Urban Intensification in Geelong: How Resident Beliefs and Attitudes Shape Responses to Planning Proposals

We investigate resident attitudes towards urban intensification through the Heuristic Systematic Model (HSM). Drawing on survey and semi-structured interview data from two Urban Design Framework case studies in Geelong, Australia, it explores how prior experiences, institutional trust and beliefs and attitudes towards planning actors shape the interpretation of strategic planning proposals. The findings show that residents are not neutral recipients of planning information; rather, their evaluations are filtered through heuristic cues and beliefs and attitudes about newcomers, councils and developers. HSM extends participatory planning scholarship by providing a behavioural perspective on how planning proposals are interpreted and judged.