ABSTRACT
As the capital city of the state of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia, Sydney, in the past 220 years, has developed from a penal settlement to one of the world’s greatest cities with distinctive characters. The harbour, the beach, the rivers, the mountains, the home gardens and big backyards, and the large tracts of natural bushland make it unique among world cities (Spearritt and DeMarco 1988). Understanding how this city has been growing and foreseeing the future direction of its growth are of primary concern to geographers as well as to planners and decision makers.
