Sydney architecture is getting a reputation for “pandering to private interests” — one not helped by procession of private houses honoured at the NSW Architecture Awards last week — but the new Town Hall Precinct could help bring the focus back to more social issues, architect Philip Thalis said.
The precinct has the potential to become the pedestrianised heart of Sydney, Thalis told Architecture & Design. The block between Bathurst St and George St could be closed to traffic with just a public transport corridor running through it, in a similar way to Bourke St Mall in Melbourne, he said.
“The idea is to get rid of the cars is so that the real traffic in the city are people on foot or on public transport. Cars are the least important tier in terms of traffic priority in the city.”
The existing town hall square between St Andrews and Town Hall, which is “a very poor quality public space”, would need to be completely rethought, Thalis said.
“You are talking about a city square with significant opportunities for public, retail and commercial buildings. It’s a combination of new public space opposite Town Hall and an invigorated public domain and improved transport infrastructure.
“It can really change the whole sense of the centre of Sydney, particularly if it’s with the metro and particularly if it’s with something like Jan Gehl’s proposal to pedestrianise George St or to put a tram up George St which lots of people support,” Thalis said.
