• Publication Date: January 31, 2017
  • EAN: 9781760020859
  • 368 pages; 6" x 8⅝"

The Victorian Planning System

Practice, Problems and Prospects

$89.95

Product Description

The Victorian Planning System: Practice, Problems and Prospects is a successor to Statutory Planning in Victoria (4th edition) and provides an accessible introduction to the Victorian planning system. Written with both urban planners and users of the system in mind, it seeks to demystify a complex system. The structure and design of planning schemes are explained in simple terms, along with a discussion of how planning decisions are made. Common planning processes – such as planning permit applications, appeals and planning scheme amendments – are covered in detail.

The book is structured around exploration of a variety of urban policy challenges, including housing supply, activity centre planning, heritage and environmental issues. How does planning strategy in these areas translate into action? Too often, the way that the planning system achieves on-the-ground outcomes is glossed over. This book aims to remedy that oversight by exploring the realities of policy implementation through regulatory design. In doing so, it offers a critique of the Victorian system, and suggests ways in which it could more effectively achieve visionary policy goals.

“Dr Stephen Rowley’s book demystifies the planning system in accessible language and with an engaging narrative. Students, practitioners and citizens consulting this volume will be duly empowered to make the most of a system, which, for all its foibles, remains a powerful force shaping our lives.” From the Foreword by Dr Marcus Spiller

The Victorian Planning System: Practice, Problems and Prospects was awarded a Commendation in the Cutting Edge Teaching and Research category at the 2017 Victorian Planning Institute Awards.

Foreword by Marcus Spiller
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Abbreviations
Table of Cases
Table of Statutes

Introduction: Urban Planning and the Regulatory Challenge

1. The Building Blocks of the Victorian Planning System
2. Planning Permits and the Application Process
3. Planning Decisions and System Design
4. Planning Appeals
5. Complications
6. Amending Planning Schemes
7. Shops and Houses
8. Planning and the Environment
9. Battlefronts

Conclusion: The Way Forward

Chapter Notes
Further Reading and Resources
Bibliography
Glossary
Index

My book, The Victorian Planning System: Practice, Problems and Prospects … is intended both as an introduction to, and critique of, the Victorian Planning System. While an entirely new book, it is intended partly as a successor to Des Eccles and Tannetje Bryant’s classic Statutory Planning in Victoria… A major theme of the book is that planners need to stop thinking in terms of a divide between statutory and strategic planning. I argue that it is vital to break down the perceived division between plan-making/policy roles, and the frequently-derided regulatory aspects of planning. Planning strategies that are not accompanied by a sophisticated and resolved regulatory expression are doomed to fail. … I … close the book with some specific suggestions about how the current system could be improved. With signs from the government that we may see significant reform in the next 12 to 18 months from their ‘Smart Planning’ program, I hope the book can contribute to ongoing discussion about how the planning system can better achieve its goals. Read full review… – By the author, Stephen Rowley, Planning News, March 2017

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