An urban design approach to road infrastructure development in Sydney

Abstract

This paper discusses the lessons learnt in Sydney by moving away from a traditional engineering approach and instead adopting an urban design approach to the development of road and related transport infrastructure. It draws on the work done by the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales, which is the agency responsible for such infrastructure. That agency has undergone a paradigm shift in recent years with some interesting outcomes for the built environment. Following a brief theoretical exposition on the nature of urban design, its importance as a public policy pursuit and its relevance to infrastructure, the paper elucidates the shift in values and project management that has occurred. It then demonstrates how urban design thinking has been applied in practice using three case studies in Sydney that present different types of infrastructure and scales of movement. The Eastern Distributor is a motorway that penetrates the fabric of the inner city, the Liverpool–Parramatta Transitway is a new bus transitway built in Sydney's growing west and the Cahill Expressway project consists of a series of improvements for pedestrians and rail commuters related to the existing viaduct across Circular Quay. Some key conclusions are drawn from these selected case studies and discourse that can be of value to others.