and
service trades activities.
 In 1973, Tuggeranong, the third new town, was
commenced south of Woden-Weston Creek in a series of
valleys, ridges and hills intersected by the Murrumbidgee
River.
 Rugged mountain ranges often snow-capped in winter,
provide a dramatic backdrop to Tuggeranong, which will
eventually have a population of around 1,00,000.

AN EXAMPLE OF CANBERRA’S NEIGHBOURHOOD OPEN
SPACES, WODEN TOWN CENTRE IN DISTANCE

NEW (SATELLITE) TOWNS
 In 1975, Gungahlin, the fourth new town, north of
Canberra City, was begun. So far only the Mitchell
Industrial Estate has been developed, but eventually
Gungahlin's population could grow to 85,000.
 The four satellites are being built with many of the
characteristics of independent cities with their own
commercial employment and retail centres, each having
the potential to develop its individual character.
 All are linked by a comprehensive transportation system
including roads, cycle-ways and an inter-town public
transport network and each accommodates some of the
national capital functions of Canberra.

TODAY’S CANBERRA
 As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is
the site of Parliament House, the High Court and
numerous government departments and agencies.
 It is also the location of many social and cultural
institutions of national significance, such as the Australian
War Memorial, Australian National University, Australian
Institute of Sport, National Gallery, National Museum, the
High Court, Parliament House, the Museum of Australian
Democracy at Old Parliament House, the Aboriginal Tent
Embassy, and the National Library of Australia.
 The Australian Army's officer corps are trained at the
Royal Military College, Duntroon and the Australian
Defence Force Academy is also located in the capital.

TODAY’S CANBERRA
 As the city has a high proportion of public servants,
the federal government contributes the largest
percentage of Gross State Product and is the
largest single employer in Canberra.
 As the seat of government, the unemployment rate
is lower and the average income higher than the
national average, while property prices are
relatively high, in part due to comparatively
restricted development regulations.
 Tertiary education levels are higher, while the
population is younger.

GRIFFIN’S (PARLIAMENTARY) TRIANGLE

PLANNING PHILOSOPHY IN CANBERRA

 The planning philosophy in Canberra is that should be
directed towards the users’ convenience.
 All development must be aimed to satisfy their desires and
to ensure that business could operate economically.
 Residents could travel without facing chronic traffic
congestion, people from Canberra region and other cities
could move in and out without transport frustration.
 City structures must be flexible to adapt to new social and
technological change, possible more outdoor leisure
pursuits, new methods of transports and it could be a
structure that could be transformed easily into a practical
program for development.

LANDUSE PLANNING IN CANBERRA
 The concept is to disperse land use for residential settlement
purposes in distinct towns, linked by a system of peripheral
parkways and decentralise population growth from the central
cities.
 Dispersal planning provides no traffic congestion in one area and
promoting local business and employment opportunities for
people in the areas, upon which economic growth is based.
 This refers to a situation where people in a community can
reduce journey to work times and achieve other transport and
economic benefits.
 Space requirements for residential development, recreational
facilities become a major factor for planning bodies to consider.
 Building new homes on hills or slopes is more problematic than
those on flat sites; it needs to take into account the gradient for
sewer and sewerage systems and driveway; and of course, the
cost of the buildings are almost twice as much as normal ones.

TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IN CANBERRA

 Major roads follow a wheel-and-spoke pattern
rather than a grid.
 Griffin's proposal had an abundance of geometric
patterns, including concentric hexagonal and
octagonal streets emanating from several radii.
 However, the outer areas of the city, built later, are
not laid out geometrically. On the basis of the linear
development of Canberra, major highways and
route networks were constructed to link new town
centres and dispersed residential areas together.

THE LEGACY OF MODERNIST PLANNING –
FREEWAYS IN A GARDEN LANDSCAPE

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
 The development of Canberra is ongoing.
 Major new works under construction in recent years
include the Gungahlin Town Centre, City West
Precinct and the Kingston Foreshores
Development.
 On 5 March 2004, the Canberra Spatial Plan for the
city's future development was released. As of 2005
plans were under development for a new Canberra
district to be situated west of Lake Burley Griffin, on
land formerly occupied by a pine plantation.

 On a controversial note, dispersal planning is
criticized for excessive car use and car dependence
which will impact on environment and concentration
of pollutants will significantly increase.
 More compact cities with viable and the better
utilized public transport systems were better in
terms of air pollution than Canberra is now seen.
 The dispersal planning development in Canberra,
land use and transportation planning have
contributed a great deal of problems to the city’s
environment as the city becomes car-dependent.

 The dispersal of a residential community would lose
social contact between other community in a way
that the people live far away from each other and it
would be uneconomical for them to travel long
distance.
 From a landscape viewpoint, Canberra deserves
the name of ―Garden City‖ because this well
planned city has its settings with the integration of
natural landscape, hill backdrops and water basins
and used topographical elements to form its
structure.

Study of new town canberra, australia

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Study of new town canberra, australia (20)

Study of new town canberra, australia