This upcoming panel discussion will examine the housing manifesto recently introduced by the NSW government.

“Density around stations and across the wider urban fabric needs careful planning. The human-scale, mid-rise development seen in cities like Paris and London distributes density more evenly and is connected by a wider public transport network,” Troy Uleman, Director at John McAslan + Partners says.

“This is better for the city's existing character and for people and communities. A pivot to only high-density nodes around transport hubs needs to be questioned.”

This initiative aims to establish residential hubs within a 400-metre radius of 28 train stations across Greater Sydney, facilitating medium-density living and enhancing urban connectivity.

“The odds are stacked against the renewal of suburban transport hubs with medium density development. Despite the well-meaning planning policy initiatives multiple influences will conspire in many locations to defeat these ambitions,” Stephen McMahon, Director at Inspire Planning says.

“These include unrealistic land prices by landowners, entrenched objections to change (mostly from older generations) and high development contribution and construction costs. The increased development potential offered by new planning policies are insufficient to make projects viable in the face of these constraints.”

While the policy has sparked discourse, the primary concern lies in the pushback from local councils and NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) sentiments.

This resistance often clashes with the state government’s objectives and the voices of YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) advocates, creating a complex landscape of opinions.

According to Melissa Neighbour, Owner and Director at Sky Planning, NIMBYs are losing ground.

"Right now, the bigger opposition to TOD and Sydney living happily ever after, is in fact the very planning system that introduced them! Countless feasibility studies done on the new policy reforms, show that medium density development around transport hubs, will remain a fairytale until Planning NSW takes action to make these projects viable," she says.

“Our collective capacity to realise the potential of the TOD SEPP will require political will, community acceptance and a reasoned approach to heritage. The aligning of these three is required because for too long there has been both community and planning resistance to density near amenity, with the blunt instrument of the SEPP as a result,” Lisa-Maree Carrigan, Director at GroupGSA says.

“Without this alignment our housing crisis will be exacerbated; a crisis of both supply and equity of amenity through location. We all need to ask ourselves, If not now, then when, if not here then where?”

The panel will investigate whether Sydney can genuinely transition to medium-density housing around its transport hubs, or if the desire to preserve the city’s heritage and suburban character will obstruct progress.

“The successful delivery of the TOD concept in Sydney has less to do with those seeking to protect local heritage and much more to do with the incapacity of the market to actually generate the quantity, quality and diversity of higher density housing and associated amenity across the 39 suburbs it’s scheduled to impact without substantial public investment and coordination,” says Bill Randolph, Director at UNSW Sydney.

This panel represents some of the most accomplished leaders in the sustainability field: Bill Randolph, Director at UNSW Sydney, Lisa-Maree Carrigan, Director at GroupGSA, Melissa Neighbour, Owner and Director at Sky Planning, Stephen McMahon, Director at Inspire Planning, Troy Uleman, Director at John McAslan + Partners and David Tickle, Principal at Hassell.

The experts will discuss the implications of this housing strategy on urban planning, community dynamics, and the urgent need for sustainable development.

With high stakes and a pressing need for housing solutions, this panel promises to offer valuable insights into the future of Sydney's urban landscape.

Join us as we explore the critical question: Can Sydney overcome opposition to embrace a new era of transport-oriented development?

The 2024 Sustainability Summit will be held in Sydney on November 14.

To reserve your place at the 2024 Sustainability Summit for this and other sessions, click here.

Clémence Carayol

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