george street - city of sydney

George StreetConcept Design

September 2013

Team

City DesignJan Gehl

Henriette Vamberg

Simon Goddard

Bridget Smyth

Michael Harvey

Laurence Johnson

Katharine Young

Glenn Wallace

Claire Morgan

Nick McCarthy

Olivia Gibbeson

Imogen Miller

Lucy Creagh

Thomas Drozdzewski

Arterra

Arup

Hassell

Haycraft Duloy

MBM

Morris Goding Access Consulting

Steensen Varming

Taylor Thomson Whitting

Contributing Consultants

Purpose of this Concept DesignSeven Key Principles

George Street Concept DesignThe Eight ElementsLight RailLight Rail StopsPavingTreesFurnitureLightingArtThe Edges

A World Class StreetImage References

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Contents

Purpose of the Concept Design

The George Street Concept Design builds on the research and testing undertaken by Gehl Architects, the City and its consultants over the last year. It provides a snapshot of the key issues around integrating light rail into George Street and makes recommendations for creating a beautiful, functional and high quality public realm.

In 2012, the NSW State Government identified George Street as the preferred light rail route for the City Centre, subject to feasibility and testing. The City has developed detailed plans for the route, including stop locations, lane closures and kerb realignments to assist Transport for NSW (TfNSW) in its role of delivering the light rail project. These plans continue to evolve as more information becomes available.

The ideas contained in this study also have implications for places adjacent to George Street, like Sydney Square, Barrack Street and the laneway network. It is not the purpose of this document to develop detailed designs for these areas. Feasibility and design studies for these spaces are being undertaken separately.

The principles and recommendations of this Concept Design, if adopted by Council, will be submitted to TfNSW for incorporation into the project.

2007

Public Spaces, Public Life Gehl Architects

2008

Sustainable Sydney 2030: The VisionCity of Sydney

A City of Cities: Metropolitan Strategy

NSW Government

2005

Metropolitan Plan for Sydney 2036

NSW Government

2010

Sydney’s Rail Future: Modernising Sydney’s Trains

NSW Government

2012

Draft NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan

NSW Government

2012 2013

2012

George Street Urban Design StudyCity of Sydney and Gehl Architects

2012

George Street Concept DesignCity of Sydney

2013

The Vision

DRAFT GEORGE STREET URBAN DESIGN STUDY January 2012

George StreetConcept Design

George Street Concept Design

Past Studies and Guiding Documents __

Design principles to guide the integration of light rail into the public realm.

Draft

9George Street Concept Design

capitalise on the amenities

a 21st century traffic system

an attractive public realm

water Identity Cycling

OVERVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS




A DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE AND LIVELY CITYAN INVITING STREETSCAPEA STRONG CITY IDENTITY

A STRONG PUBLIC TRANSPORT CITYA BETTER CITY FOR CYCLINGA BETTER CITY FOR WALKING A TRAFFIC CALMED CITY

A GREEN CONNECTED CITYA WATERFRONT CITY


40 km/hZONE

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RECOMMENDATIONS 77










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RECOMMENDATIONS 77










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RECOMMENDATIONS 77

a waterfront city

a better city for walking

a strong city identity

a green connected city

a strong public transport system

a diverse and lively city










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Public Spaces, Public Life Gehl Architects 2007

Summary __

We want a city of people; a city where people feel safe; a city that is interesting and lively. Jan Gehl

Recommendations

The report reviews how people use our public spaces and streets. It assesses how they move around and how our public spaces could better promote public life and outdoor leisure. The report provides us with a benchmark to measure our city against others including London, Copenhagen and Stockholm. The report provides a comprehensive set of ideas to transform the city, one of which is the George Street transformation.

• An introverted city

• A traffic dominated city

• A mono-functional city

• A high city

• A lack of street hierarchy

• Scattered open spaces

Key findings:

In 2007 the City commissioned Gehl Architects to create a blueprint to turn Sydney’s City Centre into a people-friendly, public transport-oriented and green city.


Sustainable Sydney 2030City of Sydney 2008

Summary __

The Vision

Sustainable Sydney 2030 has a vision of a Green, Global, and Connected City.

•Five Big Moves•Ten Strategic Directions•Ten Project Ideas

Project Idea 2: Three Linked City Squares

2TH

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E C

ITY

SQ

UA

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Linked City Squares for Public LifeFew cities in the world enjoy a natural setting as spectacular as Sydney’s. The series of peninsulas and coves and inlets provide a unique setting for a major city with views to the water and landscape beyond.The City Centre positioned on two hills offers constant surprises. A long narrow City Centre means short distances to cross from east to west, while moving south from Circular Quay presents more challenges.

