Land zoning: How does Australia compare to Japan and North America?
I recently read a thought-provoking article comparing land zoning in Japan with North America. Two significantly different approaches to zoning; Japan with a very limited palette of zones stipulated by the National government, contrasted with the North American approach where zoning is the domain of local government and hundreds of different zones prevail.
Zoning in Australia is the ultimate responsibility of states. Victoria has a consistent set of zones that are applied across the State (around 30). In the 1990s, this approach replaced the previous system where new zones could be created in each local government area seemingly on a whim. New South Wales has also moved to standardise its zoning since 2006. In that sense, Australia’s two largest states are more similar to Japan than North America.
Australia’s zones are probably more exclusionary than those of Japan, but less so than North America. I stand to be corrected on that front by those more knowledgeable of Australian planning! With new residential zones in metropolitan Melbourne currently creating controversy amid a State Election campaign, the article makes for a timely read.
With thanks to Andrew Beaton for sharing this article.
I am not keen on zones as the basis for development control. Zones facilitate box ticking as opposed to rigorous contextual and environmental assessment of land in terms of suitability for a specific form of development – and ability to meet performance objectives rather than prescriptive/often arbitrary development standards.
I also do not agree with Zoning, because it assumes all in the ‘zone’ is the same. But I have recently encountered problems with the “rigorous contextual and environmental assessment of land in terms of suitability for a specific form of development” as it can (and almost always does) become opinionated and subjective rather than objective. I tried to do a “New” build in a Heritage Conservation Area and was denied because basically “Council don’t like it” and I have no recourse, unless I want to drag it through courts – which I cannot afford to take the risk. So I am now stuck with a very old and decaying building. Of course my other option is to move out of the area, but I like the area.