Designing Canberra - An Ideal City

[Omicron]

http://www.idealcity.org.au/

I stumbled across this website today - a fascinating journey through the competition to design our nation's capital. The best part by far is the section showing the 46 shortlisted entries, which I've never seen aside from Griffin's winning entry. Some are hilariously awful; some are complex geometric arrangements; some are majestic formal sculptures; but all are fascinating. Worth a look.

[stumpjumper]

Very interesting! Thanks for posting this, Omicron.

[Maximus]

If you're ever in Canberra, my tip would be to visit the National Capital Exhibition. It's free, and you learn not just about the weird and wonderful design entries, but also about how the site was selected, etc, etc. My favourite part: suggested alternative names for Canberra... 'Sydmeladperbrisho'...?

[Waewick]

as anyone ever seen Adelaide's original design and notes from Light?

[Isiskii]

Original design?

I thought the current layout/design was the original.

[Waewick]

sorry I mean the original plan on paper with the notes (and why the hell he put it where he did) and reasons and purposes of the parklands.

[Aidan]

http://www.idealcity.org.au/

I stumbled across this website today - a fascinating journey through the competition to design our nation's capital. The best part by far is the section showing the 46 shortlisted entries, which I've never seen aside from Griffin's winning entry. Some are hilariously awful; some are complex geometric arrangements; some are majestic formal sculptures; but all are fascinating. Worth a look.

I agree, despite the truly awful Flash interface!

...anyone ever seen Adelaide's original design and notes from Light?
...sorry I mean the original plan on paper with the notes (and why the hell he put it where he did) and reasons and purposes of the parklands.

I have seen the original (with differences from what we have now including no Frome Street, no laneways and completely different roads through the Parklands). But while I've heard a bit about the original reasons Light included them, I don't recall ever reading his notes.

[Nathan]

I have seen the original (with differences from what we have now including no Frome Street, no laneways and completely different roads through the Parklands). But while I've heard a bit about the original reasons Light included them, I don't recall ever reading his notes.

This one?
http://archivemaps.com/mapco/adel1837/adel1837.htm

[Omicron]

That is obviously a fabrication of filthy developers to justify their INCORRECT ARGUMENTS that buidlings should be permitted in the Parklands. Light NEVER intended for buildings in the Parklands. NEVER. That hospital, barracks, Government House, market, cemetery and store house are HEINOUS LIES added by HEATHENS. How DARE you promote such PROPAGANDA.

[stumpjumper]

Light provided 'government reserves' for most of the buildings in the Park Lands. Unfortunately, Light produced his plan for the city in a serious hurry, so he didn't exactly leave a prescription for how to use his design. I think it would have been outside his brief to do that anyway - so there's a bit of a vacuum there which has caused controversy ever since. The first 'Park Lands Preservation Association' was formed in the 1800s. It was guided by interpretations of what evidence there was about the philosophical basis of Light's plan.

To make matters worse, most of Light's papers were burnt in a fire at his house, and Light died in 1839.

Light completed his survey using trig points, so he didn't have to traverse every line of subdivision. The trigonometrical method he used meant that points of intersection could be drawn on a map, then found accurately on the ground by triangulation using the trig points set up on high points. Light's plan was a work of art in surveyors' terms, and he did the lot without even a horse to ride. There wasn't one in the whole colony when Light was at work. Even with the trig points, Light had to walk huge distances, towing a trolley with his gear.

[Maximus]

Hmmmm, this thread isn't really about Canberra anymore...

[Maximus]

AtD, or any other Canberra folk, have you ever been to the National Capital Exhibition?

Omi, are you in Canberra too, or just stumbled on that website purely by accident?

[rhino]

I've been to the National Capital Exhibition - thought it was brilliant.

[Omicron]

AtD, or any other Canberra folk, have you ever been to the National Capital Exhibition?

Omi, are you in Canberra too, or just stumbled on that website purely by accident?

No, I was bored on Wikipedia one day.

[bulldog13]

Seeming I'm currently living in the place, anyone want to ask me anything??