Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sustainability and the post-modern city: some guidelines for urban planning and transport practice in an age of uncertainty

  • Papers
  • Published:
Environmentalist Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Sustainability is one of the key concepts that is associated with post-modernism. The old world with its modernist assumptions was based on increasing consumption of fossil fuels and other resources, reducing the natural and the diverse to simple, American-style mass production, with a strong state-based, large-scale approach to providing infrastructure. That old way no longer works but no way forward is obviously apparent. This paper looks at how the uncertainties produced by post-modernism can be put to advantage in providing a more sustainable postmodern city. It is suggested that the key principles are recognizing values, maximizing diversity and crossing boundaries. These are developed into some guidelines for urban planning and transport practice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Campbell, C.J. (1991)The Golden Century of Oil 1950–2050: The Depletion of a Resource. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Community and Family Commission (1992),Speaking Out, Taking Part, Perth: Final Report of Community and Family Commission, WA Government.

  • Cook, P. (1990)Back to the future: Modernity, postmodernity and locality. London: Unwin Hyman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, L. (1991)The New Urban Frontier: Urbanisation and City Building in Australasia and the American West. Sydney: University of NSW Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gratz, R.B. (1993)The Living City. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, J. (1984)Cities and the Wealth of Nations: Principles of Economic Life. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mouritz, M. and Newman, P.W.G. (1993)Sustainable Urban Water Systems Project, Perth, Australia: ISTP, Murdoch University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman, P.W.G., Kenworthy, J.R. and Robinson, L. (1992a)Winning Back the Cities. Sydney: Pluto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman, P.W.G., Kenworthy, J.F. and Vintila, P. (1992b)Housing Transport and Urban Form: Australia: Back-ground Paper 11 for National Housing Strategy.

  • Postmodern Cities Conference (1993)Proceedings. Sydney: Sydney University Department of Urban Regional Planning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumaker, E. F. (1973)Small is Beautiful Abacus.

  • Vintila, P., Phillimore, J. and Newman, P. (1992)Markets, Morals and Manifestos: Fightback! and the politics of Economic Rationalism in the 1990's. Perth, Western Australia: Institute for Science and Technology Policy, Murdoch University.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Peter Newman (associate professor of city policy and director)

    Present address: the Institute for Science and Technology Planning at, Murdoch University, Murdoch 6150, Perth, Western Australia

Authors and Affiliations

    Authors
    1. Peter Newman
      View author publications

      You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    Additional information

    This paper was delivered at the Global Forum '94 Academic Conference, Manchester, UK.

    Rights and permissions

    Reprints and permissions

    About this article

    Cite this article

    Newman, P. Sustainability and the post-modern city: some guidelines for urban planning and transport practice in an age of uncertainty. Environmentalist 15, 257–266 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01902247

    Download citation

    • Issue Date:

    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01902247

    Keywords

    Search

    Navigation