MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR
Companion Animals in the City
I have been involved in urban animal management (UAM) since 1991, observing the development of the field and making several individual and collaborative contributions of my own. My work on planning and design have been world firsts. I have also examined the broader notion of compliance in animal management - what it means, how it might be achieved and what tools are available. Along the way I have given a great deal of thought to the role and place of pets in cities of the future - whether they have a future and on what basis.
Since at least 1995 I have considered integrating this work into one compendium. The disparate threads have, over the years, crystallised into a more or less coherent vision for the long term future of UAM. It makes sense to bring this work together, allowing it to be kept and read as an integrated whole, while presenting the individual components as stand-alone work.
Another reason for integrating this work is that it creates a vehicle for bringing updates and new information to the UAM community - case studies of good design, the implications of new trends, findings from overseas research etc.
The residential design guidelines, prepared in 1993, warrant the most updating because they are the oldest and because there has been a sea change in community attitudes to apartment and townhouse living. What was once an unpalatable policy of the government is now a development reality with the effects of higher densities being visible in urban centres around Australia. In these circumstances, the need for guidelines becomes a design imperative rather than some vague notion that designing with pets in mind is a good idea.
The Public Open Space and Dogs report is still widely in use and does not warrant rewriting at this stage. The discussion in the section on Planning for Dogs in the Public Realm is therefore a commentary on the report's use, although it does provide new insights into the way we think about and plan for dogs' use of the public realm. A copy of the original report has been reproduced in this section since the original print run will soon be exhausted.
The remaining sections on Compliance and Strategic Planning collate and update work commissioned by Petcare for other forums.
Underpinning all my ideas in this area is the notion that if pets are to have a place in cities of the future (and I fervidly believe they should have a place) then it can no longer be left to chance. We need to start planning for it now. This doesn't mean a radical pro-pets approach but it does mean looking for ways to integrate pets into the policy equation. This compendium provides the essential ingredients for moving towards such an approach and should be of interest to health policy analysts, urban planners and open space/recreation professionals as well as those charged with the responsibility for UAM.
The compendium has been designed to accommodate updates and new information. These will be sent out to you free of charge. All you need to do is file the new work as you receive it. However to receive the updates, you first need to complete and return the registration form at the front of this folder. This is to make sure the insertions find their way into the compendium and to the right person.
Virginia Jackson
Harlock Jackson Pty Ltd
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