Final Blog: Group Essay on Planning Proccesses

Master Plan Assessment

Tuggeranong and Erindale Centre Planning Project 

Project Area (ACTPLA 2011)

This work is submitted to the Faculty of Business and Government of the University of Canberra by Emma Butcher, Timothy Carne, Ozy Salu and Michael Finch on 24^th  November 2011 as an assessment piece for Planning Theory and Processes (7968) Semester 2, 2011.

Introduction

The purpose of this essay to discuss whether the Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres Planning Project (hereafter referred to as the ‘Master Plan Project’) is likely to produce quality master plans. This will be undertaken using an adapted set of criteria proposed by Baer (1997). More specifically, the Master Plan Project will be discussed with reference to four criteria as set out by Baer. These are: (1) rational model considerations; (2) adequacy of scope; (3) approach, data and methodology; and (4) quality of communication. Before applying these criteria, a brief rationale for this exercise will be provided, along with an outline of the Master Plan Project and Baer’s assessment criteria.

Rationale for Exercise

The master plan is arguably one of the most effective products of the planning profession (Alexander 2011). It is an important tool used to guide the development and redevelopment of our towns and cities (ACT Government 2011). Therefore, the assessment of master plans is an important issue. In other words, it is important to be able to distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ plans before they are implemented. As Baer (1997) discusses appropriate assessment criteria are required in order to do this.

Outline of Master Plan Project

The Master Plan Project is run by the Australian Capital Territory Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA). The purpose of the project is to develop master plans for the Tuggeranong and Erindale town centres, as well as Erindale drive which is the main transport artery connecting the two centres.  The plans will be non-statutory documents that will provide guidance for growth and development over the next 20-30 years (ACT Government 2011). According to ACTPLA (2011) the project was initiated to address a number of key planning problems. These can be categorized into three broad areas: climate change adaption; responding to increasing population and demographic change; and ensuring that communities are healthy and active. Clearly, the resolution of these problems will be significantly influenced by the quality of the master plans produced.

Baer's Assessment Criteria

Baer (1997) has proposed a set of criteria that can be used to assess master plans as they are embodied in the preliminary documents. With regard to the Master Plan Project, various draft proposals will be assessed to this end, as well as the ACTPLA website and other documents produced during the project’s consultation process (links to these can be found in the references and bibliography sections). According to Baer the criteria are to be used while the plan is being formulated. It is therefore relevant to the Master Plan Project which is intended to be completed by “early 2012” (ACT Government 2011). Finally, Baer describes the criteria to be “advisory and suggestive.” This implies that it is at the discretion of those engaging in assessment to choose and adapt criteria that are applicable to the particular plan they are assessing. Hence, the authors of this essay have chosen and adapted four criteria for the assessment of the Master Plan Project, namely, rational model considerations; adequacy of scope; approach, data and methodology; and quality of communication.

Application of Assessment Criteria

Rational model considerations

‘Rational model considerations’ refers to the underlying planning theory guiding the plan and whether this theory is clearly stated and adhered to throughout the process. In this case, the purpose and characteristics of a master plan must be kept in mind when assessing the Master Plan Project. Haar (1955) outlines the various purposes a master plan should serve, one of which is to act as a program of correction. Thus the plan must indicate the negative aspects of the target area. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis outlined in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011) of the Tuggeranong and Erindale town centres provides a comprehensive overview of the weaknesses currently associated with the planning sites, consistent with those raised through community consultation (Rossiter 2010). Weaknesses such as the low residential population in Tuggeranong, the lack of pedestrian scale and lack of sense of place experienced in both areas are reiterated throughout the report. The success of the master plan will depend upon its capacity to address such weaknesses either directly or through the guidance of subsequent planning documents.

One aspect of rational model considerations that is lacking in the Master Plan Project is the identification and use of a set of criteria to assess the progress of the plan during the formulation stages. Such criteria are not clearly outlined on ACTPLA’s website nor in the project’s preliminary documents, the closest equivalent being a list of shortcomings and limitations associated with the consultation process mentioned within the consultation summary documents. The inclusion of such a list would help identify the success of the formulation process, and allow any shortcomings to be identified and suitably acted upon.

Adequacy of Scope

A master plan should serve as an estimate of the future, and as stated by Haar (1955, p. 143). “…. the planner should be concerned with emerging conditions”. This links to the idea outlined in Baer’s (1997) criteria of ‘adequacy of scope’, which refers to the consideration of the plan in the context of the larger world. Two main challenges facing communities presently, and pertinent to all planning decisions, include the impending risks of climate change and the implications of a growing and aging population. Both of these issues are specifically mentioned in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011) as ones of great importance that has been considered as part of each topic. On a practical level, these considerations are evident in a draft proposal for the Tuggeranong town centre (ACTPLA 2011) through the promotion of walkability and increased density surrounding the centre, reducing the prominence of automobile generated pollution. The focus on creating a mixed use and higher density housing choices will not only promote self sufficiency, but will help ease the burden on aged care facilities by allowing ‘aging in place’.

