Urban social sustainability: The planning of an Australian city

Abstract

The debate on urban sustainability has mainly focused on environmental and economic factors, often neglecting the vital social aspect and an evaluation of the role of urban planning. This article attempts to redress this deficiency by examining the influence of urban planning on the level of urban social sustainability, using the planning of the central area of Perth, Western Australia, as a case study. First, a conceptual framework is developed, delineating three key dimensions of urban social sustainability: equity, community and urbanity. The framework is then applied to the case study, showing that under the web of past and existing local and metropolitan planning policies, Perth's central area has not been able to sustain its social value for Perth's metropolitan community. This deficiency has been partially due to the failure of urban planning to enhance equity, community and urbanity in guiding the development of central Perth.