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Linley Lutton PhD.
Linley Lutton's Philosophy (source unknown):
My professional life started as an architect, however in the mid 1990s I studied Urban Social Geography and so started my journey down the path of urban planning. It took some time for me to find my core philosophy but once found I now see all of my work and teaching with great clarity. To me, human ecology is at the centre of good urban planning. City planning in Western Australia is moving rapidly from ‘planning for the good of the people’ to ‘planning to facilitate property development’. The community has no ability to appeal or object to planning decisions no matter how poor they are. Our Government makes short-term planning decisions based on political whim rather than sound planning principles. Much of the rest of the developed world is embracing the process of co-production where the community is fully involved in planning decisions while Western Australia moves in a more autocratic direction. People have the right to demand better of their city planners and architects. They have the right to live in an environment which provides the essential elements required for them to lead healthy, contented lives. In recent times I have begun to publically challenge the ill-conceived city planning ideologies and projects emanating from our Government planning and redevelopment agencies. On one hand, this puts me at odds with professionals, bureaucrats and politicians however on the other hand it puts me in synchrony with most of the community who are the real owners of the city. Few professionals are prepared to speak up and challenge the system and there is no joy in doing so. I feel it is irresponsible to remain silent when I see my city being ruined through poor planning. My great dream is to see our cities and towns full of soul and authentic character reflecting the spirit of people.
Dr Lutton's Help to the Fremantle Society:
Dr Lutton was an inaugural member of Fremantle Council's Design Advisory Committee and resigned when it was obvious the committee was being subverted, and after the 5 storey Quest Apartments in Pakenham Street were approved. He subsequently wrote a report on the project to assess its effectiveness, calling the approval ‘possibly technically illegal.'
Before the Atwell Arcade development was approved he wrote on behalf of the Fremantle Society a 12 page assessment for councillors and staff, which was ignored, resulting in the destruction of the best remaining arcade in Fremantle, the destruction of adjacent gold rush roofscapes with the large glass office box, further damage to shopfronts, and a failure to deliver what was promised by the developer.
A perfectly good Point Street development scheme approved unanimously by the previous council, was torn up by Cr Sullivan and the mayor, resulting in years of delay and a mediocre outcome: The city has embarked on a massive, arguably unrealistic redevelopment program, and I witnessed the preparedness on many occasions by certain elected members to override the advice of independent design experts to ensure this program could at least appear to be proceeding. Point Street is a perfect example (Dr Lutton to Roel Loopers 2014).
When Dr Lutton resigned from the DAC his comments were dismissed by the mayor and no effort was made to sit down with Dr Lutton and learn from his concerns.
Dr Lutton wrote a report for the Fremantle Society on the value of King's Square. It was likewise ignored. (John Dowson)
File:Freotopia books .. authors img luttonlinley2.jpg
Linley Lutton, My Philosophy
Linley Lutton, Help to the Fremantle Society
Linley Lutton 2014, 'Thinking Allowed', Fremantle Herald, 19 September.
Brett Christian, Post, 27 January 2018, page 9:
High-density myth is Lutton's legacy
Linley Lutton’s legacy will include his exploding of the belief that higher-density living will automatically make cities better, mourners at his funeral were told.
John Dowson, president of the Fremantle Society, outlined some of Dr Lutton’s public achievements at his funeral last week after his death on January 7, aged 65 (Linley dreamt of cities full of soul, POST, January 13).
Dr Lutton, of Wembley Downs, was an urban planner and educator who argued for more people-friendly development in the western suburbs.
He said the first aim of a city’s town planning and architecture should be the mental and physical health of residents.
“Linley was particularly concerned at the relentless push for higher-density developments while at the same time concerned at Australians’ obsession with larger and larger houses with insufficient outdoor living space, trees or landscape,” Mr Dowson said.
Simply increasing density does not in itself improve the quality of life
“In terms of density, he said: ‘The fundamental flaw in our planners’ thinking is their belief that, through density, cities become livelier and more connected.
“What they fail to grasp is that it is the intensely rich sensory experience and diverse mix of human activity, not density, which makes cities so liveable.
“Simply increasing residential densities does not in itself improve the quality of city life.” Mr Dowson said Dr Lutton always argued his case like the gentleman he was.
“Lana Turner may have said ‘a gentleman is simply a patient wolf, but Linley was rational and kind, imbued with the philosophy of sense of place that epitomised George Seddon’s work.”
Dr Lutton courageously spoke out against vested interests when he perceived the public interest was,at risk.
“It has been very hard for people like Linley to be heard and to be effective when developers in this state have so much power and influence at state and local government level, Mr Dowson said.
“Bodies like the Heritage Council are basically now a developers’ club, and the National Trust focuses on education and not advocacy.
“There is a great deal of stress working pro bono in a hostile environment.
“Still, he achieved a great deal and inspired many people.
“The clear signposts he has given us point to a better future.
“Linley’s philosophy is neatly summed up by the headline in the POST: Linley dreamt of cities full of soul.
