George Clarke Foundation

MINUTE BY THE LORD MAYOR

To Council: I wish to inform Council of the death of George Clarke, town planner, community activist and visionary.

George Clarke was born on 17 February, 1932, and grew up in suburban Randwick, the son of an AWA executive. He later recalled sitting with his nose pressed against the window, absorbed in “a synoptic view over the suburban Coogee-Randwick valley” and a “second memorable synoptic view from the top of the AWA tower”, the tallest building in Sydney at the time. George acknowledged that these childhood experiences were early influences in his desire to be a city planner or urban designer.

Although George graduated in architecture from Sydney University in 1954, he had already decided in his second year that he wanted to be an “urbanist” and not an architect. While a post-graduate Town and Country Planning student, his inspirational professor, Denis Winston, set as an essay topic: The view from the South East Pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This topic enabled George to enquire into and speculate on the history, character and development of Sydney – a topic that would involve and absorb him for much of the next 25 years.

In the early 1960s, as a young planner recently returned from studying and working in Italy, France, England and the US, George attempted to interest the then Labor-dominated City Council in planning issues with little success. Civic Reform, the group which won control of the Council in 1969, was more receptive. In late 1969, the new Council commissioned George to oversee the development of a strategic plan for Sydney. The task was to be completed in 36 weeks.

The resulting strategic plan had four objectives related to management, accessibility, diversity and environment. Attached to these objectives were 16 major policies and about 84 action priorities. The policies covered not only land use and built form, but community services, finance, tourism, leisure and learning, and pollution control. While the plan itself comprised only 100 sentences, sitting behind it was hundreds of pages of detailed discussion, technical annexures, illustrations and supporting documents. As George later explained, “the nitty gritty” of the plan was in the technical annexures and the recommended program of detailed action plans and control codes. An early outcome of the plan was the transformation of Martin Place into a pedestrian plaza.

While the initial strategic plan was updated in 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980, many of its key action priorities were never fully and properly implemented. George later suggested that the weaknesses were not in the plan itself, but the failure of the NSW government and institutions to take seriously its key strategies, policies and action priorities. ITEM 3B.DOC002 11/3/05 6:41PM George left Australia in 1979 to undertake projects for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations. During the distinguished career that followed, he developed strategic plans for Melbourne and Adelaide, and towns and cities in Tuvalu, Zimbabwe and Indonesia.

George’s approach to planning was not that of the dispassionate technocratic professional. As an architectural student he mixed mainly with creative people like Harry Hooten, Lillian Roxon, John Olsen, the Free Thought Society and the students of the influential Philosophy Professor, John Anderson. These associations gave him a broader humanist world view, one that emphasised the social as well as the technical. He combined traditional planning with community development or what is called now “capacity building”. He did the rounds, informing and cajoling, pushing citizens to believe we could influence our planners and decision makers, mobilising ordinary people to have a say and demand a liveable city.

We see the results of George’s community building work in Paddington’s Area 15: streets reclaimed from through traffic, safe and pleasant for people to live and form a community – the trees and gardens, birds and insects that make this precinct an oasis in the middle of a noisy, global city. Most importantly, this precinct provides the space for people to live with each other, to exercise our democracy and participate in community life.

I knew and worked with George over many years and had two conversations with him, shortly before he died, the last on his recent birthday. He was clearly near the end of his very full life and he tightly grasped my arm and gave me his final instructions and advice – I took notes. We’d had a previous session not long before and he gave me documents and papers.

What frustrated us both was that my election as Lord Mayor, with a clear majority and generally progressive Council, coincided with the end of his life. What he said about the election and at the time probably in an expansive moment was that it was a culmination of his life’s work – a usual George exaggeration, but he said it probably because he knew that I am as committed as he was to strategic planning and community involvement in the process.

His commitment remained until the end. His final project was a Masterplan for the COFA site. He continued to beaver away to make it happen, talking to anyone who would listen, and anyone who could help make it happen. The UNSW College of Fine Arts, Council officers and local residents are now talking, putting together joint proposals which will work for both residents and for the university. While this work is not yet done, its eventual completion will be added to George Clark’s many legacies.

RECOMMENDATION:

That arising from consideration of a Minute by the Lord Mayor to Council on 14 March 2005 on the death of George Clarke:

1.  all persons present in the Chamber stand for one minute’s silence to mark the life of George Clarke and his contribution to the City of Sydney, the inner-Sydney community and the planning profession;
2. a letter, under the Lord Mayor’s signature, be conveyed to the partner of George Clarke expressing Council’s sincere condolences; and
3. the Lord Mayor, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, bring forward a recommendation to Council for an appropriate permanent memorial to George Clarke’s life, work and legacy.

(SGD) COUNCILLOR CLOVER MOORE MP
Lord Mayor