The City of Sydney has released a new version of their Public Space & Public Life Study, an update to their 2007 study:
A key theme in the study is “a protected heart”, reallocating road space for people to walk, cycle and stay; including reducing vehicle capacity.
Having the infrastructure to support people to walk or cycle is critical to encouraging sustainable travel choices that provide good urban amenity in the long term.
Public Life & Public Space Study 2020
…there is suppressed demand for cycling in the city centre, which can be accommodated by more safe separated facilities.
Public Life & Public Space Study 2020
This rethink of mobility provides an opportunity to create a connected network of public spaces and streets for walking and cycling with a high quality public domain for public life to flourish. A future where streets and spaces are human in scale, sustainable, social, healthy, safe, and lively.
Public Life & Public Space Study 2020
Manage car parking demands in city centre to ensure the most efficient and effective use of street space that balances public domain amenity with access and servicing needs of the city.
Public Life & Public Space Study 2020
The report describes the value of pop-up infrastructure and options to make them permanent:
Example vision
The City of Sydney published an example of how the study could be used to re-imagine streets
Vision for Botany Road. Image credits: City of Sydney, Studio Zanardo, Gallagher Studio & MAKO Architecture.
Our view
Council can apply most of the learnings from this study to the City of Yarra. It’s a high quality report, almost directly applicable, and available at no cost. We encourage councillors to read it and ask officers to apply the learnings here.
Published 30th August 2021