Circular Quay could be renewed as a new harbour gateway to the City with the design of a new public square with better access and views to the water. Customs House Square would be celebrated as a natural gathering place in a harbour City, renewing Sydney’s image nationally and internationally. Concepts for Circular Quay propose removal of the Cahill Expressway and celebrating the station as an arrival and interchange to a proposed light rail city loop.

05 THREE LINKED CITY SQUARES

CIRCULAR QUAY - FJMT

TOWN HALL SQUARE - TONY CARO ARCHITECTURE

A network of new public space that unifies the great monuments

Create well scaled settings for the monuments

A place where pedestrians have priority

A place for large public gatherings and celebrations

Improve the design quality of the transport interchange

Primary traffic corridors to become a shared pedestrian and public transport environment

2030 VisionThe spine

Circular Quay open front gateway to the city

Town hall high point and pivot

Central southern gateway

Peripheral car park, possible bus layover and intersection with cross city tunnel

BenefitsA legible and unified sandstone civic realm in the heart of the city

A place where everyday living happens - the undergrowth

Active public spaces and edges

A sense of place defined by surrounding cultural monuments

Create a flat stone 'carpet' to unify the monuments Connect the town hall cathedral QVB and Pitt street church to primary public space Building facades to address each other across public space Maintain the corridor of Pitt Street Connect Clarence, Kent Streets to Sydney Square and railway station Unite Sydney square with new formal address elements at east end (new public building) and wesschool) Design activated edges and accessible facades + roofs to new buildings around Sydney Square New uses under Town Hall Square connected into pedestrian network Create gateway threshold between civic precinct and entertainment precinct to south Open town hall station concourse to improve address, accessibility and natural lighting New building heights to relate to sandsand street façade podiums Introduce undergrowth uses - the arts and culture - renascent Blackwattle studios Introduce landscaping that preserves vistas of the monuments and create a new “green link” between Hyde Park and Darling Harbour.




















Now

Town Hall Square is proposed as a new civic meeting place creating a civic centre in the European tradition. The plaza would be dominated by the Victorian architecture of the Town Hall, Queen Victoria Building and St Andrew's Cathedral, but new development of sustainable buildings would create a contemporary edge. Redesign of the station and a light rail stop would make Town Hall Square a gateway to the southern entertainment precinct and Chinatown Haymarket to the south. The square would be a focal point midway along the City’s pedestrian thouroughfare—George Street—in the centre of the City.

Three City Squares

The traffic on George Street should be simplified and changed into a public transport street with zones for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians only.

Jan GehlPublic Spaces Public Life, 2008

Now

140 SUSTAINABLE SYDNEY 2030 : THE VISION SUSTAINABLE SYDNEY 2030 : THE VISION 141

Woolloomooloo

Darlington

Forest Lodge

Chippendale

Camperdown

Glebe

Elizabeth Bay

Rushcutters Bay

Pyrmont

CityCentre

Darling Harbour

Balmain

Woollahra

Darling Point

PottsPoint

SydneyHarbour

Ultimo Paddington

Darlinghurst

Kings Cross

St James

Museum

Wynyard

Central

RailwaySquare

CircularQuay

DawesPoint

The Rocks

Broadway

Garden Island

Chinatown

WalshBay

CockleBay

TownHall

TaylorSquare

East Sydney

SurryHills

MillersPoint

2TH

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E C

ITY

SQ

UA

RE

S

Linked City Squares for Public LifeFew cities in the world enjoy a natural setting as spectacular as Sydney’s. The series of peninsulas and coves and inlets provide a unique setting for a major city with views to the water and landscape beyond.The City Centre positioned on two hills offers constant surprises. A long narrow City Centre means short distances to cross from east to west, while moving south from Circular Quay presents more challenges.

Circular Quay could be renewed as a new harbour gateway to the City with the design of a new public square with better access and views to the water. Customs House Square would be celebrated as a natural gathering place in a harbour City, renewing Sydney’s image nationally and internationally. Concepts for Circular Quay propose removal of the Cahill Expressway and celebrating the station as an arrival and interchange to a proposed light rail city loop.







































Now

Town Hall Square is proposed as a new civic meeting place creating a civic centre in the European tradition. The plaza would be dominated by the Victorian architecture of the Town Hall, Queen Victoria Building and St Andrew's Cathedral, but new development of sustainable buildings would create a contemporary edge. Redesign of the station and a light rail stop would make Town Hall Square a gateway to the southern entertainment precinct and Chinatown Haymarket to the south. The square would be a focal point midway along the City’s pedestrian thouroughfare—George Street—in the centre of the City.

Three City Squares

The traffic on George Street should be simplified and changed into a public transport street with zones for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians only.

