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where have all the gardens gone?
Tony Hall
Adjunct Professor, Urban Research Program, Griffith University
Within the past 10 years, substantial private rear gardens and back yards have largely disappeared from new suburban houses in Australia. Whatever the size of plot, the dwelling now extends over nearly the whole area. It provides extensive floor area but not high standards of amenity and lifestyle. The change appears both permanent and uniform. It is to be found in nearly all major Australian cities but appears to be confined to Australia. This shift away from back yards represents a loss that has serious ecological implications. It also raises important questions about lifestyles changing for the worse, a trend rendered permanent by the changes to the housing stock.
Tony Hall has undertaken a detailed quantitative study of this increasing but largely un-remarked problem. A research report was published by Griffith University in September 2007 and the investigation is continuing. The current understanding what is happening will be presented and remedies suggested. |
