The State of Metropolitan Planning: Decline or Restructuring?

In this paper the dynamic relations between the state, society, and metropolitan planning are explored. The changing role and function of the state in the context of rapid restructuring of economic and social relations in Australia during the past decade are discussed, along with the impact of processes such as globalisation, cyclic recessions, and the growing assertion of local communities on the state. The influence of these processes on metropolitan planning, as an arm of the state which mediates between development interests and local communities, is then assessed from a theoretical perspective. Given the identified processes and changes, it is argued that metropolitan planning has become increasingly constrained in its ability to influence the nature and location of urban development in 1990s Australia. The validity of this argument is examined against the case of metropolitan planning in Perth during the past decade. Three key aspects of the changing nature of planning in Perth are studied in detail: A 1987 proposal for a new metropolitan strategy; a 1990 adopted metropolitan plan which derived from the 1987 proposal; and several redevelopment initiatives currently under consideration. It is concluded that the Western Australian state—and subsequently metropolitan planning—have experienced significant challenges to their ability to influence urban change. The constraints imposed on metropolitan planning are simultaneously due to economic pressures ‘from above’ and community pressures ‘from below’. Finally, it is observed that this process possesses a regresive potential, and that metropolitan planning should restructure in order to respond effectively and equitably to recent economic and social changes.