William’s Reviews > Ideas for Australian cities > Status Update

'Who is my neighbour?' is primarily focused with causes and consequences of social cohesion, diversity, & various segregations. Why does the new city differ from the old ones? The author places more hope in creating new & better cities than reforming the issues with old. Nowadays new cities in Australia seems far fetched but there are likely lessons for new developments – though they would need careful application.

'Inventing a city' tells us how Canberra was planned and constructed up to about 1970. The author defends the city and tells of its virtues – it is less segregated by class and near to nature, shops, schools, and amenities. Toward the end Stretton remembers that it's not all positive. The design also makes cars mandatory, public transit impractical, and fills the place with carparks and wide roads.

In 'Australia as a suburb' the author raises valid and sometimes ignored benefits of suburbs and challenges of city living, but the city-suburb distinction is rigid, characterising the city as solely high-rise compact apartments and suburbs as detached single-storey homes. This distinction means examples that address the issues with both are not given much attention & some claims are made that warrant explanation.