Gordon Stephenson (1908–1997) 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.
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Stephenson studied architecture at the University of Liverpool, graduating in 1930. His early career included working with Patrick Abercrombie on the Greater London Plan.[1] Along with Peter Shepheard, he created an influential[2] design for Stevenage, the first post-war British new town, which incorporated a pedestrianised town centre.
In 1953, Stephenson was commissioned by the state government of Western Australia to produce a plan for the metropolitan area of Perth and Fremantle.[1] The resulting 1955 Plan for the Metropolitan Region was co-authored with Alistair Hepburn and is commonly known as the 'Stephenson-Hepburn Report'. It included an atlas of maps which laid down a broad pattern of future land uses including highways and open space, and catered for significant additional population growth.[3]
The report formed the basis for the 1963 Metropolitan Region Scheme for Perth and Fremantle, a legal instrument for regulating land-use and development in the urban area[4] It remained the overarching strategic plan for the development of Perth until it was succeeded by the Corridor Plan for Perth in 1970.[3]
On August 28, 2011 the WA State Government announced that the recently completed building, informally known as one40william would be renamed Gordon Stephenson House.[5]
Following his work in Perth, he was employed variously as a consultant planner and academic in New Zealand, Canada, and America. He subsequently returned to Perth and continued to play an important role in its development, amongst other things crafting plans for Joondalup and Midland regional centres, and for the campus of Murdoch University.[6]
In later life, he authored several books.