According to a forward-looking commission, Sydney and neighboring cities will increasingly have to move away from traditional homes and courtyards in favor of units in suburban centers.
In a working paper released Thursday, the Greater Cities Commission set out its vision to transform Sydney and its surrounding areas into a metropolitan region similar to the San Francisco Bay Area or the Netherlands’ Randstad.
Along with high-speed rail and the creation of “innovation districts,” a key to the 20-year plan is overcoming the all too often mismatch between supply and demand for housing types, the paper says.
The commission recommended increasing the proportion of high-density multi-unit housing in accessible locations supported by infrastructure.
This would be achieved by requiring municipalities to provide 25% of all new housing within 800 meters of a strategic hub or transportation hub.
According to the report, affordable housing targets of between 10% and 30% will be set, depending on the type of land.
The document includes Sydney, Newcastle, Penrith, Wollongong, Gosford and Illawarra-Shoalhaven, as well as the suburbs that feed each city.
The total land area is about one third of the size of Tasmania.
Each city will need its own “world-class innovation districts” focused on semiconductors, defense, aerospace and modern manufacturing.
“These vibrant neighborhoods will bring people and organizations together in a dynamic exchange of ideas, capabilities, research and commercialization,” the paper states.
Vision was the key to building a better future for the people of NSW, Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
“This vision sets the stage for accelerating the development of advanced manufacturing in the Six Cities region, which will be essential for stimulating economic activity and creating more jobs,” he said in a statement.
Fast rail links to the central coast and Newcastle, via Parramatta and then to Wollongong and Illawarra have been instrumental in enabling the tremendous economic opportunities that will come from planning across the sandstone megaregion, the Committee said. from Sidney.
“It’s a fantastic promise of things to come,” the committee’s public policy adviser Harri Bancroft said Thursday.
“Now the attention must be focused on concrete policies and financial commitments: let’s transform this great vision into concrete commitments and policies”.
The announcement follows Monday’s release of the state government’s 50-year future transportation vision, which highlighted the need to prioritize active modes over cars.