The Committee for Sydney, a think tank that formed to strategise ways to reinvigorate the city in the wake of two years of lockdowns and restrictions, has put forward a set of recommendations to draw Sydneysiders back to the struggling CBD. It’s a bold vision for the heart of Sydney, which would put a greater emphasis on the CBD becoming a leisure, entertainment and youth destination.
Encouraging teenagers to come into the city is a notable priority in the proposed actions, which include the repurposing of disused parking areas to create urban skateparks and increasing locations where aspiring musicians can legally busk. The plans also call for the construction of a theatre for outdoor performances, road closures after 6.30pm to make the city more pedestrian-friendly, and the opening of a 24-hour market to widen the city’s after-dark activities beyond bar hopping and clubbing.
The Committee’s Future of Sydney Report found that Sydney has a great deal of underutilised space – on rooftops, down laneways and within green spaces – that could be used as performance venues and places for pop-up events. The ultimate aim of this urban glow-up is to attract visitors beyond those who live in the city’s adjacent suburbs or who commute to the CBD for work. If the report's recommendations go ahead, the next step would involve a public tender to the private sector to implement multiple developments across the city over the next two to five years.
Because many former CBD workers are continuing to work from home even once lockdowns have ended, as well as the closure of international borders to tourists, the CBD has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, with many hospitality businesses struggling to remain solvent.
To address this, the City of Sydney has already expanded its successful alfresco dining zone initiative to more than 260 new locations in and around Central Sydney. However, the Future of Sydney report says significant investment in infrastructure – including the installing of in-built power supplies in public spaces to resource pop-up events and live performances, widening footpaths and adding cycleways – will be crucial to the CBD's recovery. The report also recommends offering discounted public transport into the CBD at night and the creation of a ‘free zone’ in the CBD on the light rail line, similar to Melbourne’s free tram zone, to make navigating the city more appealing and convenient.