Realising new leisure opportunities for old urban parks: the internal reserve in Australia

The internal reserve-community space at the rear of residential lots with no street frontage was a conspicuously innovative feature of the ‘town-planned’ or ‘garden’ suburb in the first three decades of the 20th century in many countries. Often intended as a playground for children, designers also suggested the internal reserve as an ideal locus for community building through leisure-time activities such as sport, agriculture, and passive recreation. Within a decade they were increasingly viewed as nuisance, or even dangerous, spaces. Many retain this stigma, unhelped by community apathy and governmental disinterest amid the broader neglect of the public realm. Drawing on the Australian experience, this paper acknowledges some of the shortcomings of internal reserves but points toward a more positive set of leisure futures. Many of these small, semi-private spaces may yet prove to be valuable community assets in the new millennium.