Contemporary Planning Principles by Roberts Day - Mackay ...

Reinstating the Art of Town Founding 

Stephen Moore 

Mackay City Council June 2011

‘……if everyone needs a place to live – and 

developers provide the neighbourhoods h and 

houses that meet this need, why don’t people 

love us…..and can they help us find a way of 

‘making Australia love urban 

developers…….?’

Ipswich Queensland

Ipswich Queensland

‘…..As long as zoning codes favour low-density development over the creation of 

compact communities, developers will not be able to shake their reputation….’ 

‘……essentially, the demonisation of the developer arises from the relationship in 

people’s minds between nature and culture. Any new construction on undeveloped land 

replaces nature, typically farmland or forest, and few could claim this is not a 

loss...However, if what replaces nature is a town or a 

village a place of culture – then perhaps that transaction could be considered a fair 

trade…the public knows that these single – use pods are not places of culture, and 

that t trading nature for sprawl was not a fair transaction 

ti 

and they know that it was the real estate developer that brought them the lousy deal…..’ 

Andrés Duany

‘…..but the hapless developer deserves only part of the blame, for the deck was already 

stacked against healthy growth by municipal regulations and engineering conventions. 

Perhaps even more culpable…..are those surprisingly powerful advisors to the 

development industry, the marketing experts, who have been unrelentingly spreading the 

same message… build sprawl or lose your shirt. 

Specifically: do not mix uses; do not mix incomes; build walls and security gates; put 

garages up front; and assume that nobody will walk…..’ 

Andrés Duany

‘Town founding requires a high tolerance for complexity. One 

cannot be a specialist and town founder at the same time. 

One cannot be just a shopping centre developer, or even just 

a developer. The founder has to get involved in civics, in 

politics, in the arts-in a whole series of things which will help 

make the town function better and be more vibrant.…’ 

Rf Th d i DA 2010 Th L f T & Citi (A Vi l Di ti ) 

Reference: Thadani, D.A., 2010, The Language of Towns & Cities (A Visual Dictionary), 

Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York, USA.

‘According to Joseph Rykwert in ‘The Idea of a town’, town 

founders in ancient Greece were considered heroes, just as 

warriors were, and often given the honour of being buried in 

the centre of towns…’ 

Rf Th d i DA 2010 Th L f T & Citi (A Vi l Di ti ) 

Reference: Thadani, D.A., 2010, The Language of Towns & Cities (A Visual Dictionary), 

Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York, USA.

Town Founders

James Olglethorpe Town Founder

James Olglethorpe Town Founder

James Olglethorpe Town Founder + Vision Keeper 

Savannah 1734 - one year after the settlement was founded.

George Merrick… US Town Founder 

CORAL GABLES, MIAMI

Mary Emery… US Town Founder 

MARIEMONT, CINCINATI

Robert and Daryl Davis… US Contemporary Town Founders 

SEASIDE, FLORIDA 

Seaside


SEASIDE, FLORIDA


SEASIDE, FLORIDA


SEASIDE, FLORIDA


SEASIDE, FLORIDA


SEASIDE, FLORIDA


SEASIDE, FLORIDA


SEASIDE, FLORIDA


SEASIDE, FLORIDA 

………the neighbourood is the only vessel that 

we have found in our travels around the world 

that allows you to build community…. 

understanding what the neighbourhood unit is 

and how it functions is the most effective method 

of planning any meaningful place of human 

habitation, at any scale.

13 point check list of Timeless Neighbourhood Design

Principles of Timeless Neighbourhood Design 

The neighbourhood has 

a discernible centre and 

well defined d edges


Daily needs 

within walking 

distance


Mix of retail commercial 

Mix of retail, commercial 

and residential


A t k f 

A network of 

interconnected streets


Signature sites for 

public buildings 

and places


Alt ti f f 

Alternative forms of 

transport to the car….. 

walking, cycling, transit


R d d d f l 

Reduced need for larger 

back yards


Inviting walkways and 

Inviting walkways and 

destinations


Quality spaces and 

Quality spaces and 

streetscapes


Mix of housing 

Mix of housing 

types and quality

Australian Contemporary Town Founders 

Tony 

Carey 

Darwin 

King 

Danny 

Murphy 

Fiona 

Roche 

Peter 

Tapiolas 

David 

Wee 

Greg 

Wyte

Danny Murphy… Contemporary Town Founder 

ELLENBROOK, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Danny Murphy… Contemporary Town Founder 


Danny Murphy… Town Founder 


Tony Carey… Contemporary Town Founder 

GOOGONG, NEW SOUTH WALES







Fiona Roche… Contemporary Town Founder 

JINDEE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Fiona Roche… Contemporary Town Founder 

JINDEE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Peter Tapiolas… Contemporary Town Founder 

GREATER ASCOT, QUEENSLAND

Paradise Point, Queensland 

October 2010 

robertsday

REINSTATING THE ART OF TOWN FOUNDING 

Savannah 1734 - one year after the settlement was founded.

Andrew Horabin 

MARKETING TO GENERATION X 

“If you do not view your job as a sacred privilege to make the world a 

better place for future generations, please quit. Then find a new job 

where you are less capable of doing irreversible damage or better still, 

retire. 

Go and live in one of those retirement villages you built … 

………..Your work is to build community. No one “just designs houses” 

or “just plans towns” or “just wipes tables” for that t matter. 

Everyone has a sacred responsibility to contribute to building the best 

possible world for future generations. But, in the urban development 

industry it is especially essential that you take it seriously because the 

physical design of our environments is so powerful in developing or 

hindering community. 

You can make a huge difference to the future of this country and – 

indeed, by being a World leader – to the future of the World. 

”

Contemporary Planning Principles by Roberts Day - Mackay ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?