A master plan should not only identify probable future trends and respond to them, but also, according to Haar (1955), actively promote a set of goals to achieve a type of environment that the community wants. Throughout the consultation feedback and in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011), emphasis is placed on the creation of an economically prosperous, socially vibrant and environmentally sustainable community. Whilst these are broad goals, they correspond to the tone of the plan which aims to provide “… a vision to guide growth and development…” (ACT Government 2011, ‘Tuggeranong and Erindale centres master plans, para. 2) with little design resolution itself, but the ability to provide guidance for future land use decisions. This relates back to Baer’s rational model consideration outlining the need for a plan to explicitly state its scope, so that the reader is fully aware of the aim of the plan and what to expect.

Approach, Methodology and Data

This section will discuss the ‘approach, methodology and data’ of the Master Plan Project. With regard to this criteria, Baer (1997) infers that a quality plan should make clear its technical bases, data sources and the ways the data is used. If this has been achieved, “… others may check the plan’s thinking by use of the same sources” (Baer 1997 p. 339). With regard to approach, which is understood to be the general way of undertaking the Master Plan Project, some description is evident. For example, in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011), the diversity of sources used to assemble an initial understanding of the planning sites demonstrates a type of approach. These sources of information included community consultation activities; original planning documents; interviews with designers; summaries of current planning policy and contextual issues; technical papers from external consultants; and ideas produced by specialist planners and designers. This wide range infers that the approach of the Analysis Summary Report was to incorporate a variety of different opinions and perspectives. Given that the report provides the “… basis for subsequent consultation, design and planning” (ACTPLA 2011, p. 48) it can be assumed that the Master Plan Project in general is also directed by this approach.

Looking now at methodology, which is distinct from ‘approach’ in the sense that the former concerns more specific and systematic techniques used in the Master Plan Project. For the purposes of this study, methodology is considered to comprise three activities i.e. the gathering, interpreting and applying of information. With regard to the Master Plan Project, certain activities are clear while others are not. For example, the methodology for gathering information from community consultation is provided. A detailed description of the consultation process is included as an appendix in the Stage One Consultation Report (Rossiter 2010). Also, Survey Feedback Forms are provided as appendices in the report concerning the second stage of consultation (Rossiter 2010). Despite this, however, the methods for interpreting and applying the information derived from consultation is not explicit. It is not clear, for instance, how issues raised by the community where determined to be of value and by what means community input was applied to the creation of subsequent draft proposals.

Turning now to data, which in this context refers to quantitative or qualitative information derived from the systematic techniques of the Master Plan Project. Although the project documents provide summaries of data (e.g. key points raised during community consultation activities) the original data from which the summaries are based is not shown. This could include, for example, transcripts from interviews made with planners, designers and community members, or any other raw data such as traffic statistics. There is one exception, however, in the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011) with the provision of initial planning documents from the 1970’s as appendices. It may be suggested that most original data was not included because such detail would not be necessary for the purposes of the preliminary documents i.e. to keep the public informed. However, instruction on how to access original data could have been provided so that the logic on which the plan is based could be assessed by planning researchers or other interested parties.

Quality of Communication

Tentative urban master plans are specifically designed to communicate often complex information to a broad range of persons (e.g. planners, development professionals and the public) in a manner which is readily interpretable. It is therefore vital to the plan’s success that the information contained within such documents is presented both professionally and unambiguously, so that persons external to the plan development process can adequately respond to the documents. Baer (1997) makes provisions for effective communication within his suggested criteria for plan assessment. Such provisions offer an evaluative capacity that can objectively judge the clarity and communicative veracity of the planning documents. This criteria is termed ‘quality of communication’. It includes, but is not limited to, the “convincing presentation” of ideas and the inclusion of “criteria with which the plan is intended to be judged”.

When evaluating the preliminary documents of the Master Plan Project it can be observed that they are for the most part congruent with Baer’s (1997) ‘quality of communication’ criteria. The ideas presented through the documents are easily understandable by members of the public, who may have limited experience in planning related development processes and the ideas are presented both creatively and in a number of modes including written, diagrammatic and photographic. These positive characteristics are  particularly well exemplified throughout the Analysis Summary Report (ACTPLA 2011). In addition, the documents are well and logically formatted; these components work to make the plans convincing to a wide audience.