“He wants ‘cities and towns full of soul and authentic character, reflecting the spirit of people.’
“I hope Linley’s students carry his philosophy with them through their lives, and I hope Linley’s friends celebrate this wonderful unselfish man, by helping to promote the values he so lovingly put forward.”File:Freotopia img luttonobit.jpg
Linley Lutton...'Rational and kind gentleman'.
Lutton’s Thinking Allowed Herald 19/9/2014
FREMANTLE city council is misusing its planning scheme to facilitiate poor development outcomes in Fremantle’s heritage-rich West End precinct.
The development industry argument that heritage hinders commercial progress is alive and well and people who try to voice their concerns are labelled “negative”.
Two over-height and poorly designed developments have now been approved in the West End because developers claimed extra height is needed in this height–restricted area in order to achieve commercially viable developments.
For years, in Perth’s CBD, cynical developers have shoe-horned characterless buildings behind heritage facades and this approach is now being applied in Fremantle where approving authorities are jumping to support their initiatives.
It was deplorable to hear that in Fremantle recently the council, at a specially convened meeting, listened to a conga line of commercially-focussed people speaking in support of the redevelopment of Atwell Arcade while one lone figure tried in vain to remind the council of its responsibility to heritage conservation.
What is glaringly obvious here is the powerful influence—both negative and positive—that sense-of-place has on urban dwellers is not understood. The unique sense-of-place associated with heritage environments is highly valued in most Australian capital cities because it offers respite from otherwise utilitarian intensity.
Sense-of-place triggers strong memories, attachments and behaviours at community and personal levels.
Our very identities are shaped by sense-of-place. Fremantle’s West End precinct, regarded as Perth’s most valuable tourism asset, exhibits a sense of place found nowhere else in the Perth metropolitan area. This is largely due to its scale, streetscape and evocative architecture. Alarmingly, a pattern may be emerging which threatens the overall integrity of this very special place.
Inappropriate developments are now being approved in the West End by misusing a clause in the town planning scheme intended to protect Fremantle’s heritage character. The clause gives the council the capacity to vary any site or development provision, without limitation, in order to preserve heritage values.
However, it does not give the council carte blanche to disregard other broader aims dealing with a variety of issues including preservation of Fremantle’s character. Paradoxically, this powerful clause aimed at heritage preservation is being cherry-picked from a planning framework to facilitate developments which compromise heritage values.
There are two critical points here. First, the capability of a property to return a development profit is never a criterion used to assess development applications. Only in major urban redevelopment areas is it considered relevant.
Developers always push the envelope and in localities anxious to see development occur they will try to convince gullible decision-makers to accommodate greater demands. Regardless of how compelling a developer’s commercial argument may be it has no place in any development assessment process. It was highly inappropriate for Fremantle’s design advisory committee (DAC) to cite commercial capability as a reason to support the Atwell Arcade development. This is an issue well outside this DAC’s formal terms of reference. Additionally, there is nothing in Fremantle’s planning scheme which allows variations to site or development provisions to satisfy commercial capability.
Second, Fremantle councillors, and the DAC cannot work outside the totality of Fremantle’s planning framework, which comprises many interrelated documents thick with phrases such as: developments are to achieve an exceptionally high standard in terms of appearance; developments are to be distinctive befitting their location; and, developments are to complement and contribute to the community’s desired identity and character for Fremantle.
Additionally, the DAC must satisfy itself that a development promotes character by responding to and reinforcing locally distinctive patterns of development and culture. A third party objective assessment of the two approved projects would most likely conclude that neither satisfies the broad intent of many sections in Fremantle’s planning framework including the overall stated aim to protect and conserve Fremantle’s unique cultural heritage. The approvals could be open to challenge because they so obviously ignore many pertinent sections of Fremantle’s planning framework.
Precedent is everything in planning and the precedent is now set for increased heights and characterless modern buildings in the West End. Preservation of the community’s desired character for Fremantle, a clearly stated aim of Fremantle’s planning scheme, has been ignored in order to satisfy development-driven commercial gain. Future developers can now expect height increases anywhere in the West End, even when the design outcomes are perfunctory and the results are clearly visible from the surrounding streets. All they need do is maintain the building’s façade, which they should be doing as a matter of course in this precinct, make a few internal heritage preservation gestures and then propose whatever they like behind and above. In the process the West End’s overall cohesive scale and unspoilt sense of place is eroded.
The Fremantle community should think long and hard about its attitude to the West End because your elected members and their advisory committee are beginning the process of erosion and the character of this special place is not replaceable.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 13 March, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/authors/lutton/help.html (it was last updated on 19 April, 2024), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 13 March, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/books/lutton/index.html (it was last updated on 10 September, 2020), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 13 March, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/books/lutton/help.html (it was last updated on 29 May, 2020), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 13 March, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/books/lutton/legacy.html (it was last updated on 29 May, 2020), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 13 March, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/books/lutton/philosophy.html (it was last updated on 29 May, 2020), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 13 March, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/books/lutton/thinkingallowed.html (it was last updated on 29 May, 2020), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.