Neo-liberal or Third Way? What Planners from Glasgow, Melbourne and Toronto Say

Abstract

This article focuses on the work and views of planners. Taking a neo-liberal position and in the context of inter-city competition, one might expect the current metropolitan plans for Glasgow, Melbourne and Toronto would pay scant attention to the people and places marginal to the ‘new economy’. Proponents of ‘third-way’ thinking, however, argue plans can be designed to be both competitive and socially inclusive. So what do the planners who drafted the plans say?

Keywords:

• Glasgow
• Melbourne
• Toronto
• neo-liberalism
• third-way planning
• metropolitan plans
• planners

Acknowledgement

Referee 2 gave generously of their time and their advice is appreciated.

Notes

 1. The choice of cities relates to student exchanges RMIT University in Melbourne has had with universities in Glasgow and Toronto. Fortuitously, all three released city or metropolitan plans in 2002.

 2. The presence of such services is used in ranking world cities: Toronto is classed as a ‘major world city’, Melbourne a ‘minor world city’ while Glasgow shows limited evidence of world city formation (Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network, 1999).

 3. The Mercer “Worldwide Quality of Life Survey” in 2006 covered 218 cities. The survey is conducted “to assist multinational companies in assessing comparative international quality of living standards for their expatriate workers”. Melbourne was ranked 11th equal, Toronto 15th equal and Glasgow 51st equal: http://across.co.nz/qualityofliving.htm

 4. Glasgow City Plan (2002), Glasgow City Plan 2 (draft 2005) and the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan (2006); Melbourne 2030: Planning for Sustainable Growth (2002); Toronto Official Plan (2002) and Places to Grow, Growth Plan for the Great Golden Horseshoe (draft 2005). Readers are advised to consult these plans online.

 5. In 1997 Canada entered into a Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and the USA. This certainly contributed to the loss of manufacturing jobs from Toronto to cheaper land and labour sites elsewhere, some to greenfield sites outside the city limits. This outward movement reduced the central city's tax base and exacerbated urban sprawl and regional traffic management problems.

 6. The Ministry's previous title under the Harris provincial government was Superbuild.

 7. Ruchill is one of the four ‘New Neighbourhoods’.

 8. Govanhill Housing Association is an example with education and training programmes directed at young women of Pakistani backgrounds.

 9. Four housing associations are centred in Drumchapel, one of the New Neighbourhoods. One has a strong record of housing otherwise homeless people though to the disquiet of many well-established tenants, another with nurturing small businesses in purpose-built premises.

10. These protections were challenged by developers through the Ontario Municipal Board and watered down.

11. Refer to the Canadian Institute of Planners' Professional Code of Conduct and compare it with the British and Australian equivalents.