However, the Master Plan Project ostensibly falls short or Baer’s criteria in a number of key areas. Firstly, rationales of the plan are predicated on some cited background research, yet some specific interpretations or conclusions of these research processes are not clearly made evident. The

presented proposals are consistent with the visions outlined in the documents, however a more explicit understanding of the rationales may be needed to analyse the proposal-objective relationship. Finally, none of the preliminary documents are inclusive of a set criteria that will be used to internally judge the quality of the plans continued development, resultantly casual observers cannot account for the quality of the plan by standards set by the plan maker.

Conclusion

This essay has discussed whether the Tuggeranong and Erindale Centre Planning Project is ‘on track’ formulating quality master plans. This was achieved by using an adapted set of assessment criteria proposed by Baer (1997), namely, rational model considerations; adequacy of scope; approach, methodology, and data; and quality of communication. These criteria were discussed with reference to the ACTPLA website, various draft proposals and other preliminary planning documents. With respect to the Master Plan Project the following points can be concluded.

First, the Master Plan Project does address aspects of  the ‘rational model considerations’ criteria in that it corresponds with many of the key purposes of a master plan as outlined by Haar (1955). However, the failure to outline and include a set of criteria to assess the progress of the plan formulation presents a clear deficiency.

Second, the consideration of the plan in relation to the larger world presents a broad set of criteria, but focusing specifically on considerations of climate change and population change, it can be seen the Master Plan Project recognises and addresses these issues as ones of great importance.  

Third, although the project indicates a type of approach, there are aspects of methodology that are absent and, for the most part, there is no original data included. This means that someone apart from the project would not be able to, as Baer puts it, “…. check the plans thinking by use of the same sources” (1997, p. 339).

Finally, the Master Plan Project documents present a prima facie attractiveness that is congruent with some of the points highlighted under the ‘quality of communication’ criteria category. None the less, there are attenuated areas- where criteria have not been met- and require substantive improvements in order to be copasetic with Baer’s pertaining criteria.

Overall, it seems that aspects of the Master Plan Project require improvement in order to ensure that quality master plans are produced for the Tuggeranong and Erindale town centres and Erindale Drive.   The assessment of master plans at this early stage (i.e. before implementation) represents an important planning issue. This is because master plans are vital planning tools and significantly impact the development of towns and cities. Therefore, the resolution of the planning problems that the Master Plan Project aims to resolve will depend to a large extent on the quality of the master plans produced. Thus, assessment of the kind utilized in this essay is a critical part of the planning process.

References

ACT Government 2011, Environment and Sustainable Development, Canberra viewed 3 November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/significant_projects/planning_studies/tuggeranong_and_erindale_centres_planning_project#

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 4A Tuggeranong Town Centre, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/24375/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_04.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres planning project: Analysis summary report, ACT Government viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/22256/TE_Analysis_report_V4.pdf

Alexander, E 2010, ‘Planning Rights: Toward Normative Criteria for Evaluating Plans’, International Planning Studies, vol. 7, pp. 191-212, viewed 3 November 2011, Taylor & Francis Online database.

Baer, W 1997, ‘General Plan Evaluation Criteria: An Approach to Making Better Plans’, Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 63:3, 329-344.

Haar, C 1955, ‘The Master Plan, an Impermanent Constitution’, in Birch 2009 The Urban and Regional Planning Reader, Madison Avenue, New York, Routledge.

Rossiter, S 2010, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres Planning Project Stage One Consultation Outcomes Report, Elton Consulting, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/23779/Item_4.pdf

Rossiter, S 2010, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres master plans project- Community Engagement Stage Two Report, Elton Consulting, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/23782/Item_8.pdf

Bibliography

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 1 What is a master plan?, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/24372/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_01.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 2 Erindale group centre ideas, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/22640/Erindale-Ideas-web.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 2 Tuggeranong town centre ideas, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/22639/Tuggeranong-Ideas-web.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 2 Why are we preparing a master plan?, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/24373/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_02.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 3 Consultation to date…, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011 http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/24374/201107_-_Tuggeranong_Poster_-_03.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, 4 Erindale Drive ideas, poster, ACT Government, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/22641/ErindaleDrive-Ideas-web.pdf

ACT Planning & Land Authority 2011, Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres planning project: Youth consultation report, ACT Government viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/22854/TE_youth_consultation_report.pdf

Everett Josh 2011, Erindale Traffic Report- Final Report (Revision 1): Tuggeranong and Erindale Centres Planning Project, Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation, viewed 20^th November 2011, http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/25776/20111103_-_Erindale_Traffic_Plan_-_Final_Report_Rev1.pdf

Geographic Information Systems

The last chapter of our planning course was a brief description of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It was extracted from Planning and Urban Design Standards (2006) written by Ann-Margaret Esnard, Nancy Sappington, and Milton R. Ospina. In the editors introduction, Birch mentions how GIS has become a widely used tool in urban and regional planning. It serves many important functions including “… inventorying land use, mapping demographic information, displaying zoning regulations, indentifying environmentally sensitive land, plotting streets and sewers, tracking capital projects, and outlining service needs related to crime, disease, or poverty.” Birch describes that GIS has transformed the planning profession by providing more information with which to make decisions.

