IndexThe garden suburbThe new cityThe Radburn approachDesigning with natureNew urbanismConclusionAdelaide has been a suburban city since its settlement in 1836. A suburb is a residential area of mixed, located as part of an urban area or a short distance from a city. The idea of ​​the modern suburb became popular in late 18th century Britain as a response to population growth following the Industrial Revolution. As workers migrated to the city, the middle classes began purchasing villas and estates on the outskirts of major cities. However, thorough planning policies were not formally introduced until the early 1900s. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In its early decades, Adelaide consisted of the main city core, surrounded by parks, an inner ring of suburbs, and some smaller harborside towns and villages. During this period, ideas of combining city and countryside into a suburban utopia flourished. The most influential was Ebenezer Howard's Garden City model, which came to life in the development of Colonel Light Gardens. Combined with the concept of neighborhood units, this scheme became extremely significant for later phases of suburban planning in Adelaide. During the 20th century, changes to planning strategies were important in the New Town model, the Radburn approach and the Designing with Nature concept. Although some were more successful than others, they all aimed to solve aesthetic, environmental, and social problems in the context of their time, often through various street layout proposals. At the end of the 20th century, the New Urbanism Movement called for a new focus on formalized policies that responded to contemporary social, cultural, and ecological concerns. The Garden Suburb The Garden City movement, facilitated by Sir Ebenezer Howard, originated in the late 19th century. Great Britain as a method of urban planning. It aimed to proportionally distribute residential, recreational, industrial and administrative areas to create autonomous communities. The scheme prioritized comfort, aesthetics and open space, with the aim of offering the best of city and country living. In 1917, Charles Reade proposed his design for the Mitcham Garden Suburb (now Colonel Light Gardens). Located six kilometers from the center of Adelaide, it featured a strategic layout of streets and hierarchical spaces that followed the principles of the garden city model. Colonel Light Gardens was presented as a model city with several key planning principles. Topography and natural features were integrated and emphasis was placed on creating a park-like environment. Other important features of the model city were land use zoning, street classification, and a different layout of passive and active recreation areas. These principles are particularly familiar with the Hampstead Garden Suburb, which served as a reference point for the idea of ​​'garden city lines'. The spatial layout of the streets is undoubtedly the most interesting aspect of the project. Unlike garden city standards that followed a formal grid system, Reade developed street patterns that varied in length, width, and visual characteristics. He also implemented the use of curves to reveal different views throughout the suburb. This is particularly evident along Prince George Parade, where the view gradually changes as you head west towards the suburb entrance of Picadilly Circus. At the same timeway, the extensive use of cul-de-sacs separated pedestrians and vehicles. The hierarchy of arterial, secondary (collector) and residential streets was also adopted by Reade as an alternative to regulation-sized streets. The arterial roads were the widest and served as boundary lines, followed by secondary roads intended for vehicular traffic, while the thinner residential streets were intended for residential areas. This hierarchical system of streets was also implemented in the layout of spaces as it allowed simpler control of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Reade emphasized the importance of community, safety and comfort by organizing areas for designated purposes. Following the same hierarchical system, he divided the spaces into residential, recreational, commercial, ecclesiastical and community areas. It incorporated wide open spaces with recreational complexes, parks and garden reserves. Furthermore, community buildings such as schools, playgrounds, shops and the town hall were grouped into a neighborhood centre. Formalized as the "neighborhood unit concept" by Clarence Perry, this idea of ​​neighborhood planning gained international popularity in the early 1900s as schematic planning. residential development model in metropolitan areas. Perry's principles followed similar fundamental ideas of a community-centered lifestyle, separating pedestrians and vehicles with hierarchical street systems and internal green spaces in order to guide pedestrians between residential areas and the community center. The New Town In 1936, the South Australian Housing Trust (SAHT) was established to meet the demand for housing following the post-war population and migration boom. The trust has generated significant investment in suburban development, leading to the formation of new cities in metropolitan and regional areas. The model for the new city