The 'Most dramatic evidence of progress and expansion': building regional shopping centres in western Sydney in the 1970s

This article charts the development of regional shopping centres in Sydney’s western suburbs during the 1970s. It shows how rapid population growth on the metropolitan fringe encouraged investment in large-scale retail property development that accommodated the needs of the city’s biggest department store firms. Many of these firms had been involved in the first wave of shopping centre development in middle-ring suburbs in the 1960s. In the 1970s, however, almost all design and construction of regional shopping centres was undertaken by specialist development firms that had honed their capabilities working for retailers during the 1960s. Retailers and developers conducted research to determine ideal site locations, but were guided by the prescriptive hand of metropolitan planning authorities. This meant that Sydney’s retail landscape reflected diverse influences: American style shopping centres were built in locations determined by European planning ideas and occupied by Australian retailers. Planning regimes also constrained subsequent development ensuring that the regional shopping centres built in Sydney’s western suburbs in the 1970s remain at the top of the region’s retail hierarchy today.