Public Address | Cafe | Cracker: Sydney-side

Kumara Republic

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:38:52 +1200

How best to call the divide? My take: the Nikau Curtain.

Sacha

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:46:40 +1200

a plug here for the Auckland Transport Blog

I love their work. Extends to thought-provoking big-picture pieces like this guest post by planning historian Chris Harris.

What both these articles point to is that Len’s team seems to have a strong focus on the South and West, while their government-backed…

JLM

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:10:27 +1200

Now you're talking about Auckland, a plug here for the Auckland Transport Blog which is one of my favourites, despite living at the other end of the country. At least one massive, evidence-based information filled posting every single day.

Back to Sydney, walking round the traffic-calmed streets of Surry Hills…

Sacha

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:55:24 +1200

In Melbourne, they took out a road — a road! — to make way for a broad pedestrian concourse

Whereas in Auckland we took out the planned pedestrian concourse between Britomart and Vector Arena (you can still see the beginning until it becomes a narrow service lane with wheelie bins…

Kyle Matthews

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:20:13 +1200

There was also a (hot) visual artist from the Ukraine, whose chosen medium was sand sprinkled and swept over a light box, projected onto the big screen.

Kseniya Simonova I'd imagine. This is her pretty famous work in Ukraine's got talent which is about the invasion and massacre in her…

BenWilson

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:04:54 +1200

Auckland is going this way, I feel.

Yup, it's one of the reasons I'm not so bummed about it. If Auckland ended up like Sydney now, or even 20 years ago, it would be a whole lot choicer.

Kumara Republic

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:25:02 +1200

Auckland is going this way, I feel.
Are gated communities a big thing over in Sydney?

But the way NZ's going, I might wind up living in Australia, unless we get a government that stops sucking dollars out of the country to give to their rich mates.
How many bodyguards…

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:05:31 +1200

Downtown Sydney is really nice. The Western ghettos are horrible – Sydney (like LA and a few other places) is big enough that the outer suburbs are beyond reasonable travelling distance of the CBD. Which is fine if you're retired in Windsor, less good if you're unemployed in Bankstown.

Auckland…

BenWilson

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:51:50 +1200

Just lucky, I guess.

Must be! The one and only time I went to Bondi they had 3 shark warnings in 1 hour, and I could see the shark from the cliffs. The surfers, however, ignored it, even when it came close (which you could see because a boat followed…

Scott Gamble

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:04:25 +1200

Unless you're scared of sharks.

I surf regularly at Tamarama and Bronte and have yet to have any contact with sharks. In fact, in over 20 years of surfing I've never even seen a shark! And most of the time in Ak I would surf at Maori Bay, which has…

BenWilson

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:50:04 +1200

Except that their city beaches are miles better than our east coast beaches.

Unless you're scared of sharks.

st ephen

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:20:41 +1200

keep it down you lot! Mention public artwork and this is what you'll get…

Scott Gamble

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:04:18 +1200

@Hilary
Re: public art and Councilor Casey researching it.

Details of Ak public artwork here on the Ak Public Libraries website: http://bit.ly/egM9wf
(disclosure: I helped research this about 10 years ago)
Good to see public artwork getting some attention though. It can make a city.

On a change of subject,…

Kumara Republic

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:27:58 +1200

In Melbourne, they took out a road — a road! — to make way for a broad pedestrian concourse along the Yarra, from the railway station to the sports complex. I fear we'll never be that good.

We managed to pull it off with Cuba St years ago.

BenWilson

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:21:30 +1200

I fear we'll never be that good.

We don't have enough roads to just go chucking one to pedestrians, although it seems that is the way Queen St is going.

Russell Brown

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:28:56 +1200

I’m currently in Sydney, and it’s my first time in this city. I like the place, and they seem to know in Australia how to make good use of public spaces. They don’t seem afraid to spend public money on monuments and works of art, which is something my own…

Hilary Stace

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:24:24 +1200

Deep Red, you should check out what Councillor Cathy Casey is doing. She's going around locating all the public art, sculptures and statues around Auckland and rehabilitating them. There seems to be quite a lot of good stuff.

But Wellington's are wonderful, and I'm particularly fond of the wind sculptures…

Kumara Republic

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:50:44 +1200

They don't seem afraid to spend public money on monuments and works of art, which is something my own city (Auckland) has been lousy at.

Wellington offers a model to follow, and it need not cost too much either.

Hilary Stace

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:42:18 +1200

Don't suppose you dropped in to see the dugongs in the Sydney aquarium?

ScottY

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:27:55 +1200

I'm currently in Sydney, and it's my first time in this city. I like the place, and they seem to know in Australia how to make good use of public spaces. They don't seem afraid to spend public money on monuments and works of art, which is something my own…

Damian Christie

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:22:37 +1200

Indeed Raymond, indeed. I'm thinking next time instead of Westfield St Lukes (definitely a hell hole, and you should try and get a park on the weekend) I'll pop across to Sydders for the weekend ;)

Raymond A Francis

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:19:11 +1200

Hmm it makes good sense I suppose, if you live in the south, don't waste money travelling to Auckland (reportedly a hell hole, with despite Ms Tizards best efforts ghastly traffic problems) fly to Sydney and see the real thing

Jackie Clark

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:18:57 +1200

I only went to Sydney once – over 30 years ago. I didn't so much like the City, but I loved the outskirts. We went to the Blue Mountains which I thought were magnificent, even at 16. And I really really loved the hotel at the top where you had…

BenWilson

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:36:44 +1200

“you can’t wear your thongs there” advised the concierge

Times have changed. I stopped referring to them as thongs in Oz, because people thought you were talking about underwear.

One thing that’s obvious when you head to Australia – they’re doing very well.

Yes, it was a bit of a…

Jo S

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:02:26 +1200

The interior of the Sydney Opera House looks gorgeous, I've always appreciated it from the outside, but never had the opportunity to attend a concert. Hmm, may have to make the extra effort next time I visit to indulge in some orchestral music ....

Public Address

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:02:26 +1200

Discussion from blog post.