Getting it all into perspective : a synoptic vision for Hobart after Patrick Geddes

Contemporary town planning practice is dominated by incremental development control processes at local level which are often narrowly focussed and devoid of vision. The emergence of a global paradigm challenges the effectiveness of current planning systems. Increasingly, environmental, social and economic problems are revealed to be no respecters of national boundaries. There is a need to develop ways of planning which acknowledge this increasing interdependence across local, regional and global scales. Looking backwards may show the way forward. Patrick Geddes, 19th Century Scottish 'universal man' and one of the founding fathers of the town planning movement, developed a robust 'theory of civics' which, by recognising the vital importance of maintaining social and environmental integrity while accommodating technological change, is increasingly relevant today - some 80 years after its development. Best known as an advocate of the comprehensive regional survey, Geddes also developed the concept of 'synoptic vision' - an holistic approach to planning which involved the synthesis of regional data to capture the essence of the region within a comprehensible overarching perspective. Such a vision serves as a tool for communication and a compass for the setting of planning priorities and directions. This project attempts to develop a synoptic vision for a case study area - the Hobart Metropolitan Region - in the context of the new global paradigm. Geddes' 'Place-WorkFolk' model borrowed from nineteenth century French sociographer, Frederic Le Play, is employed to make the task more manageable. The project concludes by drawing upon this synoptic vision to make recommendations about town planning practice within the Hobart Metropolitan Region.