Planning Reform as a Catalyst to Advance E-Planning

Abstract

The limited research on e-Planning in Australia, a perceived slow take up of e-Planning in the New South Wales (NSW), planning system and the release of a set of e-Planning recommendations as part of planning reform packages in 2007 and 2012 are the main reasons for conducting this research. The aim of this chapter is to determine the current attitude of planners towards e-Planning. To achieve this, the authors undertook to discover the attitudes of planners towards e-Planning. An online survey of planning staff was conducted in 2008. The survey results confirmed that planners in the NSW planning system are using a wide variety of IT applications. Participants demonstrated a strong understanding of e-Planning tools and the wider implications for the planning system. Overall, this research found the attitude of planners to be supportive of new technologies and of the use of e-Planning.