Guillermo Umaña

Macquarie University

Guillermo.umana@students.mq.edu.au

October 2010

Sydney Urban Issues, Changes and Solutions

World’s urbanisation has been increasing and cities have turned to be the centre of human

activity. Capon (2007: 187) states that “2007 is the year in which, for the first time in history, we

have reached the point when more people live in cities than in the countryside”. Globalization has

made people mobilize to urban centres looking for employment opportunities, better education,

health and consumption options. Urban development has come accompanied by a higher

environmental footprint and other issues related to urbanisation. To reach urban sustainability,

Sydney, as many other global cities, requires action from the private and public sectors to manage

its urban growth. This paper addresses all the issues that come with the establishment of Sydney’s

urban form and proposes changes in the city’s structure needed to achieve urban sustainability.

Until recent decades, Australian cities were growing in a very unsustainable way. Sydney and

Melbourne, Australia’s biggest urban centres have remained unchanged in their provision of

services since the 19th century (Troy 1996: 4). The CBDs have remained the centre of power while

very low density suburbs have grown around them. Although he Commonwealth of Australia and

the different states have put a big effort in recent years in making Australian cities more liveable,

the costs in infrastructure and environmental footprint keep growing (Troy 1996: 1). To make

Sydney a more sustainable city, prominent changes in governance and urban structure have to be

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done. Policy makers have to be aware that managing a city as complex as Sydney needs a

renewable resource policy and the acceptance of uncertainty (Walters and Hollings 1990). When

there is an acceptance that nature is unpredictable, urban management becomes a more realistic

practice.

In the first part of the 20th century, Sydney’s government tried to implement the theory of the

garden city. This attempt to create urban sustainability dealt with public health and housing issues

and tried to separate industrial, commercial and residential spaces to ensure life quality. Now it is

known urban planning should make cities compact instead of spreading them to decrease time

and energy consumed by travelling. The new concept of urban sustainability was born in the 80s.

Culture, politics and environment are now seen as part of a network in which social justice is

essential for solving environmental issues (Braun 2005). The city has to be understood as a human

and non-human structure (Hubbard 2006). To ensure sustainability in Sydney, policymakers have

to be aware that the city is a place in which nature and humans interact and that this relation has

an impact on society and the economy. This paper puts Sydney’s contemporary issues in an eco-

centric perspective.

Population Issues:

An important urban issue affecting Sydney is the Australian ageing demographics. The baby

boomers from the post-WWII period are close to retirement but the population replacement in

the work force is still below the retirement rate, which will put pressure on the pension scheme

and on the dependency ratio in the future.

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The consequences of this are a reduction in the urban GDP and the need to increase the urban

population to fill the places in the workforce to support the retiring population. Immigration

towards Sydney and a change in fertility and mortality would moderate the fall in employment

growth but would bring environmental and infrastructural issues to the city (DEH 2003). An older

population would also put pressure on the city’s infrastructure, health and housing systems. The

city government has to plan ahead to prevent economic decline, environmental degradation and

infrastructural costs of an ageing population.

DEH (2003) argues that the provision of opportunities for the mature workers to stay in the

workforce after they reach their retirement age is a solution for the problem, but this is an effort

that the public sector has to take in combination with the private sector. Carrying out career

planning programs which acknowledge that mature workers can provide experience and

knowledge to their companies would benefit the city.

Urban Transport Issues:

The car has shaped our understating of the space for many years. Since the beginning of the 20 th

century, many cities have sacrificed public spaces to build roads for private automobiles. The

desire for autonomy when moving has sacrificed environmental, infrastructural, and economical

potentials (Merriman 2009). Sydney has grown in such a large extent because the car has allowed

people to live a long distance from their jobs or shopping centres (Capon 2007).

