What if Sydney had a light rail loop in the city centre, an Indigenous Cultural Centre, a major new park at Darling Harbour, George Street reclaimed for people, and sustainable development over Central Railway Stations rail tracks?
These are some of the visions in the City of Sydneys Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy unveiled today. The draft plan will be considered by Council on Monday 7 April for public exhibition from April 17.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said Sustainable Sydney 2030 is the result of the most comprehensive community consultation program ever undertaken by the City, involving tens of thousands of people during the past 12 months.
"The people of Sydney have spoken,"Ms Moore said. "They want a City that is green, global and connected. They want a City for people that celebrates Sydneys climate, natural beauty and open spaces, and is easy to move around, whether by public transport, bicycle or walking.
"It is vital that we act now for a sustainable future, 97 percent of people told us they want global warming addressed by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"All Australians have a stake and interest in Sydney and Sustainable Sydney 2030 is about addressing challenges, protecting our best attributes and working for a shared vision for the future.
"Included in this vision are three squares connected along a pedestrian boulevard with public transport and cycle access.
"The three City Squares would create activity at Central Railway Station around a convention and exhibition square, a new civic square at Sydney Town Hall and a cultural square linking the Museum of Contemporary Arts and Opera House at Circular Quay."
This community feedback has led the development of Sustainable Sydney 2030 by Sydneys best minds across planning, architecture and design, coordinated by the City of Sydneys internal strategy team and an expert consortium headed by SGS Economics and Planning.
"The ideas in the plan will not only revitalise the City Centre and improve our local villages, they will completely transform how we live, interact and move within the City.
"Sustainable Sydney 2030 provides a vision for the future that can work across the three tiers of Government. Sustainable Sydney 2030 proposes a partnership approach to achieve the vision the community has demanded."
Sustainable Sydney 2030 includes a series of project ideas - large visionary projects to transform Sydney and to meet community needs.
These are preliminary ideas developed by the Sustainable Sydney 2030 team which we want to test with the wider Sydney community before progressing more detailed work, including plans and costs.
Just some of the project ideas include:
City Centre Light Rail Loop - Make it easy to move around the city centre and removing bus congestion from the City Centre with a high frequency north-south light rail loop connecting Circular Quay, Barangaroo and Central Station.
Three City Squares - Create a new north-south central spine for the City Centre created by transforming George Street into a pedestrian boulevard with public transport and cycle access. Three City Squares will create activity at Central Railway Station, Sydney Town Hall and Circular Quay. The vision includes investigating the long-term removal of the Cahill Expressway to open up Circular Quay to the City.
Revitalising the Citys western edge - Burying the Western Distributor to better connect the City Centre with its western waterfront and create new, people-focused development. The revitalisation of the western waterfront could also include major new parklands at Darling Harbour by relocating the Entertainment Centre and Convention Centre as we look for new uses for the airspace over the Central railway tracks.
Central Station air space - Investigate the long-term development potential to create new floor space above the Central Railway Station tracks. This could house new development that will assist in healing the scar of the railway yard and provide better connections between surrounding villages, as well as new exhibition facilities and green open space.
Green transformers - Establish new, cleaner, efficient power generation within the city and its surrounding areas to reduce dependency on coal-fired electricity and shift to sustainable low carbon energy. Green transformers generate electricity with low greenhouse gas emissions, provide hot water and cooling and, potentially, convert waste to energy.
Integrating Indigenous culture - Celebrate Sydneys Indigenous culture and heritage with a new cultural icon and tourist destination: an interpretive walk through the City from Redfern to the Harbour, and create a major Indigenous Cultural Centre along the walk.
Sustainable Sydney 2030 highlights five big moves to transform the City:
1. A revitalised City Centre at the heart of Global Sydney - Lively, people-friendly centre for premium business, reconnected to the Harbour.
2. An integrated Inner Sydney transport network - New sustainable transport connecting Inner Sydney, the City Centre and the Citys Villages, with congestion removed from the City Centre and Villages.
3. A liveable green network - Continuous green corridors integrated with liveable streets, providing dedicated pedestrian and cycle ways, and new ways to explore the City and its Villages.
4. Activity Hubs as a focus for the Citys villages and transport - Sustainable places for communities in the Citys distinctive villages to meet, catch transport, create, learn, work and shop.
5. Sustainable development renewal - Initiatives to re-make the City, including energy and water efficient infrastructure, affordable housing, high quality public space, design and access to essential transport choices.
