Tomorrow's Canberra : planning for growth and change

Abstract

Canberra is Australia's national capital and one of the few cities in the world planned from its inception. In many ways it is a model of what planning can accomplish: it has no urban blight, no slums, no chronic traffic congestion, and no air pollution. The population increase of about 8 per cent each year is being accommodated adequately; health, education, and welfare facilities are being provided to match population growth; and an attractive urban environment is being created economically. This is the most comprehensive and authoritative book written to date about Canberra. It explains how one city is coping with its growth and development. It outlines the planning philosophies and methods being used. Most importantly, it proposes a strategy by means of which Canberra can go on growing efficiently from a city of 130,000 people to one of 500,000 in the next few decades. Professional town planners will find particularly valuable the details of procedures used to plan and construct the city and the examples of what can be achieved by integrating varied skills. Businessmen and developers will use the projections and statistical information in this book; urban administrators will be interested in the recorded results of many studies. All readers will appreciate the splendid photographs, sketches, maps, and diagrams. Tomorrow's Canberra is an important book. It will be read by all who find interest in the uniquely rapid and varied growth and development of Australia's national capital.