New suburban centers: An Australian perspective

Suburban “edge cities” are an international phenomenon registering the impacts of a growing global economy, the increasing footlooseness of capital, advances in communication technology, the growth of hi-tech industry, and the forces of decentralisation. Yet they do assume culturally specific forms. Using the case study of North Ryde in the Sydney metropolitan area, differences between Australia and the United States in terms of the dynamism and scale of their respective edge-city environments are highlighted. Four explanatory factors are identified: the comparative nature of the Australian economy, the differential strength of planning controls, contrasting central city—suburban relationships, and a lesser degree of freeway dependence