Responses to Retailing Change in Canberra: Fid-Bau Portal

Responses to Retailing Change in Canberra

Quirk, Mike

Retailing is a major activity in urban areas. Where it is located is a major influence on traffic flows and the ease and level of access the population has to goods and services. Relying solely on the market to determine retail provision is likely to result in a misallocation of resources. Given the dynamism of the industry, and the uncertainty in predicting the future, the challenge for planning frameworks has been how to best respond to the needs of an increasingly affluent and mobile population while considering the social and environmental consequences of development. This article explores, with particular reference to Canberra, how retail planning policy has evolved to respond to these changes. How communities respond to such changes will depend on the relative weighting they give to accessibility, efficiency, equity, sustainability and amenity criteria. The aim should be the development of a retail system that provides for competition, choice, accommodates new retail formats while meeting the needs of the less mobile and the need to reduce overall travel.