Dependency on the car is a synonym of dependency on oil prices. The rise in the global price of oil

in recent years has been translated in an increase of the price of gas in Australia (Dodson and Sipe

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2006: 8). This affects peoples´ economic autonomy and the Sydney’s economic activity. The city

has to put more effort in transforming today’s car-dependant city into a non car-dependant, non

oil-dependant and more compact city. This would reduce waste of resources such as time and

energy and the emission of pollutants.

A study made by Dodson and Sipe from Griffith University (2008: 13) reveals that people who live

close to CBDs are less dependent on their car because there is better provision of public transport

and travelling distances are walking or cycling distances. This is valuable information for

policymakers and politicians, who have to deal with urban issues related to transport. Sydney

government should put more effort in making public transport more affordable for low income

households as well as enlarging the coverage of the rail and bus systems across Sydney region.

Promoting the use of bicycle and creating pathways for people to walk instead of taking their cars

out are changes that have to be done soon to create environmental and social sustainability in the

region. In the future, auto-mobility should let public places be public again (Sheller et al 2000).

Housing and Land Use:

Sydney’ housing crisis has affected the low income households in particular. According to Yu

(2005), there is a need for government policy change and public education regarding property

investment in Sydney. Many people are moving to the coastline getting away from the high prices

of housing in the inner city, creating a spread of urbanization (Capon 2007). Unevenness between

land supply and demand has to be addresses by the government through urban policies that

provide housing affordability and stop Sydney’s unsustainable urban sprawling.

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Graph A. Sydney Land Supply vs. Land Price

Graph taken from: UDIA. (2006). The 2006 UDIA State of the Land. Retrieved April 26, 2009, Urban Development Institute of

Australia: Reports and Submissions, page 14: http://www.udia.com.au/resource/UDIA%20Land%20Supply%20Study.pdf

Graph A reveals that, to stop housing affordability decline and create more compact urban

environments at the same time, benefiting the urban community and the environment, there has

to be a big change in political will (UDIA 2006:14). Water supply, infrastructure, community

programmes and transport are easier to manage in more compact areas. The problem is a

continuous demand for spacious housing and cars, which make changes harder to implement

(Troy 1996). A solution would be enhancing peoples´ identity and commitment with Sydney’s

urban issues by building public spaces like parks, community centres and pedestrian areas. A clear

set of urban boundaries and an inclusion of built-up rural areas into the city would provide more

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comprehensible guidelines for good management and would make people recognize their area as

theirs (ABS 2005).

On the other hand, housing and transport have a crucial relation which has to be acknowledged.

Dodson and Sipe (2006: 19) argue that Sydney […] has failed in providing high quality public

transport services in suburban areas. New South Wales government should promote the creation

of suburban centres and reduce the importance of the CBD in providing jobs and services, this way

people could live and work in a particular suburban centre, reducing travelling impacts and

enhancing social and economic benefits of a multi-centric city. Sydney government has to promote

sustainable housing, sustainable transport and more friendly public spaces. People´s choice of

housing depends on this relation.

Health and Public Spaces:

Urbanization in developed countries has created sedentary cities, excess of food intake, reliance

on cars for transport and a consumer culture, all which have contributed to serious health issues

(Capon 2007). Obesity, diabetes, cancer, respiratory diseases and depression (which could lead to

suicide) are the main health issues that concern Sydney today. Australia has one of the highest UV

radiation levels on earth, Sydney government must promote sun protection to avoid massive

health issues related to skin cancers. Hot summers are also dangerous for the city’s vulnerable

population. Promoting good nutrition and preventing eating disorders is desirable to create a

healthy urban environment. According to ABS (2005) suicide accounts for a great proportion of

deaths in younger ages, the protection of the young population is essential to create a healthy

urban environment; education institutions play a special role in this prevention. On the other

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hand, Sydney should provide sport facilities, encourage people to use public transport and put a

pressure in programs that enhance good nutrition and social contact.

