Tertiary Education and Postwar Reconstruction: The First Australian Planning Programs

Abstract

While a robust voluntary town planning movement emerged in Australia before World War I, the long-standing goal of university-provided professional education did not become a reality until after World War II. This chapter considers the genesis of the first three tertiary programs in Australia between 1949 and 1951 in the wake of national moves toward postwar reconstruction. These were at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries (under Gavin Walkley), University of Sydney (under Denis Winston), and University of Melbourne (under Niel Abercrombie). The development of these first qualifications each has its own complex history. The chapter highlights the key factors driving establish..