The Oracles Of Delfin: Women And Suburban Developments

The Delfin Property Group is one of a number of land developers achieving a market edge through the comprehensive planning and alternative design of their suburban subdivisions. By offering a range of “lifestyle choices” in house, lot and neighbourhood design, the developer has become something of a suburban oracle – both defining and offering practical solutions to the ills of the city. However, this paper will argue that such advice does not address the problems faced by women who live in outer suburban Melbourne. For the concerns of a sample of women participating in a qualitative survey were less about lot configuration but more about local employment and entertainment options for themselves and their children, mobility, the chaotic nature of their lives and social isolation. It is these problems that the oracles of suburban development need to address.