Dismayed at urban strategies

I read with dismay the urban strategy plans for the Central Coast.

Fifty years ago I read a paper on livable cities by world famous Canadian town planner Lewis Mumford.

His major point was that cities of up to a million people provided everything a reasonable person could ask, over a million the quality of life went down.

For my first 45 years, I lived in Perth, a city of less than a million.

Since then I have travelled the world living several years in London and America. Mumford was right. The famous 'Brixton riots' shows what happens when people live in what I call termite cities.

When I came to Sydney, the writer Kylie Tennant suggested I buy a house in Hunters Hill.

A retired school inspector Donald Maclean had convinced the Council not to allow any buildings of more than two storeys.

We had our famous quarter acre block, the most used open space in Australia.

We chose to move to Pearl Beach, since we regarded the Central Coast as the ideal way to develop the whole of Australia.

We are a lucky country; not being overcrowded.

For my reasons and my solution for the nation you can read my book 'Saving Australia' in your regional library.

I will write in more detail to the council; including the grave dangers facing world cities from particulate pollution from vehicle exhausts.

Fortunately this can be prevented quite simply by particulate traps on all vehicles; as has now been done on all London buses.

Dr Vincent Serventy, Pearl Beach