Save Our State formerly known as Save Our Suburbs, is a politically influential community group concerned about the impact of contemporary development on established low-density residential suburbs in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n cities.

It was established in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 in the mid-1990s and now has bases in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

, the Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

 and Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

. In Victoria, SOS has had significant influence on residential planning

Urban planning

Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....

 policy, most notably on the importance of neighbourhood character

Neighbourhood character

Neighbourhood character refers to the 'look and feel of an area', in particular a residential area. It also includes the activities that occur there...

 within the state's planning scheme and its delineation in the residential design code, 'ResCode

ResCode

ResCode is a residential design code introduced by the Bracks 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 are covered by different policies.- History :ResCode was...

', implemented in 2001. SOS's influence can also be seen in some of the key components of the Metropolitan Strategy, Melbourne 2030

Melbourne 2030

The Metropolitan Strategy Melbourne 2030 is a Victorian Government strategic planning policy framework for the metropolitan area of Greater Melbourne, intended to cover the period 2001-2030. During this period the population of the metropolitan area is expected to grow by a million people to over 5...

 regarding the focus on intensification

Urban consolidation

Urban consolidation refers to a diverse set of planning policies intended to make better use of existing urban infrastructure by encouraging development within existing urbanised areas rather than on non-urbanised land , thus limiting urban sprawl...

 of 'activity centre

Activity centre

Activity centre is a term used in urban planning and design for a mixed-use urban area where there is a concentration of commercial and other land uses...

s' in line with Transit-oriented development

Transit-oriented development

A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...

 (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

Jeff Kennett

Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...

 government in Victoria during the 1990s, in particular the planning code known as 'The Good Design Guide for Medium Density Housing

Medium-density housing

Medium density housing is a term used in Australia to describe residential developments that are at higher densities than standard low-density, suburban subdivisions, but not so high that they might be regarded as high density housing. The density of standard suburban residential areas has...

'. 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

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 state election. The party changed its name to "Save Our State" in 2010.

See also

• Suburb
  Suburb
  The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
  
  
• Suburban sprawl
• Automobile dependency
  Automobile dependency
  Automobile dependency is a term coined by Professors Peter Newman and Jeff Kenworthy to capture the predicament of most cities in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and to a lesser extent, large cities in Europe....
  
  
• Transit-oriented development
  Transit-oriented development
  A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...
  
  
• Smart growth
  Smart growth
  Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
  
  
• NIMBY
  NIMBY
  NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard". The term is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies...
  
  

External links

• Save Our Suburbs (Vic)
• Save Our Suburbs (NSW) Inc
• Save Our Suburbs (Adelaide) Evonne Moore (Transcript of interview with Tony Recsei, from Save Our Suburbs, Sydney)