Tony Powell, who wrote the privately backed ''Living City'' plan in 2005 to address Civic's rundown state, says the ACT's latest blueprint is a waste of money and lacks fundamental transport networks.

Mr Powell said the government's City Plan, which will guide decisions on infrastructure and buildings, seemed designed to create valuable residential land to satisfy a budget.

''All of the land that fronts the lake should be looked at from a long-term national point of view, because the whole of the lake is now the most important national capital element in Canberra's overall planning.''

The former chief of the National Capital Development Commission said the City Plan was vague and neglected Garema Place's numerous closed shops.

Canberra Airport owner Terry Snow financed Living City, which architect Colin Stewart designed around a proposed 3000-space car park beneath City Hill.

The land inside London Circuit was converted into a city centre: a mix of public space and parklands, as well as commercial, government and residential buildings.

Mr Stewart declined to comment.

Mr Powell said those responsible for the latest plan had pinched Living City's idea of putting a convention centre on the lake's edge.

''But in this plan they've put it near the National Museum of Australia, whereas we tucked it in where they have all the residential development off Commonwealth Avenue.

''We were conscious that that convention centre needed to be pedestrian-linked to the CBD, whereas they have pushed it too far around.

''They spent $1 million here to get architects to produce a whole lot of fancy drawings, but there is no planning in there.

''If you look at the Living City report we went through all the analysis of the Griffin Plan, the existing land use in Civic. Colin Stewart then showed how those systems could be developed in a spatial sense and I did all the work on the planning issues about transport.''

Mr Powell said essential transport planning had not been done for the City Plan, nor had the CBD's commercial decline been resolved.

''Look at Garema Place; it hasn't changed in 20 years since self-government because they don't know what to do with it.

''Small shops are closing, killed by internet shopping.''

He said the government had not engaged with Canberra businesses, unlike in Sydney and Melbourne, where state governments had day-to-day conversations and relationships with local governments and private businesses.