Canberra 1912: Plans and Planners of the Australian Capital Competition

This is an account of the planning of the city of Canberra, Australia, describing how the competition to design the city was run, amid boycotts and controversy. It tells of the flamboyant King O'Malley, who oversaw events as Minister for Home Affairs, and how the winning entrant, Walter Burley Griffin, implemented his design. The designs and related documentary material show the planning theory and practice which was used at a time when modern urban planning was in its infancy. A cast of urban designers is introduced - men such as Arthur Comey, Ernest Gimson, Charles Heath and Emil T. Mische, whose work has been largely forgotten, ignored or inadequately understood.