Canberra: the radial city

Urban His
tory Blog

Harriet McKindlay 699058

Figure 1: Parliament House


Introduction

In 1898 it was decided by the Commonwealth, that Australia needed a new capital city. The early planning of Canberra, now know better as our nations capital, can be neatly divided into three phases;

-     “a battle of ideas”

-     “battle of the sites”

-     “battle of the plans”

Each individual had there own image on how the city should look and function, with the one key objecting being to “aspire to a better urban environment than that offered by existing cities” (Freestone, R). It was famously captured by minister Andrew Fisher in 1910 that ‘the Federal Capital should be a beautiful city, occupying a commanding position, with extensive views, and embracing distinctive features which will lend themselves to the evolution of a design worthy of the object, not only for the present, but for all time.’

In May1911, Walter Burley Griffin won the Federal Capital Design competition, launched by King O’Malley, Minister for Home affairs, which saw him become responsible for  establishing a new Australian capital city and of whose plan would revolutionise global planning. It of course came with its own set of backlash with many claiming that Australia had enough cities, to instead utilise an already existing city such as Melbourne or Sydney and that city construction would prove to be costly to society. This blog will investigate the history surrounding the creation of Canberra, as well as looking into the revolutionary Radial planning and its functionality at present day.

History

“Australia’s new capital must be the finest Capital City in the World- The Pride of Time’~ King O’Malley.

In 1898, at an Australian Federal Convention, delegates agreed on the need for a new capital city. There was significant conflict associated with the look, layout and geographical location of the new federal city, with it requested not to be in too close of a proximity to either Sydney or Melbourne. This is where the planning of Canberra is famously broken into three clearly distinguishable categories related to the notion of ‘federal capital’, ‘the site’ and ‘plan for the city’, these factors addressed in a methodical manner over an extended period of time. Famously, a painting by artist Charles Coulter was unveiled that depicted the ideal city of Canberra, based on the shores of Lake George in rural New South Wales and of which adopted landmarks and facades from prestigious European cities, as seen in Figure 2.  Ballarat and Adelaide with their unique parklands and central boulevards were respectively the only cities that were well enough developed to act as models for the planning of new Canberra, mirroring the prominent ideal of a garden city centred plan. Heavy criticism fell upon Melbourne, described as having “the most uninteresting streets and surroundings of any great town in the world- convenient and clean- nothing more” (Freestone, R), as well as Sydney with its “narrow streets, badly laid out” , described as a place “no one can call beautiful”.

It then became time to make a decision about the location for Australia’s new capital. This decision making period prompted extreme lobbying by various interests in New South Wales of whom were eager to obtain the ‘prestige and economic advantages of a new city’. All aspects were required to be taken into consideration including water supply, building materials, accessibility etc. which were judged by a strict panel of professionals in each field. It took until December 1908 for the Commonwealth to settle on the Yass-Canberra District to house the new city. One of the major decisions made was not to follow in the foots of other cities of whom utilised existing buildings, and to instead remove the obstruction of original facades in order to create the perfect design.

Figure 2: Charles Coulter's ideal

Walter Burley Griffin- The Radial-Concentric Structure

The Griffin scheme was chosen as the future plan for Canberra on account of “its own mix unique mix of the city beautiful and garden city movements… brilliant intuitive landscape architecture at a large scale and even tacit references to ancient paradigms” (Freestone, R). At first analysis many believed that Griffins plan was an improper understanding of the Garden City Plan, and that the city would fail to operate in a functional manner. After immense debate regarding counter plans such as those presented by John Sulman, St John David, Lawrence Hargrave , Haydon Cardew etc. it was decided that Canberra’s structure would be built on the ideology presented by Griffin, as seen in Figure 3. The plan was inevitably followed with significant backlash with many claiming it was impractical, creating little triangles that proved to be a challenge to navigate around. One of the major decisions also related to the positioning of Parliament House, on a slight rise and visible from the majority of points in the wider city, depicting an influence of ancient palladiums where prestigious and significant features were points of references and visible from most points in the wider city. The decision was also made to create an artificial lake in the cites centre, named Lake Burley Griffin, after its creator as well as the integration of the ‘city beautiful plan’ to create an aesthetically pleasing experience.

Figure 3: Griffin's plan for Canberra

Canberra in the 21st Century.

As time has passed, Canberra has continued to grow and expand, with the 2012 census identifying that population has reached approximately 379,600 people and an approximate  land size of 814.2 kilometres squared. This is a far cry from the original words of architect George Sydney Jones who stated that Canberra would remain of a ‘moderate’ size. One of the key objectives of the new city of Canberra would be that it would integrate a number of interesting landmarks, so that it is a destination for all to vist. This has been clearly achieved, with flocks of individuals, aged from primary school students to retirees, flocking to Canberra each year to see for themselves the attractions of our capital city such as Parliament House, the Shrine of Remembrance and breath taking public green spaces such as the Canberra Botanical Gardens. Although it is hard to predict how the city of Canberra will function into the future,  it has present itself in a way that is functional and accessible for all of its residents and has continued to attract global attention.

Bibliography

Freestone, R. (1997). The Federal Capital of Australia: A Virtual Planning History

National Archives of Australia. (2015). Walter Burley Griffin and the Planning of Canberra. Cited 14th April 2015 from; http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs95.aspx

Canberra House. Short History. Cited 14th April 2015 from; http://www.canberrahouse.com/2006/11/05/short-history/