Surveys and sketches: 19th‐century approaches to colonial urban design

Abstract

At the end of a 300‐year period of colonial expansion Britain established two cities in Australasia: Adelaide and Wellington. Two surveyors, William Light and William Mein Smith, were charged with planning grid cities on remote and geographically extreme sites, one in Australia and one in New Zealand. This paper looks at the survey plans of these cities in the historical context of the development of grid cities in the Western planning tradition. The paper further argues that the plans were also informed by urban design knowledge gleaned from these men's lives of global travel associated with military service. The sketches and diaries of Light and Mein Smith allowed a personal embellishment of the plans to occur, and this transformation is explored by looking at the sketches they drew prior to their voyages south.

Notes

Correspondence Address: Diane Brand, School of Architecture, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Diane Brand

Correspondence Address: Diane Brand, School of Architecture, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]