Trust and Public Spaces in Sydney
Printed in Sydney Morning Herald
Conversation with James Valentine on ABC Breakfast
Conversation with Michael McLaren on 2BG Radio
For a city blessed with such superb public spaces, we've developed an unhealthy habit for utilising them terribly. Running deep here is an institutional apprehension that Sydneysiders are still not ready to enjoy these spaces responsibly – which is due to a fundamental issue of trust.
We saw this last week in the NSW Government's scramble to setup Tumbalong Park for the World Cup. This was not an oversight. On the contrary – the obvious lack of planning stemmed from a broad, bureaucratic hesitancy in Sydney to allow access to our public spaces.
And from within this culture of trepidation, a portfolio of red tape and regulations have manifested. Rather than focusing on maximising community enjoyment, the focus is all about minimising risk via an expensive tool kit of fencing, ticketing platforms and security staff. Atmosphere and delight have fallen down the priority list.
No doubt – peering out with this mindset – it must be a daunting exercise for a government or council to make sure everything is in order before the enjoyment can start. So, these ostensible challenges (and effort required to manage them) have led to the opportunities to come together in our purpose-built public spaces becoming more infrequent, then frequent.
The Domain, for example, is a world-class outdoor amphitheatre that rarely gets used anymore. Listening to music while the sun sets behind the city is a truly memorable experience. However, rather than a full program of events planned for this summer – only six are available before March.
Martin Place also oozes potential as a gathering place, but mainly just gets used by office workers as a conduit. In the heart of the city, it is surrounded by some of our most impressive architecture and could easily be enabled into a wonderful place to meet and get together.
And Taylor Square on Oxford Street is another missed opportunity for Sydneysiders to enjoy, especially the piazza on the Darlinghurst side. Any European city basking in summer would dedicate this space to ambience and outdoor dining. Yet, apart from the Saturday markets – it sadly sits dormant.
New Years Eve though is the best example of all this formalised worry. Paid ticketing to access our own public spaces is now de rigueur. Whereas previously our foreshore and parks bubbled with locals from all corners of Sydney – these are now cordoned off with high fencing and manned by security guards checking tickets.
Of course, the irony here is that Sydney is not a dangerous city at all by world standards. In fact, we're one of the safest. The latest Economist's Safe City Index ranked Sydney the 4th safest city in the world – ahead of Tokyo and just behind Singapore.
Similarly, at the 2017 New Year's Eve celebrations (before the dominance of the new ticketing regime) – out of the 1.6 million revellers who bustled in to watch the fireworks, there were only 13 arrests. Even my calculator struggled to work out what this translated to as a percentage.
So, what are we scared of?
Any Sydneysider over forty (including perhaps the gatekeepers of our public spaces) probably witnessed the odd loutish side to Sydney when growing up. However, decades later we now live in a different city. And whereas the ways in which we enjoy ourselves have matured – it seems some of our regulations have not.
Alcohol is sometimes an elephant in the room in these discussions. But our habits have changed here too. Young adults today drink far less than their parent's generation. In fact, rich countries (including Australia) are seeing a strong trend away from alcohol consumption in general.
There are other confident signals. The lockouts have been dismantled without any consequent Armageddon. This year, community-held street festivals have been glorious successes without incident. Restaurants and bars have reinvigorated alfresco street space, embraced with relish by Sydneysiders – and last week's "Open for Lunch" on George Street generated genuine excitement.
These improvements have been enabled by positive rule changes that should be applauded. However, there is still a long way to go. For a government that trumpets Sydney's global city status – the walk must match the talk. Enabling enjoyment of our public spaces again (without the abundance of caveats) is one of those pillars.
Mostly though, Sydneysiders are hungry for access to these public spaces again because it feels good when we enjoy them. They bring people together, create a sense of community and allow a city to interact. This contributes to a fabric and reminds locals that they live in a city with a personality they can be proud of – not just one with an expensive price tag.
