The loss of peri-urban agricultural land and the state-local tensions in managing its demise: The case of Greater Western Sydney, Australia

Cities globally have witnessed rapid growth, with the world’s population becoming more urban than rural over the last decade. In Australia, this has led to rapid urban expansion into the peri-urban fringes to provide housing and services for its population. The subsequent loss of agricultural land is largely seen as a market driven process, however increasing attention has been given to the contributory role of land use planning policy, systems, and public actors in specific contexts. This study examines the drivers of peri-urban agricultural land loss in Greater Western Sydney (GWS), one of the fastest growing peri-urban regions in Australia, with a particular attention on the role of government agencies. Drawing together a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative data, we chart the various tensions in managing population growth and housing pressures whilst at the same time seeking to protect existing peri-urban agricultural land. The research sheds light on the size, value, and extent of peri-urban agricultural activity in GWS. It then shows the extent to which such land is being converted to more profitable end uses, like housing. It contends that competing housing priorities and private market interests will continue to take precedence, unless the current pro-urbanisation narrative and associated political priorities change. To this end, the study also found evidence that the rapid succession of shocks and stresses experienced in city regions such as Sydney has now led to some fruitful questioning of that agenda, and the placing of urban growth imperatives above the preservation of agricultural and rural lands, and other natural resources.