In this chapter, the main components of GIS are identified. They are: hardware (the computer and other physical equipment), software (tools for storing, analyzing, and displaying spatial information), data sources (including existing sources, digitized items, field collected data, and remotely sensed information), and metadata (information about data sets). Regarding data, there are two different types: vector and raster. Vector data provides information concerning points, lines and polygons. Raster data provides information about geographic features such as land use, vegetation, slope, elevation, or aspect. The chapter also mentions the various functions of GIS commonly used by planners and designers. These are: query by location, query by attribute, boolean queries (combination of location and attribute queries), buffers, address matching, distance measuring, overlays and suitability analyses.

GIS and it’s important contribution to the planning profession is a great example of how advances in technology can change the scope of human activities. With the tool of GIS, I would imagine that the planning realm of New Regionalism (of which my last blog talked about) would be made significantly more viable. By this I mean, by making comprehensive geographic information more accessible, GIS increases the capacity for planners to plan for larger metropolitan regions. 

Here is a conceptualisation of different layers of spatial data provided by GIS (Source: http://www.munispace.com/uis/index.php/services/gis)

New Regionalism

Post-World War II a new form of regional planning developed in response to the continuous expansion of major cities. It is called ‘New Regionalism’ and essentially concerns planning on a large geographic scale that includes multiple metropolitan centres. This weeks chapter Planning Metropolitan Regions by Gary Hack discusses a number of points related to New Regionalism. These include:

•  Problems resulting from expanding cities, for example, resource waste through the creation of new infrastructure causing old infrastructure to be underutilized;
• The underlying structure of suburban sprawl including “clusters” of employment, retail, and higher density residential;
•  Development opportunities created by these new urban centres;
• Future change of traditional downtowns to specialized sub-centres;
• Increasing diversity in suburban neighborhoods
• Occurrences of specialized districts in the outer parts of metropolitan regions;
• Life-style, manufacturing, and education and research-based concentrations in metropolitan areas;
• The trend of low density housing construction outside city centres;
• The need for regional planning strategies, permanent means of promoting that strategy, and the devolution of power and responsibility to local municipalities.

One of the most interesting points I found in this chapter was about the “clusters” forming in suburbs. By clusters, Hack was referring to concentrations of employment and shopping in suburban areas, including offices, retail outlets, hotels and entertainment areas. Usually developing in close proximity to highways, these areas essentially provide all the functions of traditional downtowns. Hack expressed the opinion that these areas provide an opportunity to create new urban centres. The major challenge being to increase their walkablility and to transform car parks into more attractive and useful spaces. For this to be viable, there would need to be residential densification around and improved public transportation to these clusters. Hack also mentions how new economic clusters where not forming as they did historically i.e. not in urban centres. He described that in many cities, they are predominantly occurring on the fringes of metropolitan areas.

Good Urban Design

Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck in Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream discuss how good urban design can be achieved by emulating urban forms built in the past. They describe a number of techniques and characteristics that make for good urban design, namely:

• Developing underutilized space instead of building in green space;
• Designing with reference to the regional context;
•  Including mixed-use development;
•  Making sure compatible land uses are connected via efficient transport routes;
•  Making use of the natural features of a site;
•  Creating walkable neighborhoods with well-defined centres and boundaries;
• Ensuring that public transit is frequent, predictable, direct, and pleasant to use;
• Making narrow streets to discourage speeding;
• Designing buildings that compliment the street; and
• While adequate parking is necessary, ensuring is does not exceed the  requirements of the surrounding buildings.

These design principles are characteristic of New Urbanism which I have touched on in previous blogs. Also, it is worth noting that Duany and Plater-Zyberk are prominent figures in the New Urbanism movement. Basically there work and this article in particular (as the title of the suggests) is a way of responding to the stamped of suburbanization that has been occurring over the past several decades.  Suburbanization has led to a number of serious problems including the deterioration of public spaces, disconnection of people and communities, and local and global environmental damage, as well as being uneconomical in many instances.

Seaside, Florida created by Duany and Plater-Zyberk (among others) exemplifies many of the above mentioned urban characteristics (Source: http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/la/LA338-S01/groups/c/) 

As mentioned previously, many of these urban characteristics and techniques are derived from examples of urban forms built in the past. Indeed, one of the core ideas of New Urbanism is to return to traditional design. It is interesting in this sense i.e. a solution to modern problems is found by returning to the abandon ideas of the past. But as our lecturer points out, although they are fundamentally old ideas, they are changed to fit within a modern context.