The architects behind the redesign of Central Station want to take 100,000 cars off the road by transforming Sydney's residential streets from asphalt into green space.
In an analysis of 11 inner Sydney local government areas, global architecture firm Woods Bagot says up to 800km of lesser-used roads could be replaced with pedestrian networks, community spaces and market gardens.
Womerah Lane in Darlinghurst is used by residents to socialise during the pandemic.CREDIT: JAMES BRICKWOOD
John Prentice, who is leading the firm's team in refurbishing Central Station to better link it with surrounding precincts, said the position taken by his organisation in its Streets Ahead paper was part of a connected idea to change people's perception and use of transport as commuting habits evolve during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"For a long time now we've designed our streets to be dominated by the car. We looked at this as an opportunity to say, 'what if we looked at our streets differently?'" he said.
"Ultimately, it's this idea of giving back the streets to the people."
The analysis, undertaken by planning consultancy ERA-Co, found de-paving quiet streets within 800 metres of major public transport stops could transform about a third of the city's streetscapes, taking 100,000 cars off the road.
A map of quiet streets within 800 m of major public transport stops that could be closed.CREDIT: WOODS BAGOT AND ERA-CO
The report produced by the firm and consultancy says streets targeted would be those that were rarely used by traffic and were back alleys or became one-way routes.
More than 500,000 Sydneysiders would also be put within 300 metres of new green space.
Mr Prentice acknowledged it was a "bold approach" that relied on transport options meeting the needs of the community but said recent work-from-home behaviours showed the need for cars had diminished, peak public transport times could be offset, and e-bikes and scooters had a role to play.
Gabriel Metcalf, chief executive of urban think-tank Committee for Sydney, which is hosting the launch of the paper on Tuesday, said COVID-19 had fundamentally changed the way communities viewed streets.
"Cities across the world are reclaiming road space to widen pavements and create places for people to socialise and congregate. Sydney has already begun to free up more open and public space, which is a great start, but a lot more could be done," he said.
Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW branch chief executive Steve Mann said the report was admirable in its goals but Sydney needed a more mature public transport system to sustain such changes.
"Until we see a significant investment in mass public transport and density done well, like what we see in global cities such as Copenhagen, we cannot achieve social harmony through this vision," he said.
The NSW government is promoting the transformation of local residential streets into pedestrian networks and green spaces, while multiple inner city councils, including the City of Sydney, are reshaping streetscapes to economically and socially accommodate the effects of the pandemic.
One of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian's planning priorities is to increase the proportion of homes in urban areas within 10 minutes’ walk of green spaces.
NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes, said any opportunity to promote greener neighbourhoods and active transport options, such as walking, was worth looking at, and the government's $15 million ‘Streets as Shared Spaces’ program was already producing localised results.
"The benefits of green, open space and shaded streets to our health and well-being cannot be underestimated," he said.
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