Cities globally have witnessed rapid growth, with the world’s population becoming more urban than rural over the last decade. In Australia, this has led to rapid urban expansion into the peri-urban fringes to provide housing and services for its population. The subsequent loss of agricultural land is largely seen as a market driven process, however increasing attention has been given to the contributory role of land use planning policy, systems, and public actors in specific contexts. This study examines the drivers of peri-urban agricultural land loss in Greater Western Sydney (GWS), one of the fastest growing peri-urban regions in Australia, with a particular attention on the role of government agencies. Drawing together a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative data, we chart the various tensions in managing population growth and housing pressures whilst at the same time seeking to protect existing peri-urban agricultural land. The research sheds light on the size, value, and extent of peri-urban agricultural activity in GWS. It then shows the extent to which such land is being converted to more profitable end uses, like housing. It contends that competing housing priorities and private market interests will continue to take precedence, unless the current pro-urbanisation narrative and associated political priorities change. To this end, the study also found evidence that the rapid succession of shocks and stresses experienced in city regions such as Sydney has now led to some fruitful questioning of that agenda, and the placing of urban growth imperatives above the preservation of agricultural and rural lands, and other natural resources.

全球城市见证了快速增长，在过去十年中，世界人口变得比农村人口更多。在澳大利亚，这导致城市快速扩张到城市周边地区，为其人口提供住房和服务。随后的农业用地流失在很大程度上被视为市场驱动的过程，但人们越来越关注农业土地的贡献作用特定背景下的土地使用规划政策、系统和公共行为者。本研究探讨了大西悉尼 (GWS) 城郊农业用地流失的驱动因素，该地区是澳大利亚增长最快的城郊地区之一，并特别关注政府机构的作用。我们汇集了一套全面的定量和定性数据，绘制了管理人口增长和住房压力的各种紧张局势，同时寻求保护现有的城郊农业用地。该研究揭示了 GWS 中城郊农业活动的规模、价值和范围。然后它显示了这些土地在多大程度上被转化为更有利可图的最终用途，如住房。它认为相互竞争的住房优先事项和私人市场利益将继续优先，除非当前支持城市化的叙述和相关的政治优先事项发生变化。为此，该研究还发现证据表明，悉尼等城市地区经历的快速连续冲击和压力导致对该议程产生一些富有成效的质疑，并将城市增长的必要性置于农业和农村土地的保护之上和其他自然资源。