SYDNEY: THE CITY OF CITIES
From its earliest days, Sydney started as a city centred on a harbour with outlying centres around the transport network. As the city's population grew and demand for jobs and houses increased, Sydney became a city stretching 70 kilometres from east to west, and 60 kilometres from north to south.
To ensure equitable access to Sydney's infrastructure and services, the NSW Government in December 2005 launched City of Cities - A Plan for Sydney's Future. City of Cities outlines the objectives of the Metropolitan Strategy. It proposes concentrating growth in centres, to meet the target of ensuring Sydney's residents do not have to travel more than one hour a day for jobs, services, higher order medical and legal services, major cultural and entertainment venues, or regional open space or recreational opportunities. In doing so, it proposes building the role of centres right across the metropolitan area, not just in the Sydney CBD - hence the name City of Cities.
Key actions of the strategy which have been implemented include:
- The creation of a global economic corridor served by public transport between North Sydney and Macquarie Park;
- A new Western Sydney Employment Area near the corner of the M4 and M7 motorways;
- Funding for a series of regional recreation walking trails;
- The conversion of Sydney Olympic Park from a predominantly sporting venue into a vibrant mixed-use community;
- Delivery of homes and jobs connected to new infrastructure in Sydney's north-west and south-west growth centres;
- Relocation of cargo and imported vehicle movements from Sydney Harbour to Port Kembla, freeing up space for the Barangaroo development.
This imformation is available in its entirety on a separate City of Cities - A Plan for Sydney's Future webpage.
The NSW Government is now undertaking a scheduled five-year review of the Metropolitan Strategy. It has released a discussion paper entitled Sydney Towards 2036.