When I came to Canberra in the early '90s, Canberra City West was almost one big car park. With the growing demand for expansion of the city centre, it was inevitable that the Canberra City West would be redeveloped in line with the general needs of a growing city.
In May 2004, the ACT Government first developed an official master plan for City West to deal with the growing needs of a busy city.
From the introduction of the City West Master Plan (available on the ACTPLA website should you be interested):
“The basic structure for the City and the central area of Canberra was established with the announcement of Walter Burley Griffin’s and Marion Mahony Griffin’s award winning entry in 1912 for the design of the National Capital.
“Griffin’s design for the City and the central area was distinctive for the way the structure and geometry of the plan sensitively related to the natural landform. The City has remained a unique city centre with a distinctive character unlike any other in the world (Harrison: 30). This legacy is due to Griffin’s design and the qualities and symbolism with which he imbued Canberra.
“By the 1690s*, Canberra had exceeded the planned capacity of Griffin’s plan and this brought a shift in the role for the City. The Y-Plan was developed in 1967 to guide the growth of the ACT with self-contained town centres in a ‘Y’ formation. The City was intended as the main centre with specialised retail facilities, major business and cultural activity.
“The purpose of the Master Plan for City West is to review, enhance and build upon Griffin’s design and the Y-Plan objectives in the context of contemporary urban planning and design objectives. These objectives include sustainable development, higher quality design and greater community participation in the planning process.
“City West is the area in the City that lies between City East and the ANU, with the suburb of Turner and Sullivans Creek to the north, and the Lake to the south. City West has the potential to become a vibrant place in the tradition of Cambridge, Oxford, Lygon Street in Carlton and Newtown in Sydney. In these places, business thrives and a special character develops at the nexus between the city and university. The meshing of the interface between the City and the ANU is encouraged to draw some of the liveliness of the academic community into the City to assist with revitalisation of City West.”
This cache has been placed in Canberra City’s “newest” precinct to encourage people who might not have seen this area to take a look at the city that’s growing around them.
Like my other urban caches, this cache is available 24/7 and stealth is advised due to the often very busy environment. BYO Pen.
*yes, that's what it says on the published document:
http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/2590/citywest-mp.pdf