Bushfires:

Bushfire-related issues are a particular problem in Australia. Gillen (2005) argues that a large

percentage of Sydney’s metropolitan population has been affected by fires during the summer

because an increase in the frequency of this events, related to global warming, and a demographic

pressure in risky areas. This is an unavoidable issue and the government has to ensure protection

of biodiversity and people, because there is a tendency to avoid bushfires as an important issue

until they affect human populations (Gillen 2005). Sydney government must understand that

nature is also part of the city and its protection is essential for the city’s sustainability. Prevention,

training and risk management are the answers to this issue.

Reduction of Sydney’s Environmental Footprint:

Cities’ role in the world’s ecological footprint is enormous. Policies that would reduce human

environmental impact are especially effective in urban areas because the high concentration of

people within them. Australia has been making important efforts in this matter. Recently $24.2

million were spent on a package to research on pollutants, a national Water Efficiency Label was

created and regulations on air quality, waste management and fuel quality were enforced

(Environment Australia 2003). “New South Wales, for instance, was the first state to require all

new residential development be built to an energy standard 40% more efficient than similar

existing housing stock” (England 2008).

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In the future, there has to be a reinforcement of mitigation and adaptation strategies to make

Sydney ready for climate change. Sydney has to become a city with more water and energy

efficient appliances, more use of public areas rather than private areas and more efficient

transport (Capon 2007). Recycling is another urban strategy that is simple to implement. In 2006,

52% of Australia’s waste was recycled and 99% of households engaged in some form of recycling

(Australian Government 2010). In the future, new policies should increase recycling and more

strategies that involve the community in taking action should be promoted.

Current Actions: The Metropolitan strategy

Although there is a lot to change to turn Australian cities into completely sustainable cities, there

has been a major change in political will in Australia to create more sustainable policies (England

2008). The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, provides a framework

for Australian cities to manage and enhance their environment and heritage, preserving

biodiversity (UDIA 2008). One of its innovations is that it was reviewed by stakeholders from

different backgrounds and was open for public comment, which promoted general engagement in

the issue. In Sydney, the Metropolitan Strategy, which is reviewed every 5 years, is a local example

that the government has taken action and the city is moving towards a more sustainable future.

Table 1 shows the main point of the strategy. A Metropolitan Development Authority and a

Transport Plan were created with this document.

Table 1. Sydney’s Metropolitan Strategy Main Points

Metropolitan Strategy Discussion Points Sydney’s Urban Issues

Planning for a growing population Sydney’s population is expected to reach 6

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million in 2036, an increase of 1.7 million since

2006 census.

Making Sydney climate change ready Sydney’s footprint in 1999 was 6.67 hectares

per person, in 2004 it was 7.21.

Integrating land use with transport The use of private car is a main contributor to

infrastructural and environmental costs for the

city.

More jobs in the Sydney region Sydney will need 760,000 more jobs in 2036

than 2006.

Growing Sydney's value The is a need to place Sydney in a global

context and give economic value to its people

and infrastructure

Meeting changing housing needs Sydney will need 770,000 more homes in 2036

than 2006.

Balancing land uses on the city fringe A need to create balance in Sydney boundaries,

making the city more compact.

Information on Table 1 from: New South Wales Government. Sydney Towards 2036 discussion paper, metropolitan strategy,

http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=K3OvHZ6LP-I%3d&tabid=286&language=en-AU

The will to address Sydney’s urban issues is greater today than a decade ago. The main problems

that are attached to the city’s urban form are now openly discussed. Including the broader

community in Sydney’s urban issues would make changes faster and more effective. In the future

there has to be a closer bond between government and non-government actors to deal with

Sydney’s urban issues. Hopefully the changes proposed by Sydney’s Metropolitan Strategy will be

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accomplished as shown in Picture 1. Different private and public stakeholders have to actively

work to successfully tackle the main issues discussed in this paper.

Picture 1. Sydney urban Changes proposed by the Sydney’s Metropolitan Strategy

Before:

After:

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Images from: New South Wales Government. Sydney Towards 2036 discussion paper, metropolitan strategy,

http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=K3OvHZ6LP-I%3d&tabid=286&language=en-AU

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