What if Sydney had a light rail loop in the city centre, an Indigenous Cultural Centre, a major new park at Darling Harbour, George Street reclaimed for people, and sustainable development over Central Railway Stations rail tracks?
These are some of the visions in the City of Sydneys Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy unveiled today. The draft plan will be considered by Council on Monday 7 April for public exhibition from April 17.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said Sustainable Sydney 2030 is the result of the most comprehensive community consultation program ever undertaken by the City, involving tens of thousands of people during the past 12 months.
"The people of Sydney have spoken,"Ms Moore said. "They want a City that is green, global and connected. They want a City for people that celebrates Sydneys climate, natural beauty and open spaces, and is easy to move around, whether by public transport, bicycle or walking.
"It is vital that we act now for a sustainable future, 97 percent of people told us they want global warming addressed by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"All Australians have a stake and interest in Sydney and Sustainable Sydney 2030 is about addressing challenges, protecting our best attributes and working for a shared vision for the future.
"Included in this vision are three squares connected along a pedestrian boulevard with public transport and cycle access.
"The three City Squares would create activity at Central Railway Station around a convention and exhibition square, a new civic square at Sydney Town Hall and a cultural square linking the Museum of Contemporary Arts and Opera House at Circular Quay."
This community feedback has led the development of Sustainable Sydney 2030 by Sydneys best minds across planning, architecture and design, coordinated by the City of Sydneys internal strategy team and an expert consortium headed by SGS Economics and Planning.
"The ideas in the plan will not only revitalise the City Centre and improve our local villages, they will completely transform how we live, interact and move within the City.
"Sustainable Sydney 2030 provides a vision for the future that can work across the three tiers of Government. Sustainable Sydney 2030 proposes a partnership approach to achieve the vision the community has demanded."
Sustainable Sydney 2030 includes a series of project ideas - large visionary projects to transform Sydney and to meet community needs.
These are preliminary ideas developed by the Sustainable Sydney 2030 team which we want to test with the wider Sydney community before progressing more detailed work, including plans and costs.
Just some of the project ideas include:
City Centre Light Rail Loop - Make it easy to move around the city centre and removing bus congestion from the City Centre with a high frequency north-south light rail loop connecting Circular Quay, Barangaroo and Central Station.
Three City Squares - Create a new north-south central spine for the City Centre created by transforming George Street into a pedestrian boulevard with public transport and cycle access. Three City Squares will create activity at Central Railway Station, Sydney Town Hall and Circular Quay. The vision includes investigating the long-term removal of the Cahill Expressway to open up Circular Quay to the City.
Revitalising the Citys western edge - Burying the Western Distributor to better connect the City Centre with its western waterfront and create new, people-focused development. The revitalisation of the western waterfront could also include major new parklands at Darling Harbour by relocating the Entertainment Centre and Convention Centre as we look for new uses for the airspace over the Central railway tracks.
Central Station air space - Investigate the long-term development potential to create new floor space above the Central Railway Station tracks. This could house new development that will assist in healing the scar of the railway yard and provide better connections between surrounding villages, as well as new exhibition facilities and green open space.
Green transformers - Establish new, cleaner, efficient power generation within the city and its surrounding areas to reduce dependency on coal-fired electricity and shift to sustainable low carbon energy. Green transformers generate electricity with low greenhouse gas emissions, provide hot water and cooling and, potentially, convert waste to energy.
Integrating Indigenous culture - Celebrate Sydneys Indigenous culture and heritage with a new cultural icon and tourist destination: an interpretive walk through the City from Redfern to the Harbour, and create a major Indigenous Cultural Centre along the walk.
Sustainable Sydney 2030 highlights five big moves to transform the City:
1. A revitalised City Centre at the heart of Global Sydney - Lively, people-friendly centre for premium business, reconnected to the Harbour.
2. An integrated Inner Sydney transport network - New sustainable transport connecting Inner Sydney, the City Centre and the Citys Villages, with congestion removed from the City Centre and Villages.
3. A liveable green network - Continuous green corridors integrated with liveable streets, providing dedicated pedestrian and cycle ways, and new ways to explore the City and its Villages.
4. Activity Hubs as a focus for the Citys villages and transport - Sustainable places for communities in the Citys distinctive villages to meet, catch transport, create, learn, work and shop.
5. Sustainable development renewal - Initiatives to re-make the City, including energy and water efficient infrastructure, affordable housing, high quality public space, design and access to essential transport choices.
