Pyrmont Urban Renewal Essay

Urban decay and renewal in Pyrmont/Ultimo

2. On the turn of the twentieth century Pyrmont/ ultimo become a closely populated business maritime area. It become the region frequently referred to as ‘Sydney’s outdoor’. There has been a extensive range of industries and services gift such as wharves, dockyards, warehouses, abattoirs, wool stores, railway yards and even an incinerator for the disposal of Sydney’s waste. The vicinity was a storage for primary merchandise, particularly wool. In 1900, Pyrmont was an important port and industrial region, with a populace of virtually 30 000 people. It was deemed a operating-class suburb with a predominantly Irish/Catholic population. As the income for Pyrmont was only modest, semi-indifferent cottages

had been the most common form of housing. in the 1960’s however, Pyrmont-Ultimo started to deteriorate at a quick pace and became an unfortunate instance of urban decay. The authorities policy of decentralisation, that is having industries move away from the centre of the metropolis, had a severe impact on the suburb’s populace. This suburbanisation was prompted because of congestion, obsolete plant life, a growing older infrastructure, high value of land and the restrained scope for enlargement.

3. A direct impact resulting from of urban decay was not enough employment opportunities for the working class society, the population of Pyrmont-Ultimo declined dramatically which led to a reduction in enterprise. A constant deterioration of offerings and amenities soon accompanied with factories and warehouses becoming abandoned and decayed. Some other poor effects of urban decay was the dereliction of the wharves, once crucial to the industry of the suburb. As there was no public access granted, the wharves had been not put to suitable use and became dilapidated. Before urban decay Pyrmont was one of the busiest and high-quality port centers in Australia. Understanding this, the authorities definitely would have wanted to have that again.

Ultimately in 1991, the Federal authorities initiated a ‘Better Cities Program’ which focused to make Australian towns sustainable and more liveable. It endorsed partnership arrangements among the various three tiers of government, the private quarter and the community. The principal targets were to improve the financial performance, social equity and environmental sustainability of Australia’s towns and Pyrmont-Ultimo become a targeted suburb for urban renewal.

There were numerous areas that this program aimed to improve such as housing, transport, public parks or open areas and protection of the ecosystem.

Redeveloping the location was a remarkable achievement an useful for every body. It gave many people inside the 'white-collar' industry a job and plenty of others simply a place to live. Since 1992, the one hundred-hectare peninsula of Pyrmont-Ultimo has been the subject of predominant master-planning, in depth infrastructure and property improvement that is anticipated to result in the residential population increasing from 3,000 originally to 20,000 by using 2021.

4. Geographical inquiry question 1 - to investigate the causes for change in pyrmont/ultimo

Geographical inquiry question 2- to assess the effects urban renewal has had on the demographic status of the suburb

Geographical inquiry question 3- to evaluate the effectiveness of the different strategies used to implement urban renewal in pyrmont ultimo

5. Hypothesis 1- Within the 1900s, Pyrmont was considered one of the busiest and high-quality port facilities in Australia. However, urban decline became a problem as many industries began to relocate to inexpensive land , while the detoritation of the wool industry made many factories no longer useful. Understanding this, the federal government initiated a ‘Better Cities Program’ which focuses on making Australian cities sustainable and more

liveable

Hypothesis 2- Urban renewal has had a crucial impact on the demographic reputation of pyrmont/ultimo because the region is now marked through a youthful, an increasing number of wealthy, and well-knowledgeable population.

Examples of such people are known as ‘DINKS- Double-earnings-No-Kids’. Older citizens have made way for a more youthful age group.

Hypothesis 3- Antique buildings such as factories and warehouses were converted into apartments offices. Other places including rail yards and dockyards have been additionally cleared for brand new high-rise development. Urban renewal was very successful , as the antique industrial district transformed into a vibrant new city community and urban rejuvenation still remains in the area today.

6. Source A Source B

Source C

On the left in source A it shows the redevelopment of an apartment while on the right it shows what the apartment would of looked like before undergoing redevelopment. Source B provides a different angle of the redeveloped apartment in source A. In source C it depicts the construction of new government funded infrastructure. All these sources show the improvement to infrastructure which has converted the urban community into a vibrant new area.

Source

D

Source E

Source D shows the how the population dramatically dropped as many industries began to move to cheaper land and the decline of the wool industry made many factories redundant. However the increase in population is due to the government initiated ‘Better Cities Program’. Source E visualises the changes in age structure in pyrmont ultimo. The young adults (25-34 years old) have increased by over 7,500 people compared to the older frail aged and the preschoolers. This indicates that because of urban renewal, Pyrmont/Ultimo has become more attractive to youthful, increasingly wealthy, well-educated people while the older residents have made way for a younger age group

8. Urban renewal had a superb impact on the physical environment as the region no longer experiencing urban decay. The physical environmental had progressed immensely. It additionally provided a place to live for plenty of people and jobs for many. Urban renewal had a positive impact on the human environment in the Pyrmont-Ultimo vicinity, due to the redevelopment of the area, the population had been increasing. The principal objectives were to enhance the economic efficiency, social equality and environmental sustainability of Australia’s cities and Pyrmont-Ultimo was a centered suburb for urban renewal. There have been numerous focus areas that this project aimed to improve which include housing, transport, public parks or open spaces and protection of the environment.
Then and now: Pirrama Road before and after urban renewal in Pyrmont-Ultimo Area

Housing:Prior to urban renewal, Pyrmont-Ultimo had citizens with comparable incomes. However to attain the aim of social equality plans were made for a mixed, high-density, medium-rise residential area. About 7500 new dwellings were built plus the maintenance of 1400 existing dwellings. The objective was to cater for all household types such as families, couples and singles, offer less costly housing for middle to low income earners, offer residential dwellings with waterfront access and with water and city views, protect current housing, retain a socially mixed residential populace which incorporates all income groups, provide opportunities to live close to offices and to create a high quality urban surroundings.

The provision of affordable or public housing was an essential factor to consider in the process. Without some sort of intervention to offer this low priced housing, the attractiveness of living near Sydney’s CBD would best be reserved for high income earners as dwellings might be too luxurious and lease might be too high. From a social equality factor of view it became consequently important to provide housing opportunities for citizens from a lower socioeconomic background who have been long time dwellers or who've a ancient affiliation with Pyrmont-Ultimo. It is visible nowadays that all aims have been met in regards to housing. There are several apartment blocks or terraces with water and city view as well as a diverse variety of housing. The process of gentrification has taken place on numerous instances within the suburb to maximise residential areas e.g. the Colonial Sugar Refinery site has been redeveloped into a mixture of commercial and residential land use and the giant Goldsborough wool store has been transformed into 500 luxury apartments.