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ABSTRACT
In the 1960–70s, there was a proposal to expand the administrative border of Canberra into the neighbouring state New South Wales to accommodate long-term population growth and urban development. However, this attempt failed ultimately. This study investigates this ‘remaking’ of the border, and revisits the same issue in the planning and development context of the twenty-first century. It employs three conceptual constructs – ‘bordering’, ‘debording’, and ‘rebordering’ – to draw insights into the nexus between the border’s (re)making, dominant planning thinking, and emerging development process. It uses a mix of primary and secondary sources of data and information collected from the National Archives of Australia, newspaper clippings of The Canberra Times, interviews with planners involved, Australian Census data, and planning literature. It finds that the border expansion proposal was driven by a political advocacy out of a modernist technocratic planning vision for a linear city, and was based on an over-optimistic and mechanical population projection. However, as a highly political initiative, its failure was doomed by political strains and changes, and local community’s concerns. Knowing this history contributes to tackling a similar issue in today’s paradox of a planning paradigm for compactness and sustainability and an emerging development expansion onto the border.
Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges the following contributions to this article: Emma Butcher and Shaun Allen provided research assistance, and Coco Liu assisted with figures. The author is also grateful to the four interviewees who shared their invaluable experiences and knowledge. Two anonymous reviewers provided invaluable comments. The author is responsible for any error.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Correction Statement
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
Notes
1 van Houtum, “The Mask of the Border,” 51.
2 ACT Government, ACT Population Projections.
3 ABS, 2016 Census QuickStats.
4 See Brambilla, “Exploring the Critical Potential of the Borderscapes Concept”; Jacbos, “Spatial Planning in Cross-border Regions”; Neuman, “Rethinking Borders”; Newman, “Contemporary Research Agendas in Border Studies”; Passi, “A Border Theory.”
5 Steele and others, Planning across Borders in a Climate of Change; Wastl-Walter, The Ashgate Research Companion on Border Studies.
6 Newman, “Contemporary Research Agendas in Border Studies.”
7 Steele, Alizadeh, and Eslami-Andargoli, “Planning Across Borders.”
8 Sassen, “When Territory Deborders Territoriality.”
9 Durand, “Challenges of Cross-border Spatial Planning in the Metropolitan Regions of Luxembourg and Iille”; Fricke, “Spatial Governance Across Borders Revisited.”
10 Zimmerbauer, “Constructing Peripheral Cross-border Regions in Planning.”
11 Hall, “Seven Types of Capital City.”
12 Birtles, Charles Robert Scrivener.
13 ACT Government, Border Survey History.
14 Allen, How Were the ACT’s Boundaries Determined?
15 Higgins, Surveyors at the Snowline.
16 NCA, Sir Robert Menzies and Canberra.
17 Sparke, Canberra.
18 ABS, Australian Historical Population Statistics.
19 Sparke, Canberra.
20 NCA, Sir Robert Menzies and Canberra.
21 Sparke, Canberra.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid., 103.
24 ABS, Australian Historical Population Statistics.
25 Morison, “Whatever Became of Canberra’s Y-Plan?”
26 The actual population figure was 93,000 in 1965 according to record, see ABS, Australian Historical Population Statistics.
27 Holford, A Review by Lord Holford on the Growth of Canberra.
28 Vernon, “Canberra.”
29 Freestone, Urban Nation; “Shaping ‘the Finest City Region in the World’.”
30 Overall, Canberra; Morison, “The Corridor City.”
31 Reid, Canberra Following Griffin.
32 Morison, “The Corridor City.”
33 Ibid.
34 Cited in Sparke, Canberra, 154.
35 NCDC, Tomorrow’s Canberra!, 224.
36 Ling, Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory.
37 NCDC, ACT Growth.
38 Ibid.
39 Sparke, Canberra.
40 NCDC, ACT Growth; “Planning for Canberra’s Future Growth and Development.”
41 NCDC, “Planning for Canberra’s Future Growth and Development.”
42 NCDC, ACT Growth.
43 ACT Government, Submission to the Select Committee on Regional Development.
44 The Canberra Times, “High Prices for Freehold Land.”
45 Overall, Canberra.
46 The Canberra Times, “High Prices for Freehold Land.”
47 Sparke, Canberra.
48 NAA: A5908, 415.
49 NCDC, ACT Growth; “Planning for Canberra’s Future Growth and Development.”
50 Sparke, Canberra.
51 NCDC, ACT Growth.
52 Ibid.
53 The Canberra Times, “Regional Authority Proposed for ACT-Young”; “Towns Differ on Absorption by ACT.”
54 The Canberra Times, “City Surrounded by Slums.”
55 Harrison, “Long-Term Planning for Canberra.”
56 Harrison, “An Approach to Planning a City on the Increase.”
57 The Canberra Times, “NSW Land May Be Needed for Planning.”
58 NAA: A5908, 108.
59 Ibid.
60 NAA: A5908, 108, 415, 645.
61 NAA: A5908, 645.
62 NAA: A5915, 179.
63 Sparke, Canberra, 234.
64 Lloyd and Troy, Innovation and Reaction.
65 Hu, “National Cities Agenda in Perspective: Rhetoric or Substance?”
66 NAA: A5915, 179.
67 NAA: A5915, 707.
68 Ibid.
69 Albury-Wodonga: twin cities geographically divided by the Murray River with Albury located on the north side in NSW and Wodonga on the south bank in Victoria.
