Re-Visioning Sydney from the Fringe: Productive Diversities for a 21St Century City
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Re-visioning Sydney from the Fringe: Productive Diversities for a 21st Century City Sarah James Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy University of Western Sydney 2009 Dedication To my grandparents, whose commitment to social and environmental justice has always inspired me. ii Acknowledgements There are so many people whose assistance and generosity with their time, knowledge and experience was critical to the realisation of this research project. I would like to gratefully acknowledge and thank: All those who participated in this research. In particular I would like to thank the farmers and Aboriginal groups who shared their experiences as well as their valuable time. I would also like to thank the various government representatives, at local and state level, and consultants who provided a broader perspective to my research. My primary supervisor Professor Kay Anderson, for her invaluable guidance, support and eternal patience in the crafting of this thesis. It has been a great privilege to learn from such a brilliant scholar and dedicated teacher. Thank you for believing in my ideas and for encouraging me to strive for ever-higher standards. Other supervisors Professor Ien Ang, whose encouragement and intellectual contributions were key to the development of this thesis. Dr Fiona Allon, for her contributions to the formation and refinement of this thesis. I would also like to express my thanks to: Associate Professor Frances Parker, who generously shared her experience and knowledge from years of work with Sydney’s culturally and linguistically diverse market gardeners. Her long-standing relationships with, and insight into, these groups made possible the principal empirical study on which this research is based The Centre for Cultural Research, which provided a creative and supportive environment for research. The opportunities I have had as a postgraduate including going to conferences, attending seminars and workshops have made it a rich experience for me in many ways. Working at CCR has also provided the opportunity for contact with eminent scholars who have assisted in the development of the theoretical and empirical approach of my thesis, particularly: Professor Helen Armstrong, Dr Wendy Holland, Professor Bob Hodge, Dr George Morgan and Associate Professor Greg Noble I would also like to make special mention of the ever helpful and resourceful CCR’s administrative staff, particularly Maree O’Neill. The combination of efficiency and student care that she brought to all concerns and queries ensured the sometime difficult institutional hurdles and material practicalities of life as a postgraduate student could be smoothly navigated iii Professor Philip O’Neill and the team at the Urban Research Centre, for being so accommodating and supportive of me in the final stage There have also been a number of people, outside of the academic and institutional support provided by those at UWS, who have been very important to the ‘life’ of my PhD: Therese, for all the conferences and reading groups, and for all her help and sympathy in the final days My family: My mother who provided me with a retreat to get through the ‘final’ stage of writing. I cannot thank her enough for the many discussions and deliberations over my argument, as well as very helpful comments on various drafts. My brothers who made dinner and kept me company during the long, last stretch; and my dad for providing constructive feedback on drafts and discussions on the benefits of local food production Ruth, who has shared this journey with me from the very first day at Penrith Jayde, whose level headedness and practicality has always been an inspiration Adam, for his unfaltering moral support all the way from Vanuatu The other UWS postgraduates who also took on this difficult challenge, and provided support, entertain and incentive in equal measure: Takeshi, Jo, Bryn, Farid, Glen, Cathy, Phillipa, Ash and Garth The broader community of geography postgrads and academics who, in addition to providing a supportive network within Australian geography, have also provided encouragement and sympathetic ears throughout the various stages of my research. In this regard I would like to particularly thank: Fraser McDonald, Rachel Hughes, Don McNeill, Kim MacNamara, Mark Davidson, Kurt Iveson, Chris Gibson, Kevin Dunn and Emma Power Vanessa Kirkpatrick, my copy editor I would also like to acknowledge that the scholarship for this thesis came through Professor Ien Ang’s professorial grant ‘Cultural Intelligence for a Complex World: Engaged Cultural Research for the 21st Century’. I greatly appreciate being given this opportunity iv Statement of Authentication The work presented in this thesis, to the best of my knowledge and belief, is original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in part or in full, for a degree at this or another institution. Signature v Table of Contents Dedication .....................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements......................................................................................................iii Statement of Authentication..........................................................................................v List of Tables .............................................................................................................viii List of Figures ..............................................................................................................ix Abbreviations ................................................................................................................x Thesis Abstract.............................................................................................................xi Chapter One Introduction..............................................................................................1 Sydney’s Market Gardens: a Productive History of Farming on the Fringe.................6 Re-visioning the City from the Edge: Cultural Complexity and Urban Agriculture ..18 Research Design..........................................................................................................23 Studying Sydney’s South West: Methodology .......................................................28 Plan of Thesis..............................................................................................................37 Chapter Two Growing Sydney ..................................................................................41 A Vision for a Global City..........................................................................................43 Growth as Development..............................................................................................46 Agriculture and Cultural Complexity..........................................................................47 From Colonial to Global City .....................................................................................52 Environmental and Cultural Limits to Growth ...........................................................54 Sprawl: The Messiness of the West ............................................................................57 History of ‘Growth’ in Sydney’s Plans.......................................................................59 The 2005 Metropolitan Strategy .................................................................................67 Responses to the Strategy ...........................................................................................70 Green Zones ................................................................................................................73 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................78 Chapter Three Multiple Urbanisms.............................................................................81 Diversity and Planning................................................................................................83 Public Consultations in the 2005 Metropolitan Strategy ............................................85 Perspective of Government Planners ..........................................................................91 Development of Protocols...........................................................................................93 Protocol Meetings .......................................................................................................95 Urban Aboriginality ....................................................................................................96 Heritage and Urban Development.............................................................................101 Token Participation...............................................................................................102 Control of Knowledge...........................................................................................102 Economic Aspects of Land Use ............................................................................104 Speaking Positions ....................................................................................................106 Analysis of Protocols ................................................................................................109 Towards an Intercultural Perspective........................................................................111 Conclusion ................................................................................................................112