Abstract

The city of Adelaide, Australia, has like many developed industrialised cities come under increased focus in the way in which it is designed and managed over recent years. However media, public debate, and to a lesser extent academic debate continue to focus on the environmental sustainability of our built form and often bypasses unknowingly the important factors underpinning smart growth principles and social capital which can help to frame, develop, and enhance each resident’s day to day life. The importance of Adelaide developing into a socially sustainable and vibrant environment which is a desirable place to live has vast reaching benefits, from increased physical and mental health throughout the community, natural resource conservation, social cohesion and crime prevention amongst a wealth of others. City design and functionality play important roles in how we feel about living or visiting a particular locality, and attracting people to particular cities has interrelated economic, political, and touristic implications which require highly efficient planning practises for successful, holistic outcomes for individuals and their wider community alike. Through this article, I will review the key local documents in Adelaide which aim to frame future planning, examining which features of Istanbul’s urban form lend themselves to developing smart growth principles and providing opportunities for social capital exchanges. I conclude with what Adelaide may be able to do in applying these aspects from Istanbul’s built form locally with the aim of developing opportunities for social capital exchanges in a smart growth based city.