Save Our State (SOS), formerly known as Save Our Suburbs, was a community group concerned about the impact of contemporary development on established low-density residential suburbs in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n cities.
It was established in
Melbourne,
Victoria in the mid-1990s and now has bases in
New South Wales,
South Australia, the
Australian Capital Territory and
Queensland. In Victoria, SOS has had significant influence on residential
planning
Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is consi ...
policy, most notably on the importance of
neighbourhood character within the state's planning scheme and its delineation in the residential design code, '
ResCode ResCode is a residential design code introduced by the Bracks ( ALP) government, in Victoria, Australia in 2001. It applies to all land zoned for residential use across Victoria and covers buildings up to three storeys in height. (Taller buildings ...
', implemented in 2001. SOS's influence can also be seen in some of the key components of the Metropolitan Strategy,
Melbourne 2030 regarding the focus on
intensification of '
activity centres' in line with
Transit-oriented development (TOD) principles and on aiming to protect existing residential areas.
SOS formation and rapid growth was a reaction to the planning policies of the
Kennett government in Victoria during the 1990s, in particular the planning code known as 'The Good Design Guide for
Medium Density Housing'. A measure of the significance of the issues that SOS campaigns about and the profile thus gained is indicated by SOS securing registered political party status in New South Wales and fielding candidates in the 2007
New South Wales state election. The party changed its name to "Save Our State" in 2010.
See also
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Suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
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Suburban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
*
Automobile dependency
Car dependency is the concept that some city layouts cause cars to be favoured over alternate forms of transportation, such as bicycles, public transit, and walking.
Overview
In many modern cities, automobiles are convenient and sometimes nec ...
*
Transit-oriented development
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Smart growth
*
NIMBY
References
*
Lewis, M. (1999) Suburban backlash : the battle for the world's most liveable city, Hawthorn, Vic. : Bloomings Books, ()
External links
Save Our Suburbs (Vic) Save Our Suburbs (NSW) IncEvonne Moore
* (Transcript of interview with Tony Recsei, from Save Our Suburbs, Sydney)
{{Authority control
Urban planning in Australia
Political advocacy groups in Australia
Organisations based in Melbourne
Defunct political parties in Australia