Thread by @jessaroo

At the @cityofsydney we want you, the people who live, work & visit Sydney, to help us shape the city’s future: that’s what #SustainableSydney2050 is about. I’m at Town Hall with about 500 people to further the plan today, part of 18months of consultation on our city, our future.

As Lord Mayor @CloverMoore just said, we don’t want to just react. We want to lead. We want our community to be prepared & resilient to face a changing world.

Our cities can be engines for Inclusion & sustainability, but business-as-usual won’t get us there. #ourcityourfuture

But we *do* need to recognise our enormous privilege & out-sized impact. Megan Flynn from @Earthwatch_Aus tells us, in most of the world, July 29 is the day we “use up” our sustainable allocation of natural resources.

In Australia, that date is March 31. #ourcityourfuture

Arup’s cities lead Tim Williams talks about the enormous economic heft of our cities, paired with the mega-trend of the shift to our APAC region. Sydney is growing at the rate of one Newcastle a month.

How can we balance economic & population growth with fairness & liveability?

There’s danger in growing in unequal ways: there are faultlines in cities, says Tim Jones @Artscape. We must intervene to stimulate equity in our cities. Who has access to space, matters. As does diversity of work-types, which ensures against risk & inequality, says Tim Williams.

We need:
- inclusionary zoning for more affordable housing & space
- mass & active transport, not carving up our cities for cars
- inclusive, beautiful, shared public space to accommodate a growing city
- fair growth that creates opportunities for more people #ourcityourfuture

Helle from Gehl @citiesforpeople tells us that in Copenhagen, 30% of housing is #affordablehousing - “but we just call it general housing.”

Tim from Arup tells us the same property developers who build in Sydney, build in 40% affordability in London “because govts require it.”

We are not that different: if London & Copenhagen, Singapore & Vienna, can provide #housingforall, why can’t we?

The difference? Their govts require developers to deliver #affordablehousing

Govts should not re-stoke the housing boom before addressing the #housingcrisis

We are not that different: if NYC can reclaim Broadway for people, not cars, why can’t we?

We need a more generous & pedestrian-focused #publicrealm to accommodate growth in our city. People have the right to the city, investment in public & active transport hands it back to us.

Now, we have reps from the youth, business & multicultural consultations sharing what they heard. A green, sustainable city was a priority across all of them: 9/10 young people rated #climateaction as their top priority. The business sector called for local distinctiveness. #2050

In the online feedback from 500+ participants today, there has been a huge, spontaneous call for a car-free, pedestrian-prioritising city. We will need courage (& support) to tackle this: would you back it?

We’ll need walking & social space for the 2million+ ppl a day by 2050.

Sydney’s biggest economic risks?

Unaffordability. Commercial space 2x as expensive as Melb.

Low industry diversity: 2x average share of FIRE (financial services, insurance, real estate) & professional services. We need more design, innovation workers.

There’s some brilliant ideas emerging in the economy-focused session: here are the risks & opportunities our tables are responding to. #cities #2050 #ourcityourfuture #Sydney

Report-back time: first, environment. A majority of people backed a declaration of #ClimateEmergency, while about 25% hesitated, not wanting to have a hope-less approach. Concerns about how waste is dealt with & frustration that recycled water isn’t *already* built into cities.

Growth: 62% of participants want to see a creative corridor, space for the #creativeindustries & cultural activities, to be supported as a focus of job growth in Sydney. (I am VERY into this) Reliable & efficient public transport rated as most crucial to sustainable growth.

Diversity: affordability is central to a more socially, economically & culturally diverse city. “Whole-of-life affordability” includes transport & housing. How do we ensure everyone is able to participate in & have a voice in the city? #Sydney2050 #ourcityourfuture

Liveability: 30% of our local govt area is roadway. Imagine if we could *slowly* reclaim some of this for trees, open green space, social life?

As Jan Gehl says, aim for “three birds, one stone”: transforming spaces for cars into places for people. #Sydney2050 #ourcityourfuture

Economy: the next, diversified economy needs to be underpinned by a commitment to good public space & transport. We need a city that works/is used differently over 24hr life.

A shift to a more innovative economy, reducing our reliance on a few industries, builds resilience.

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