Building Better Cities Pyrmont 1
Building Better Cities A fieldwork program for the Stage 6 Geography Urban Places topic focussing on:! Pyrmont - a case study of an inner city suburb undergoing change as a result of urban consolidation and renewal 2
Urban Dynamics of change In Pyrmont Urban Consolidation Urban Renewal Urban Decay Urban Village Spatial Exclusion Other Urban Dynamics Suburbanisation Exurbanisation Counter Urbanisation Decentralisation 3
Urban Consolidation 4
Urban Renewal 5
Other urban dynamics and processes Urban Decay / Blight Gentrification Spatial Exclusion Urban Sprawl 6
Planning For Sydney s Future From this To this 7
The Metropolitan Plan for Sydney 2036 Is a plan for Sydney s growth. Aims to locate 30% of all new housing in greenfields (eg new land releases in the north-west and south-west) and 70% in brownfields (existing suburbs). Pyrmont s urban renewal and consolidation are part of the strategy to locate new housing in existing suburbs. GREENFIELD BROWNFIELD 8
WORKSHEET QUESTION 1 WHAT ARE THE KEY PLANNING CHALLENGES FOR THE CITY OF SYDNEY? 1 A Growing Population - By 2036 Sydney s population is expected to be 6 million (one fifth of all Australians). The additional population will require 770,000 new dwellings. The average occupancy is 2.51 people per dwelling compared to over 5 in 1900 requiring more dwellings. 9
WHAT ARE THE KEY PLANNING CHALLENGES FOR THE CITY OF SYDNEY? CONTINUED... 2 Providing jobs closer to homes the additional population will require 760 000 jobs 3 Providing sustainable and affordable housing average dwelling sizes are increasing taking up more space (McMansions) large houses reduce biodiversity and increase energy consumption Sydney housing is expensive for lower socio economic groups 4 Providing efficient transport new jobs and housing should match transport capacity 10
WHAT ARE THE KEY PLANNING CHALLENGES FOR THE CITY OF SYDNEY? CONTINUED... 5 Providing efficient infrastructure electricity water supply sewerage stormwater communication systems 6 Maintaining global competitiveness 11
7 Planning for ecological sustainability Sydney s planners must plan for an increasing population and promote sustainable urban design to protect the environment and ensure a high quality of life. Sustainability is measured by our ecological footprint - a measure of the effectiveness of planning for sustainability. The ecological footprint is the land a city requires to provide its raw materials and deal with its waste Sydney s footprint is 7 ha per person (26 million h.a.). This is three times the global average. If the entire world had the lifestyle of the average Sydney person, we would need approximately five planet Earth s to sustain this lifestyle. Effective town planning can help manage environmental issues like air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, waste disposal, water scarcity and biodiversity loss. 12
Key Sustainability Planning Strategies Making sure new housing meets environmental standards through BASIX legislation Developing new housing around transport centres to reduce car dependency Developing public transport and freight systems (rail) to reduce car and truck dependency Clustering jobs and housing together (mixed use zoning) to reduce carbon emissions Providing green spaces in cities to enhance biodiversity and provide wildlife corridors 13
Fieldwork Task Explain why and how the government has implemented the urban consolidation policy in Pyrmont. Evaluate its effectiveness in improving the quality of the urban environment. 14
WORKSHEET QUESTION 2 Why has the government implemented urban consolidation in greater Sydney and Pyrmont? 1. Economic Benefits In Greater Sydney It is costly for the government to build infrastructure for new homes on the city fringes. It is cheaper to fill in (backfill) existing underused suburbs and upgrade existing infrastructure. It costs 30% less to house a family in an existing suburb than in new suburbs on the edge of the city. In Pyrmont Infrastructure like water supply, sewage, electricity and public amenities were already in place Upgrading existing infrastructure was cheaper than building new infrastructure Infrastructure in greenfield areas is expensive Infrastructure in brownfield areas is cheaper 15
WORKSHEET QUESTION 2 Why has the government implemented urban consolidation in greater Sydney and Pyrmont continued... 2. Social Benefits In Greater Sydney Urban consolidation in brownfields provides homes closer to existing employment and leisure and can reduce social problems in poorly planned suburbs like isolation, boredom, crime, unemployment or loss of social time traveling to work. The demand for inner city housing to continue to grow with demand from growing demographic groups like Yuppies, DINKS, Empty Nesters, elderly people and divorcees. In Pyrmont The inner city location is attractive to middle and high income earners (mainly Yuppies, DINKS and Empty Nesters), who work in Pyrmont or the CBD. It is also close to leisure activities and services. Social equity was planned by providing affordable housing and public housing which offers low cost housing. Around 8% of Pyrmont s housing is affordable housing. A modern household Pyrmont street scene around 1900 16
WORKSHEET QUESTION 2 Why has the government implemented urban consolidation in greater Sydney and Pyrmont continued... 3. Environmental Benefits In Greater Sydney Urban sprawl creates environmental problems. Clearing land for new suburbs leads to deforestation, less biodiversity and loss of productive farmland leading to increased food miles. Suburbanisation creates air quality problems through increased traffic and increased water consumption and waste generation. In Pyrmont Increasing the population in inner city suburbs like Pyrmont helps to slow urban sprawl. Urban renewal has led to improved environmental services and features like recycling services, sustainable building design, car share facilities, parking restrictions, solar powered parking meters, cycle ways and walking tracks, improved public transport options (including bus, ferry and light rail), more open spaces and public parkland (over 20 hectares of public parkland has been created). Waste Water Air quality Land clearing 17
WORKSHEET QUESTION 3 How has the government implemented urban consolidation and urban consolidation in Pyrmont? The NSW government set up the City West Authority (later called the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority or SHFA) in the early 1990 s to manage Pyrmont s urban renewal and consolidation. Developed a master plan to guide development Set planning targets of 17,000 residents (from 3,000 in 1994) and 26,000 jobs (from 5,000 in 1994) by 2021. Built the infrastructure required to attract developers and residents Sold land to developers 18
Pyrmont is now managed by the City of Sydney, and is one of the best examples of a renewed and consolidated suburb in Sydney. Pyrmont s planning features mixed business and residential land use zoning. 70% of Ultimo / Pyrmont s residents work in their suburb or the CBD. 19
Examples of Urban Places HSC questions 2007 HSC Critically analyse ONE urban dynamic operating in a country town or suburb. (this is exactly what we are doing on the fieldwork) 2008 HSC Analyse the impacts of at least TWO urban dynamics operating in a large city of the developed world. 2009 HSC Demonstrate why world cities are powerful centres of economic and cultural authority. 2010 HSC Analyse ONE of the urban dynamic of change operating in a country town or suburb 2011 Analyse the role of world cities in the operation of global networks 2012 How effective are the responses to the challenges of living in a mega city in the developing world? 2013 Analyse the impact of urban dynamics on the ecological sustainability of a large city in the developed world. Note: remember this topic can also be tested as a short answer and multiple choice question. 20
Examples of Urban Places HSC questions 2014 HSC Contrast the TWO examples of urban dynamics of change in Source F on page 4 of the Stimulus Booklet Note: remember this topic can also be tested as a short answer and multiple choice question. 21