70 NCDC, The Future Canberra.
71 Sparke, Canberra, 235.
72 Sparke, Canberra.
73 The Canberra Times, “NSW Halts Small Lot Sub-division on Border”; Wright, “Letters on Extension of ACT Borders”; “A 50pc Bigger ACT Proposed.”
74 The Canberra Times, “Many NSW Residents Oppose Extensions.”
75 The Canberra Times, “Towns Differ on Absorption by ACT.”
76 The Canberra Times, “Shires Help to Protect ACT Approaches.”
77 The Canberra Times, “Shires Will Discuss Overflow from ACT”; “Talks on ACT Border Lands.”
78 Brammall, “Talks Sought on Land Use.”
79 Davidson, “Shires Will Do Own Planning on ACT Spill.”
80 Cook, Extension Planning.
81 Ibid.
82 Brammall, “Talks Sought on Land Use.”
83 Ling, Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory.
84 The Canberra Times, “Towns Differ on Absorption by ACT.”
85 Ibid.
86 Sparke, Canberra, 239.
87 Parliament of NSW, Report of Committee of Inquiry into Expansion of the National Capital into New South Wales.
88 The Canberra Times, “NSW Inquiry into Expansion of ACT.”
89 Ling, Government Records about the Australian Capital Territory.
90 Sparke, Canberra.
91 Cook, Extension Planning.
92 NCDC, “Planning for Canberra’s Future Growth and Development.”
93 Parliament of NSW, Report of Committee of Inquiry into Expansion of the National Capital into New South Wales.
94 The Canberra Times, “Defending the Borders.”
95 Parliament of NSW, Report of Committee of Inquiry into Expansion of the National Capital into New South Wales, 12.
96 Sparke, Canberra.
97 Wright, “No Change to ACT Borders.”
98 Department of Capital Territory, DCT Annual Report 1975-76.
99 Ibid., 10.
100 The Canberra Times, “NSW Halts Small Lot Sub-division on Border.”
101 Cook, Extension Planning.
102 The Canberra Times, “Many NSW Residents Oppose Extensions.”
103 Hodgkinson, “Informal Talks,” 3.
104 The Canberra Times, “Talks on Problems and Implications.”
105 ACT Border Land Holders’ Association, Submission to Committee of Enquiry into Expansion of ACT.
106 Fischer and Weirick, “Canberra.”
107 Overall, Canberra.
108 Price, “Looking Back at the Advent of ACT Self-government.”
109 NCA had a very short-term predecessor National Capital Planning Authority (NCPA) after 1989.
110 NCDC, ACT Growth.
111 Fischer, “Canberra.”
112 NCDC, “Planning for Canberra’s Future Growth and Development.”
113 Fischer, Canberra.
114 Fischer, “Canberra’s Centenary.”
115 ACT Government, Canberra Spatial Plan.
116 ACT Government, ACT Planning Strategy.
117 ACT Government, ACT Planning Strategy 2018.
118 Morison, “The Corridor City.”
119 Morison, “Beyond the City-State.”
120 NCA, The Future of the Capital; Norman and Steffen, “The National Capital’s Place in the Region.”
121 Norman and Steffen, “The National Capital’s Place in the Region.”
122 ACT Government, Submission to the Select Committee on Regional Development.
123 See Hu, “Canberra’s Competitiveness in the National Context”; “Spatial Disruption and Planning Implication of the Sharing Economy”; “Sustainability and Competitiveness in Australian Cities”; Pratchett and others, The Knowledge City Index.
124 Hobbs, “NCPA Expects Frank Exchanges with Those Who Made Submissions.”
125 Henderson, “690,000 Living in Canberra, QBN, within 40 Years.”
126 Ibid., 3.
127 Ginninderry, Projects Timings.
128 O’Mallon, “New Cross-border Development Residents May Have to Pay ACT-level Rates.”
129 Ginninderry, Ginninderry Staging Plan.
130 Ibid.
131 Esguerra, “Time to Shift the ACT Border and Re-open Ginninderra Falls.”
132 ABS, 2016 Census QuickStats.
133 Morison, “Beyond the City-State.”
134 Lawson, “NSW Authorities Reject Yass’s Border Buffer Zone but Council to Dig in.”
135 Neuman, “Rethinking Borders.”
Additional information
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Richard Hu
Richard Hu is a professor at Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra. His teaching and research interests include urban studies and policy, urban design, and Asian sustainable planning and development. His latest book is Global Shanghai Remade: The Rise of Pudong New Area (2019).