Jan GehlPublic Spaces Public Life, 2008

Now

140 SUSTAINABLE SYDNEY 2030 : THE VISION SUSTAINABLE SYDNEY 2030 : THE VISION 141

Woolloomooloo

Darlington

Forest Lodge

Chippendale

Camperdown

Glebe

Elizabeth Bay

Rushcutters Bay

Pyrmont

CityCentre

Darling Harbour

Balmain

Woollahra

Darling Point

PottsPoint

SydneyHarbour

Ultimo Paddington

Darlinghurst

Kings Cross

St James

Museum

Wynyard

Central

RailwaySquare

CircularQuay

DawesPoint

The Rocks

Broadway

Garden Island

Chinatown

WalshBay

CockleBay

TownHall

TaylorSquare

East Sydney

SurryHills

MillersPoint

Llig

htra

il

Belmore Park

Eddy Avenue

Central Station

RailwaySquare

Hay Street

Pitt

Stre

et

P P P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

PP

P

P

RAILWAY SQUARE

A new meeting place. Federation Square, Melbourne(Approx. same size as Belmore Park).

Strengthen the public domain in the area around Central Station by upgrading Railway Square, Eddy Avenue and Belmore Park.Credits: Cleveland Rose (base drawing) & Gehl Architects (photoshop rendering)

long term strategy

a. Re-arrange vehicular access to Central Station. (Hay Street ramp).b. Unify Railway Square, create a new urban public space. c. Dedicate the North-East part of Railway Square to short term park-ing.

stage 1a. Introduce a traffi c calming scheme at Eddy Avenue.b. Relocate bus parking and short term parking to Railway Square.c. “Shrink” the street profi le and introduce a direct pedestrian cross-ing to Central Station.

stage 2a. Introduce new functions in Bel-more Park to add activities and va-riety. b. Introduce an ideas competi-tion for Belmore Park asking for new ways of thinking public, ur-ban park.

stage 3

Public functions in the centre part, shops and small scale offi ces in the pavillons to the sides.Kungsträdgården, Stockholm(Approx. same size as Belmore Park).

Waiting possibilities in the shade. Railway Square, Vienna, Austria.

RECOMMENDATIONS 101

The George Street transformation is fundamental to the ideas and aspirations described in Sustainable Sydney 2030. Sustainable development is not just about the physical environment, but about the economy, society and culture as a whole. To address each, Five Big Moves, Ten Strategic Directions, Ten Project Ideas, coupled with strong governance, will result in better outcomes for current and future communities. One of the Ten Project Ideas relates directly to the George Street transformation, to create and connect three city squares on the George Street thoroughfare.

Circular Quay

Town Hall Square

Concept by FJMT Architects, 2008

Concept by Tony Caro, 2008

Concept by Gehl Architects, 2008

Railway Square


George Street Urban Design StudyCity of Sydney with Gehl Architects 2012

Summary __

What makes a great street?Memorable streets have common features. They are places for people and are designed with them in mind. Typically, a good pedestrian street features:

DRAFT GEORGE STREET URBAN DESIGN STUDY January 2012

Figure A

•Generous footpaths

•Lighting for people

•Trees and shade

•Active and open facades

•Street furniture

•Human scale

•Artworks and cultural markers

The George Street Urban Design Study sets design principles for transforming George Street into a pedestrian boulevard.


124,8906pm-12am

2007 2012

8am-6pm

116,484

87,834

28,650

116,484

87,834

28,650

104,772

6pm-10am

2007 2012

10am-6pm

99,372

75,192

24,180

99,372

75,192

24,180

Broadway

Circular Quay

Bridge Street

Martin Place

Market Street

Liverpool Street

Central Station

THE CITY 21

SCALE REFERENCES

comparison of key city streets

Total length: 2550 mStreet width: 22-30 mFootpath width: 4-6 mStatus: Main street with shopping and heavy traffic.

Broadway

Circular Quay

Bridge Street

Martin Place

Market Street

Liverpool Street

Central Station

GEORGE STREET

Bourke Street

Sw

anston Street

Flinders Street

FederationSquare

Victoria Street

SWANSTON STREET

Total length: 1270 mStreet width: 30 mFootpath width: 8 mStatus: Main street dominated by shopping. Trams, taxis and bicycles.

Macquarie Street

George Street

Castlereagh Street

martin place

Total length: 450 m Street width: 30 mStatus: Pedestrian street dominated by office buildings.

PiccadillyCircus

All Souls

Oxford Circus

Regent Street

REGENT STREET Total length: 1200 mStreet width: 25-28 mFootpath width: 4-7 mStatus: Shopping street dominated by classic architecture and a curved course. Heavy traffic.

BOURKE STREET MALL

Total length: 213 mStreet width: 30 mFootpath width: 8 mStatus: Shopping street for pedestrians and public transportation.

Swanston Street

Elizabeth Street

Bourke Street

Flinders Street

Victoria Street

King Street

Market Street

PITT STREET MALL

Total length: 186 mFootpath width: 18.5 m Status: Pedestrian street dominated by retail.

