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Michele Lobo, "Progressive Urban Structures: Are They Evident in Melbourne?" Patterns of urban growth vary. It has been recognised that there is a change occurring from the traditional monocentric model to the polycentric model of urban structure in most cities of the developed and developing world. The traditional monocentric model displays a city surrounded by suburbs which are economically and socially dependent on it. There is a functional difference between the city and the suburbs. The city is the most important economic and cultural centre and the suburbs are residential in nature. More recently there has been a change in this pattern and polycentric models of urban growth are more evident. Polycentric models involve a change in the functional character of the surrounding suburbs. Office parks, industrial parks, science parks and large planned shopping centres emerge within the suburban landscape. These may develop into large suburban centres or Edge Cities. This change in the pattern of urban growth could be a result of social and economic progress associated with the process of globalisation. This paper will examine how and why this shift is taking place. It will examine these changes in general with reference to Melbourne. Unlike most cities, particularly in USA, Melbourne does not display a well developed polycentric structure. This could be due to the influence of planning policies, the real estate market or just different social and economic conditions prevalent here. Does this mean there has been no progress or is it simply a reflection of different expressions of progress. In this paper I will elaborate on how such models are a simplification of reality. While they sometimes aid understanding, they do however tend to be rigid and deterministic. As such it is important to analyse changes in urban processes at the local scale in order to understand the influence of micro conditions and its meaning for progress. Biography: Michele Lobo is a Ph.D student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Melbourne. Her research work seeks to explore and understand the dynamics of the growth and development of suburban centres in metropolitan Melbourne, in the context of changing planning policies and continuing urban sprawl. An analysis of suburban centres will lead to a better understanding of suburban growth and decline and has implications for the development of vibrant suburban areas. |
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