John Alistair Hepburn (8 March 1915 – 7 September 2004) was a town planner, noted for his contributions to the design and development of the urban regions within greater

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

in Western Australia, and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria.

Early life

Hepburn was born on 8 March 1915 in London. He studied as a chartered surveyor and valuer at Eastbourne College of Arts and Technology in

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

before joining the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Career

After the war, he practised as a town planning consultant in London and Middlesex and emigrated to Australia in 1951, where he joined the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC, also known as Council) is the local government of the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. The largest local government in Australia by population, BCC's jurisdiction includes 2 ...

and later the Cumberland County Council in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. In 1953, he took a position as the Town Planning Commissioner for Western Australia. At this time, he joined with Professor

Gordon Stephenson Gordon Stephenson (6 June 1908 – 30 March 1997) was a British-born town planner and architect. He is best known for his role in shaping the modern growth and development of Perth, Western Australia. Biography Gordon Stephenson was born in ...

, who had been commissioned specifically to produce a plan for the metropolitan areas of Perth and

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

. The pair co-authored the 1955 Plan for the Metropolitan Region, Perth and Fremantle, which has served as the blueprint for town planning in the region since then. He moved to Victoria in 1959, where he took a position of Chief Planner for the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. He held positions there until his retirement in 1978. During his time in Melbourne, he helped guide the expansion of the city and the metropolitan region during the 1960s and 1970s. He also held council positions at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

both prior to its establishment in 1964, and continuing there until 1970. He was made an Officer (Civil) of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

and in 2000 received a

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

Death

He died on 7 September 2004.

Legacy

The major arterial road

Hepburn Avenue Hepburn Avenue is an arterial east–west road in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. The road links Sorrento in the west with Malaga and Whiteman in the east. It also connects the residential developments that span its length w ...

in Perth's northern suburbs is named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hepburn, Alistair 1915 births 2004 deaths People from London People from Perth, Western Australia People from Melbourne Australian urban planners British emigrants to Australia British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery personnel Military personnel from London