Abstract
Whilst recent geographical literature has addressed questions on the distribution of public services within Australian cities, scant attention has been given to the institutional arrangements for such provision. An analysis is made of the provision of fire services in Sydney since World War II, to exemplify the types of institutional constraints which may operate in the service supply process. The various ways in which such institutional constraints have led to differentials in service levels over space, lags in provision and legacies for the present fire service, are discussed. The results suggest that more detailed, cross‐disciplinary research is needed on the types and impact of institutional constraints across a range of urban public service authorities.

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