‘Merely the man in the street’

Abstract It is an accepted tenet of planning history that Australia's planning practice in the first half of the 20th century was dominated by experts delivering a package of international planning ideas. Is this story made more complicated, however, by the attitudes of the lay Australian to urban planning at this time? What role have the approaches of planners and planning bodies played in advising the public of the best routes to take towards comprehensive and appropriate planning? This paper discusses these issues with use of examples of the general public's letters to Melbourne's Metropolitan Town Planning Commission (MTPC)(1923–30) about planning issues in Melbourne: the MTPC's responses; and responsive propaganda generated by prominent Melbourne planner Saxil Tuxen ( 1885–1975).