Case Study : Sydney's old Inner City we preserved

"For the new residents of Sydney's million-dollar slums, the close living is one of the attractions. ''I like to believe we're the only street in Sydney with a real sense of community," says Soo Haywood, a Little Comber resident of two years."

A quote from article "Be it ever so humble" published in Sydney Morning Herald on May 11, 2002.

Sydney example should set a precedent for many other cities that if the city authority and developers treat old quarters as city's problem and want to demolish to make way for modern development, they will run into a huge mistake by erasing city's history and character.

Sydney(1), now a truly global city has these old quarters that not only have maintained much of their character also have become as city's cultural precinct, nourishing dining and high-street retail scenes as well as art communities. More prominently these are now the most sought after place to live.

The process which is called 'gentrification' isn't perfect. It has resulted increase in land value; in some ways also alters the character and slowly pushes the poorer residents out the area.

Read previous posted entry : "Case Study - Sydney's Inner city from the slum to highly valued precincts" more detailed explanation of how Sydney' Inner City fell into slum during the last century.

Footnote:
(1) Sydney for only about two hundreds years old history is considered a young city.

Case Study - Sydney's Inner city from the slum to highly valued precincts

Before you read the extract below, we all know that a large part of Sydney old quarters (known as Inner-city) are still intact, mostly survive from demolition during 1970s. Now these old houses have become the highest value properties in the country. Not only they are highly desired house to live in it also bring ripple effect to the immediate streetscape and urban areas to become vibrant cultural precincts.

Extract from book "Planning Sydney's Future". It outlined how in the past old houses were perceived as problem to the society. Now condition changed so people shouldn't see it as problem but our cultural heritage we should preserve. This also proved that we can't solve social problems with bulldozers which is happening in cities like Shanghai, Beijing...

"At the end of the Second World War Australia faced the worst housing crisis in its history. A survey conducted by the Commonwealth government in 1944 showed a national housing shortage of almost 200 000 dwellings, with Sydney needing about 35 000 of these. This was before replacing the 19 000 inner-city 'slum' dwelling that were earmarked for demolition. The 1947 census showed that of Sydney's population of almost one and a half million, about three-quarters lived in private houses occupied by only one family, another 15 per cent lived in flats. while the remaining ten per cent shared private houses or lived in boarding houses. On average, four people lived in single-family private houses, while six lived in share houses. But in the poorer parts of the inner city it was not uncommon for three or four families to be sharing overcrowded and often unsanitary terrace houses.

With demobilisation came demands for postwar reconstruction. Blueprints for better houses and better cities were an important part of armed services propaganda. In 1945 the Sydney architect Walter Bunning wrote an influential book about the past, present and future of Australian housing which he called 'Homes in the Sun'. In his foreword H. C. Coombs, director~general of postwar reconstruction, wrote that the book 'will be of direct and personal interest to every Australian man and woman who will in the coming years be setting up their own homes'. Bunning wanted new homes to be built 'to admit sunshine and fresh air, to have healthy surroundings, peace and quiet and to suit our climate and traditions'.

Like the Cumberland planners. Bunning painted a bleak picture of Sydney's slums. which he characterised as having narrow, ugly streets and pocket-handkerchief allotments, forcing children to play in 'lanes and alleys' and their parents 'to sit on their doorsteps' (1). Such attitudes encouraged property interests to welcome the expansion of the City core into suburbs like Pyrmont, Chippendale and Woolloomooloo because substandard housing would be replaced by commerce and industry. In other inner suburbs, like Paddington, Redfern, Surry Hills, Alexandria, Waterloo, Erskineville, Newtown, Glebe and Balmain it was assumed that demolition and rebuilding would be required for most of the houses and that the New South Wales Housing Commission. created in 1941, would do the bulk of the work."

'Planning Sydney's Future' by Peter Spearritt & Christina Demarco. Published 1988 by Allen & Unwin Sydney

Article "Be it ever so humble", published May 11, 2002 at Sydney Morning Herald explains the transformation Sydney's Inner city had experience.
Quote : "Sydney's smart - and expensive - Victorian houses were once hosts to squalor and plague", writes Anne Davies.

(1) Scene like this is common in the large part of Europe nowadays. It is in fact the healthiest, and more environmental friendly way of living. The low, tight and intimate neighbourhoods also create strong sense of community.

River city and 'working river' study - Palembang

Palembang, second largest city in the Indonesia island of Sumatra is a thriving city. The city is not as modern as Kuching city, still maintains large section of old areas along its river. The Musi is still a working river brings much activities for the city centre in the form of boat transport between both banks is not only crucial for the city's economy and also the identity and livelihood of its people depends on it. River side residents travel to opposite bank the city centre to shops for daily needs; agriculture goods are delivered here via boats; fishing boats docks here and load the daily catch to the markets.

Imagine like other cities in the world Palembang rushes to develop its old waterfront strips into a place of recreation and tourism the 'working river ' activities (as shown on the photos) will be diminished. Boat activities will be moved or centralised in new loading points thus this part of the river will lose its vibrancy. The only boat travel between both banks will be only the sightseeing tourist boat. Businesses on the proximity of river banks depend so much on sales and delivery of goods from boats will be greatly affected.

One of the prominent example is Sydney's diminishing status as 'working harbour'. Debate can be viewed here.

Photos by Desmond Ong

River city study - Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang - "A royal gem, reclining against the mountains and dangling its feet in the river" "Luang Prabang, made a Unesco World Heritage city for both its beautiful buildings and the serenity of its natural surrounds, has become Lao PDR's foremost tourist showpiece" Lonely Planet.

Luang Prabang, a Laos city with current population of 103,000

No other river city in the world has this unique character like Luang Prabang. Nature is the dominant feature. It covers much of the city center and the whole stretch of the riverbank. This portrays image of Laos to the outside world that this country still live in the old world. Timeless and untouched by the modernity.

Urban centre is well integrated with the landscape

Has impressive historic buildings without being imposing but blend well with the existing landscape

Like Kuching, Luang Prabang has good blend of well preserved colonial buildings and local architecture, set against rivers and mountains of beautiful natural beauty, which led to Luang Prabang designation as a World Heritage site in 1995. As the result of such an early recognition before the country's opening to outside world has effectively protected the old city and its beautiful surrounds from the ravages of hasty development.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luang_Prabang