IN BROAD-BRUSH TERMS, Europe is an urban culture. City precincts and streets are a stage for every form of human activity, intertwined and simultaneous. Of Europe, visiting Canadian architecture critic Christopher Hume declared: “A man’s castle is his city. It is living room, dining room, backyard and vehicle. The streets are his hallways and the parks his garden.” Tourists from Down Under usually return home seduced by a way of life that most wouldn’t consider for themselves.

Australia is one of the most urbanised societies in the world but its culture is suburban. As with the United States, post-World War II conditions – a combination of cheap petrol and wartime manufacturing and construction capacity all dressed up with nowhere to go – fueled a migration to the city fringes that drained much of the lifeblood from the urban heart. Now, both countries are trying to revitalise stagnant inner-city precincts, and reduce the pressure on social services, by encouraging the development of old-fashioned neighbourhoods in places where support systems and infrastructure exist already.

The problem for the growing number of urban interest groups and organisations such as Smart Growth, People for Liveable Cities, Walkable Communities and the Congress for the New Urbanism is that altering the residential development model of suburban America, and that of little brother Australia, is no easy task. And it is not made easier by governments, local authorities and commercial interests clinging to the sprawl model, even in the face of evidence proving it both undesirable and unsustainable.

Urban consolidation and infill development have become rallying cries for both sides of the residential development debate in South Australia. Both generate an emotional fog that obscures the reasoned argument for, and benefits of, a return to the urban neighbourhood communities that existed before the flight to the suburbs more than 50 years ago. So what do the design and planning specialists promote as the mix of people, places and spaces required to make good neighbourhoods and streets? The core principle is that the most workable and sustainable communities are characterised by diversity and a shared sense of belonging and ownership among people of all ages and situations.

Ideal neighbourhoods are compact and pedestrian friendly, and include most daily activities and destinations – particularly public transport links – within comfortable walking distance. They incorporate a mix of housing types and affordability; a mix of civic, institutional and commercial facilities; and a mix of public spaces, parks and sporting and outdoor play areas.

Streets are the lifelines of the urban neighbourhood. Good streets promote:

Equity and care for all, by being pedestrian-close to daily needs, thereby reducing car dependency, and by being safe and clean.

Physical health, by enabling walking and cycling, and providing easy access to parks and open space

Psychological health, by bringing people together and encouraging interaction through meeting and eating places, public spaces and leisure opportunities.

Neighbourhood longevity, by catering for all ages through a mix of housing types and proximity to schools, childcare facilities, health services and shops.

A sense of place, by containing resident/owner-operated shops and specialty stores.

Pleasure and identity, from compatible and seamlessly linked built forms that respond to local climate, topography and history.

Continuity and evolution of the urban community, through the conservation of historic buildings, precincts, and landscapes