Land use planning for the interface between a natural world heritage area and a global city

Anticipating a conflict between a global city and its neighbouring, internationally recognised natural area is a contemporary and local planning challenge for Sydney. Following the global trend for bigger cities, Sydney’s population is anticipated to grow by about one-third to 6 million by 2036 (NSW Government, 2010). Where to house our new community members along with other planning considerations is a current and popular debate among the community, politicians and interest groups. Strategic plans look to provide answers but remain non-committal on measures to conserve our natural resources in particular the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area adjacent to Sydney. Land use planners will recognise issues of urban-nature interface management that require address for any protected area. However, the Blue Mountains is both an international and local icon. This paper will present findings of the analysis of 24 land use plans and interviews of planners from 15 government bodies undertaken as part of a larger study investigating whether land use planning addresses this special place and whether any provisions for its universal importance are made. Academic literature is so far silent on this. Consideration has been given to protected area management and to the meaning of world heritage (Bentrupperbaumer, 2006; Worboys etal, 2001;) as well as planning for urban sustainability including urban parks and biodiversity (Beatley, 2000). Lessons learnt from this investigation have international application for policy makers, planners and their counterparts managing protected areas. It is a contemporary and immediate issue for the global city of Sydney.