at the time was an idealistic concept that promoted industrial growth and attracted working- and middle-class people. The city of Elizabeth was considered the cornerstone for subsequent suburban development where Henry Smith, the trust's chief planner, introduced new design principles which were influenced by his travels in the United States and Great Britain. The road layout followed a conceptual grid that incorporated curves and loops leading to small open spaces or small parks, while misleadingly implying the existence of housing clusters. Residential areas and neighborhood centers were connected by collector roads and linear open spaces. However, these areas lacked pedestrian systems as the main focus of the design was the planning of the centers and their commercial purpose. Thus, shopping centers such as Elizabeth Grove were created, which featured small plazas and shopping areas but had little interest in pedestrian systems. City Hall was the face of the city at an important intersection. Further developments included aggregate recreational open spaces adjacent to arterial roads and collectors. Interestingly, during the 1950s and 1960s, the SAHT introduced several planning changes that resonated with the themes of the early garden city model. These included curvilinear street layouts, street hierarchy, more cul-de-sacs, increased use of buffer open space along major streets, and improved walkways to neighborhood centers. There is one key difference that made Elizabeth less effective than Colonel Lights Gardens. The garden city ideology and planning accommodated a wide range of social groups, while the new city movement favored planning strategies and justified social consideration with a hierarchy of housing types and public investment ina private property. The design approach attempted to fit a number of design principles together with poorly defined social objectives. The Radburn Approach The 1970s saw a new change in direction when the SAHT obtained large tracts of land. The new scheme enhances pedestrian-oriented principles and high public transport use. Unlike previous models, Radburn's approach aimed to integrate high-density development with public open spaces and a connective pedestrian network. He was influenced by a combination of the English garden city and post-war American urban planning, culminating in the design of the 1929 Radburn Estate in New Jersey before expanding internationally. In South Australia, the model was first applied to the design of West Lakes. . Taking advantage of the topography along the upper Port River, the SAHT proposed the development of a lake and associated housing development. This included a series of open spaces and landscapes linked together by walkways. Community areas and the local school were at the center and the collector road was raised to pass over the main open space without interrupting it. In 1969, the Development Finance Corporation was contracted to implement the West Lakes design proposal. The landscape was largely reworked to accommodate the district's main center, while residences were arranged in clusters around culs-de-sacs to emphasize the sense of community. Subsequently, developments in Smithfield, Morphett Vale and Hackham West combined the topographical opportunities of the Radburn model with the social imperatives of the neighborhood unit approach. Some distinguishing features included a main linear park with smaller parks connected to it, curved streets, and cul-de-sacs that became access roads to the neighborhood center. Eventually, the principles began to incorporate the aesthetic elements of the garden city, the sociocentric themes of the neighborhood unit approach, and the environmental concerns of the new city model. Designing with nature Post-war population growth also brought unprecedented suburban expansion. In an attempt to slow and redirect the growth of the Adelaide metropolitan area, the Monarto Development Commission Act 1974 was an application of "social planning" in South Australia. The commission aimed to reconsider the social and physical development of the city under the reevaluation of the neighborhood unit scheme. The brief proposed an arrangement of grouped homes, each with its own community space. Each residential group had to be connected to the main center via pedestrian and cycle paths. The project adopted the philosophy of "designing with nature", with the aim of reconciling the social and environmental issues of urban planning. Monarto's design proposal implemented these principles. The northwestern slopes were coordinated with a linear park and beyond it the community center. Since the focus was largely on preserving open spaces, a bus-only solution was suggested to minimize traffic within the center. This strategy consisted of reducing vehicular traffic and placing the center within walking distance of residents. These themes will strongly influence subsequent suburban projects. The Golden Grove project adopted these principles through a hierarchical organization of streets that respected topographical conditions. The scheme was commissioned by development group Delfin Property Group together with Tea Tree Gully Council. It consisted of a series of villages, each hosting a neighborhood center with facilities,.