Living in the City

After a long day at work I begin the arduous walk along William Street in Woolloomooloo up to Town Hall. I, along with many of my colleagues dread this horrid walk as you are battered by strong winds, created by the straight road lined by large buildings. You battle the traffic as you dare to cross the many roads when the red man attempts to stop you in your tracks for 5mins at each intersection.
This is just one section of the city of Sydney that suffers from this problem, making it an unpleasant experience for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.
In thinking further about the structure of Sydney, it’s amazing to think how the make up really does effect the way we live our lives and how it can effect our emotional state. I will walk along the side streets that run parallel to William Street to avoid it. I will avoid public transport due to the tardiness and overcrowding.

Although we may view all this as a set of unrelated events it may be argued that this is a physical network that we participate in everyday. We travel from A to B via various modes of transport with some form of interaction occurring with fellow commuters. Over the last few years the City of Sydney Council has recognised the importance of this network in the city and have taken steps to make it a more pleasant experience. An extensive network of bike paths are being built to encourage more to hop on their bike, hopefully easing traffic congestion and promoting the less polluting mode of transport. Urban regeneration projects are beautifying public spaces such as parks, and utlilising previously unused spaces.

Hence the city is attempting to not only make the network more efficient, but also more aesthetically pleasing, thus encouraging people to perhaps interact more. In the seminal book Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space (1980) by the Danish architect Jan Gehl he outlines the importance of encouraging social activities in the city. The key to this is the design and architecture of the city. Gehl writes, “One can take occasional walks, perhaps make a detour along the a main street on the way home or pause at an inviting bench near a front door to be among people for a short while” (1980: 19). The point is that these networks and patterns of architecture and transport truly do impact on the way we live our lives in that space and beyond.
The current state of my commute home does not encourage this at all, but who knows, perhaps in future years it will be the case.

Reference

Gehl, J. (1980) Life Between Buildings: Using Public Spaces. Melbourne & NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold.