TIGHTENING the reins on rapidly expanding urban growth has been a struggle for some of the world's greatest cities.
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An extreme example, but Tokyo, along with Japan's other metropolises, faced a drain of rural people to the cities in the post-war period.
The country had the unfortunate prospect of a blank canvas to redesign its urban planning to handle this population shift.
What resulted was a model of transportation and urban design efficiency. But these modern cities also destroyed any sense of a connection with the land. Green, open space is almost non-existent in most cities.
Basic conveniences like running water were also a rarity in Japanese cities until the end of the 1980s.
While Bendigo isn't facing tens of millions of people seeking a better life, it does sit at a crossroad.
High-density apartment living can create a different kind of sense of community. But it needs to be combined with areas for people to experience at least some of the freedom of the expansive central Victorian countryside.
Retaining spaces like the Quarry Hill Golf Course can only be a positive for the future of Bendigo.