Sustainable Sydney 2030
August 13th, 2007 by danielle_hickie
Postcards have hit the cafes and newsagents of Sydney showcasing a new initiative called ‘Sustainable Sydney 2030‘. The City of Sydney is looking to deliver a plan to guide the development of the City of Sydney for the next 20 years. On the website we can get a feel for what they mean and find out how we can contribute to the plan over the next 6 months.
I checked out the issues summary document, which addresses Sustainable Sydney 2030 focus areas, and it says “Through Sustainable Sydney 2030 the City of Sydney is seeking to ensure Sydney sets the benchmark as a national, regional and world leader in sustainable City economies”. This plan is a response to the reality that by 2030 the population in the City of Sydney (local government boundaries) will grow to an estimated population of 240, 000 (80,000 increase) and a worker population of 469,000 (100,000 increase). The aim is to try to address the long term needs of current and future generations.
They are looking for our input in these areas:
- City Economy
How can we achieve economic growth and liveable city for everyone? - City Environment
How should the Sydney community respond to Climate Change? - City Community
How can we make the city more affordable, accessible and fair for everyone to live in? - City Design
What changes to the design of the city will make living in the Sydney better in 2030? - City Culture
How best can Sydney celebrate its cultural vitality, creativity and diversity? - City Governance
How do we ensure we can deliver the Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision over the next 23 years?
Want to know more? Check out the calendar of events for the rest of 2007, or listen to a podcast;
- ‘Creative Futures - Cultural Life in Sydney 2030′
- Public spaces - public life in the 21st century: Professor Jan Gehl
Well they could start by improving public transport so that less people need to drive to work. Seriously, Sydney is the worst city I’ve ever lived in, in terms of public transport … Even simple things like those electronic clocks at each bus station to let people know how long they have to wait for the next bus to turn up would go a long way to make the system better. Also … bike lanes … how come Sydney doesn’t have any??? Rant, rant, rant! Maybe I should just copy this response onto the actual site that’s asking for responses
Thanks for the post Trina, I’m sure every Sydney-sider would have something to input so thanks for bringing it to our attention
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I am so with you Priscilla, especially on the bike lanes. When I moved back to Sydney about five years ago I was used to riding my bike everywhere. I was previously living in Amsterdam, which is a fabulous city for bike riders – separate, dedicated, flat roads for bikers plus car drivers that were courteous and gave way to bike riders.
Back in Sydney, I vowed to keep riding my bike. I was living about an 8km, very hilly ride from work but made to 45 minute journey most days. What I found was that, besides the excruciating hills, bike paths meant either footpaths, the side of a busy road or a bus lane. Not to mention the incredibly aggressive Sydney car drivers who have the attitude of if you are riding a push bike and holding them up then you are fair game. Anyway, after a few months of riding my bike I got hit by a car that just pulled out in front of me. I was ok after I picked myself up off the road and got over a few weeks of incredibly bruised ribs. What really amazed me was the driver didn’t even bother to stop and see if I was ok.
So yes, Sydney really sucks when it come to public transport but especially its infrastructure for push bike riders. In a city that is choking on its own car fumes and traffic, it would seem a bit of a no brainer to encourage more push bike riders and keep them safe.