George Street, Sydney Swanston Street, Melbourne

Oxford Circus

Sct. Giles

Marble Arch

Oxford S

treet O

xford Street

OXFORD STREET

Total length: 2000 mStreet width: 26 mFootpath width: 6-9 mStatus: Main shopping street. Pedestrians and public transportation.

Oxford Street, London

sydney melbourne london

0 m

500 m

1000 m

1500 m

2000 m

2500 m

THE CITY 21

SCALE REFERENCES

comparison of key city streets

Total length: 2550 mStreet width: 22-30 mFootpath width: 4-6 mStatus: Main street with shopping and heavy traffic.

Broadway

Circular Quay

Bridge Street

Martin Place

Market Street

Liverpool Street

Central Station

GEORGE STREET

Bourke Street

Sw

anston Street

Flinders Street

FederationSquare

Victoria Street

SWANSTON STREET

Total length: 1270 mStreet width: 30 mFootpath width: 8 mStatus: Main street dominated by shopping. Trams, taxis and bicycles.

Macquarie Street

George Street

Castlereagh Street

martin place

Total length: 450 m Street width: 30 mStatus: Pedestrian street dominated by office buildings.

PiccadillyCircus

All Souls

Oxford Circus

Regent StreetREGENT STREET Total length: 1200 mStreet width: 25-28 mFootpath width: 4-7 mStatus: Shopping street dominated by classic architecture and a curved course. Heavy traffic.

BOURKE STREET MALL

Total length: 213 mStreet width: 30 mFootpath width: 8 mStatus: Shopping street for pedestrians and public transportation.

Swanston Street

Elizabeth Street

Bourke Street

Flinders Street

Victoria Street

King Street

Market Street

PITT STREET MALL

Total length: 186 mFootpath width: 18.5 m Status: Pedestrian street dominated by retail.

George Street, Sydney Swanston Street, Melbourne

Oxford Circus

Sct. Giles

Marble Arch

Oxford S

treet O

xford Street

OXFORD STREET

Total length: 2000 mStreet width: 26 mFootpath width: 6-9 mStatus: Main shopping street. Pedestrians and public transportation.


sydney melbourne london

0 m

500 m

1000 m

1500 m

2000 m

2500 m

What do we have now?George Street is overloaded. It no longer functions efficiently for either pedestrians or vehicles. George Street is characterised by:

• Low pedestrian priority

• An overload of buses

• Poor pedestrian amenity

• Noise

• Closed frontages and facades

• No cycling facilities

Facts

6,000 buses arrive in the City Centre every week day.

192 bus routes part of the City Centre network

2007 vs 2012 Pedestrian Study2012

a decrease in pedestrian flow during the day

2007

night time

day time

Total length 1,270m

Street width 30m

Footpath width 8m

Number of weekday pedestrians: 57,280


Case study comparisonFootpath width and pedestrian numbers at a single location

George Street, SydneyTotal length 2,550m

Street width 22.30m

Footpath width 4-6m


Swanston Street, Melbourne

Total length 2,000m

Street width 26m

Footpath width 6-9m


124,8906pm-12am

2007 2012

8am-6pm

116,484

87,834

28,650

116,484

87,834

28,650

104,772

6pm-10am

2007 2012

10am-6pm

99,372

75,192

24,180

99,372

75,192

24,180

25,974

98,916

01An efficienttransport spine

02A pedestrianfocused boulevard

03A legiblespine

04An iconicstreet

05A 24-hourstreet

06Linking the city to theharbour

07Connecting three great squares

CircularQuay

Bridge Street

Wynyard

Market Street

Liverpool Street

Hay Street

Town Hall

Central

CentralStation

Town HallSquare

Bridge Street

Liverpool Street

CircularQuay

01An efficienttransport spine

02A pedestrianfocused boulevard

03A legiblespine

04An iconicstreet

05A 24-hourstreet

06Linking the city to theharbour

07Connecting three great squares

CircularQuay

Bridge Street

Wynyard

Market Street

Liverpool Street

Hay Street

Town Hall

Central

CentralStation

Town HallSquare

Bridge Street

Liverpool Street

CircularQuay

Seven key principles

How do we fix it? __

1918 George Street Concept Design George Street Concept Design

George Street Concept DesignCity of Sydney with Gehl Architects

This document sets out the design principles that will guide the detailed design of George Street. It outlines strategies and concepts for improving the public realm in concert with the State Government’s light rail project. The ideas and images in this document have been tested to ensure that the City’s $220 million investment is spent wisely and can achieve the public benefit that we strive for.


Light Rail

Light Rail Stops

Paving

Trees

Furniture

Lighting

Art

The Edges

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Eight elements

How we deliver on the vision __