Practice wisdom from planners, developers, environmentalists, and other players finding the ‘true debates’ in suburban development in south-western Australia

Abstract Key stakeholder or practitioner groups in suburban development, namely planners in both private consultancies and local government, developers, community leaders, and allied professions (hydrologists, environmental scientists, landscape architects, architects) were asked through semi-structured in-depth interviews about their beliefs regarding the problems relating to practice of new residential subdivisions in Western Australia. Forty people were interviewed, with interviews lasting between 1.5–2 hours, some within site visits to suburbs under construction. There was a general consensus on the lack of the translation of environmental concerns into outcomes, and frustration in the opportunities for more creative and less policy-constrained development. Priority areas for better suburban outcomes were identified as statutory change to land allocation (85% of planners), better retention of topography (73% across all practitioners), and environmental education of the disciplines (48% across all practitioners). The ‘true debate’ was leaving “lasting positive legacies” regarding the environment.

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