Canberra: a city for the future?

Present development and future planning of Canberra, the Australian National Capital, is described as an example of modern town planning emphasising the spatial and functional organisation of the urban area. Canberra is a rapidly growing city and is being expanded by the creation of new dispersed satellite towns which are grouped around Inner Canberra in three growth corridors. The towns are structured into a hierarchical order of centers and provide a large range of services and facilities as well as a concentration of employment opportunities. Although the towns are self-supporting to a great degree, they remain integral parts of the metropolis with the City center providing the greatest range of services and facilities, as well as employment. One of the main problems facing the Capital is the inefficiency of public transport and accordingly the strong reliance on private motor vehicles, which will be difficult to overcome If present population densities are not substantially increased.