The results of ‘Sydney Connected’, a city-wide conversation and recording about Sydney’s future, were released on 28 August to a body of key decision makers at a Sydney Design Event.

Like Melbourne, who held a similar event earlier this year, it seems Sydneysiders believe new housing solutions and fully-integrated infrastructure services are the best way forward for the city’s future.

Compiled by AECOM, a global provider of architecture, design, engineering, and construction services, the results consolidate answers from 500 respondents on the topics of infrastructure, housing, conservation, landscape and urban design, and others.

AECOM released the results from their report prior to the Sydney Design event yesterday.

From AECOM:

“The report found that while 65 per cent of the more than 500 respondents nominated “seamless public transport” as critical to Sydney’s future, new housing solutions were also important (35 per cent).

Building precincts (29 per cent) such as Green Square Town Centre in inner-city Sydney and further west in Parramatta were also identified as important to Sydney’s successful growth into a city of more than 6 million in future decades.

AECOM Managing Director – Design + Planning, James Rosenwax, said the Sydney Connected results confirmed both Sydney residents and visitors felt Sydney’s future will be best served through diverse and connected vertical communities.

“While transport connectivity is a number one priority, diversity of housing types – including provision of affordable housing close to the CBD – is of similar importance,” he said.

“Alongside dense city-living precincts created through major government programs such as Central to Eveleigh and the Bays Precinct, there is also demand for these diverse precincts to be planned in metropolitan regional cities such as Liverpool and Parramatta.”

Respondents – made up of city workers, residents, overseas and interstate visitors – also felt strongly about:

  • protecting the city’s natural beauty and resources (nominated by 52 per cent of respondents)
  • building on the success of its existing communities through better infrastructure (32 per cent)
  • getting people active and walking (24 per cent)
  • creating more open, green spaces and fostering a connection to nature (29 per cent)
  • bringing more of the city to life at night (23 per cent)

Rosenwax said communication technology would continue to have an impact on how Sydney residents and visitors interacted with and used their city.

“Sydney Connected is one example where a diverse range of people can engage in a conversation about the future shape of our cities,” he said.

Sydney Connected results echo the findings of the Melbourne NOW community survey, which were examined as part of AECOM’s Melbourne NEXT event earlier this year.

Built on the Zoom living social study (part of the Melbourne Now exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria), the Melbourne survey found 62 per cent of respondents considered new types of housing important to the future of the city.

The two cities found common ground on other issues, including the importance of “seamless transport links” (65 per cent of respondents in both cities) and valuing creativity and a culture of learning (27 per cent of Sydney Connected respondents, 61 per cent of Melbourne respondents).”