b'MUDD 25 - Urban Intensity l Urban Design - SydneyAs I considered the issue further I decided that it isSo, how did the winning project stand up in the light of possible for a city to be both useful and beautiful. Thewhat has happened? Well, the reality is that the street proof was Venice,in my opinion the most remarkable cityframework is perhaps a deeper structure and more humans have managed to create. It is difficult to imaginedifficult to budge than I had originally hoped. What I a more beautiful place. It seemed to me that the waycan say about the last two decades of development of this happened was fairly simple. In the case of Venicethe area is that it is basically business as usual with water is the key. Around this water, the best buildings area green tinge. The idea of banishing cars may have preserved and protected and the dross is swept away.been a little too hopeful and perhaps unnecessary as Over time we end up with a collection of fine buildingsit seems that we will all be driving electric vehicles in that are reflected in the canals, doubling the beauty! So,the near future. In terms of the architecture and urban the way to create a beautiful modern city is also simpledesign around Green Square, there are some standout preserve and protect the most interesting excitingprojects but the hope of a new paradigm of city design and beautiful relics from the past and add to themwas perhaps too much to ask. I havent totally given up incrementally. That which is not worth preserving can bethough, and for the surrounding areas there is still time!swept away creating at least a partial clean slate and allowing some space for new ideas and fine architectureThe area to the south and the west of the original and urban spaces to develop. competition area is as yet largely untouched by re-development and it is with that in mind that the MUDD It was with these ideas in mind that I approachedstudio commenced work on four different paradigms the Visions for Green Square design competition inof urban design, with some wonderful results. We are 1995. The competition called for a vision for the 245hopeful that the exercise and the student projects Hectare area of South Sydney so it was the perfectpublished here in the folio combined with an ongoing vehicle to enable me to test out some of the ideas thatdebate and discussion can inform and influence to a had been germinating. With the mind of a dreamercertain degree the next twenty or thirty years of re-I set out to discover what could be saved and whatdevelopment in a more sustainable and positive way could be created. The 1995 project attempted to retaintowards a brighter future for Sydney.the most interesting and essential elements of the industrial landscape and to incorporate them into a new framework of canals, parks, streets and squares that could allow for the development over time of a beautiful and sustainable city. Cars were to be banished to the outskirts and local transport conducted by water, cycle, or foot, while regional transport would rely on the new railway line. The project was optimistic but also challenged the normal town-planning modus operandi in a radical way. Its Sydney, so perhaps not surprisingly pragmatism and realpolitik soon set in. The second stage tender was won by the third prize winners who had proposed a design much more respectful of the existing street structure and the citys ideological framework. They went on to create a masterplan for the area. Since then numerous smaller competitions for parts of the siteTransport Interchange Source: Chris Elliotthave taken place with mixed results.84P3-20200301-SYDNEY STUDIO.indd 49 2020/3/6 22:05:27'