Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What is not so evident in these documents is that an economic agenda has already
shaped the aims and goals. Placing economic, environmental and social sustainability in
the same sentence does not mean that they have equal weight. Public space may
already have been compromised by agreements between government, developers and
private corporations such as supermarket chains, shopping centres, retail and large
entertainment consortia. The likelihood of small businesses and milk bars that could in
any form compete with the large retail bodies may have already been decided by similar
agreements between the developer and the companies that will profit from those new
estates. Likewise, the size and management of large green areas may by now be
destined to support the economic interests of those setting the programme rather than
the need of the public, their health and that of the environment.
Often, large developments happen in the periphery of the city, areas in which access to
public transport is limited or non-existent. It is not unusual to find that the need for
public transport systems may have been discussed only at a superficial level and that
the proposal will not include strategies to ensure its viability.
-1-
those continents1. Transport options for people in cities of similar population to that of
Melbourne are many and include: buses, mini-buses, metro (underground) and taxis,
many cities also have trams.
If transport options are limited to cars in the outer suburbs, the remainder of the
agenda for planning and development is set, cars dominate streets, garages dominate
architecture, and traffic management designs street scaping. The types of services and
amenities are predicated on two car families and a shopping mall becomes the cultural
and economic heart.
When the interests of the public or the future dwellers are weighed against those of the
retails and businesses, a short look at our suburbs makes it clear who the winners are.
The demise of the corner milk bar provides a good illustration of the forces at play. The
milk bar is not only convenient, it brings many other benefits to the neighbourhood. It
assists in social interactions, it enhances the life of the street and the setting provides
passive surveillance. If these do not seem much, the results are greater, kids can walk
and meet, the streets are better used as a result, giving parents the confidence to send
the kids out by themselves. So adults don’t have to drive to the supermarket for bread,
milk and the newspaper, this way reducing the number of short car trips, which account
for about 25% of all car trips in Melbourne.2 With fewer cars on the streets, they
become safer and inviting for children and everyone to walk and ride. Milk bars and
other small business give people the choices politicians are keen to use in their
discourses, and these can indeed provide for economic sustainability, that of the
community. However, in recent major residential developments in Melbourne’s fringes,
supermarket chains have reached an understanding with the developers that no small
businesses such as milk bars would be supported within the estate.3 Couple this with a
petrol voucher discount system for shopping at the supermarket and you get the
picture. Supermarket chains are now physically located in petrol stations. What are the
chances of an integrated transport system in these conditions without a strong political
will, backed by legislative clout?
In the last weeks we have had in Melbourne some very interesting and long due debates
on the issue of transport, one newspaper article even debated the possibility of making
public transport free of charge.4 This article, together with James Button’s article
“Warning as coal front approaches”5 which discusses the launch of Tim Flannery’s book
“The Weather Makers” and his recent lecture in Melbourne, provide a good picture on
the current underdeveloped public transport system in Victoria and on our foolish
avoidance of serious measures towards environmental sustainability. Tim Flannery’s
-2-
words about Australia’s general awareness are "Australia is disconnected from much of
the world on climate change. (…) Australia, on the other hand, has "done an immoral
thing" by selling coal to the world but taking no responsibility for reducing the worst
effects of coal-burning by signing the Kyoto Protocol".
While Flannery expresses optimism about the seriousness with which governments and
citizens in many European countries are addressing global warning, he is not at all
optimistic about the Australian approach, as he reads how the “Opposition Leader Kim
Beazley had followed Prime Minister John Howard in announcing that energy from coal
was Australia's future”.6
Somehow, Flannery has only confirmed what most of us knew. The extent of our political
leaders reckless approach is of course better assessed by the fresh eyes of an educated
guest, who can compare the efforts across the globe. However, public transport may
provide the first break through an important issue, which can lead to a more serious
debate about global warming in general and hopefully also some concrete strategies and
policies.
Beatriz C. Maturana is the founder of Architects for Peace, an architect with a Masters
of Urban Design from the University of Melbourne where she is currently a PhD
candidate.
Published:
Maturana, Beatriz C. "Environmental Development and Sustainable Society." Planning
News 32, no. 3 (April 2006): 20.
-3-
1
For more on the Metro system in Santiago, Chile and links to other cities with Metros, refer to Architects for Peace topic:
Metro Arts and Architecture: why doesn't Australia have one? http://www.butterpaper.com/talk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?
2
Grant, John. “Transport planners out of step on walking”. The Age, February 1, 2006.
[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/01/31/1138590499508.html?page=1]
3
Note that while I know about these types of arrangements from my work experience in the field, I have not seen the
actual agreements, as these are not accessible to all employees or the public. Awareness of the legal implications resulting
from disclosing this information makes me wary and may be preventing others from discussing this important issue.
4
Refer to arch-peace news heading: “Just what our ailing public transport needs”, The Age, Editorial, March 5, 2006
[http://www.theage.com.au/news/editorial/just-what-our-ailing-public-transport-needs/2006/03/04/1141191883530.html]
5
Button, James. “Warning as coal front approaches”. Find the original article: The Age, March 11, 2006.
[http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/warning-as-coal-front-approaches/2006/03/10/1141701696109.html]
6
B. James. “Warning as coal front approaches”. The Age, March 11, 2006.