The Colonel Light Gardens Garden Suburb Commission: building a planned community

Abstract

Colonel Light Gardens, about 6 km south of Adelaide, South Australia, is recognized as a national and international exemplar in the field of garden suburb planning. The first objective of the suburb's Development Plan seeks the conservation and reinforcement of its ‘original three dimensional garden suburb design’ and statements supporting other objectives detail its ‘essential’ urban design and land use elements. However, town planning is more than the design of urban places and spaces. It is also concerned with how these may be achieved effectively and how the services and facilities required by citizens are properly supplied and located. This crucial other side of the ‘town planning coin’ has been demonstrated in the Colonel Light Gardens' development. The Garden Suburb Act of 1919 established a Garden Suburb Commission with powers similar to what, in later years, would be known as urban development corporations. Hence, it was first in a line of such organizations in South Australia and stands with international exemplars such as the British garden cities and new towns.