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Streets: Chippendale, Sydney
Case study name: Chippendale
Introduction
The inner city suburb of Chippendale is an example of a street environment that encourages walking and cycling. Careful planning and management of the public domain, and notable attention to detail, particularly with regard to traffic calming measures, has created a highly pedestrianised and community-friendly neighbourhood island amidst busy arterial roads and major land uses.
This pedestrian-friendly outcome has been achieved partially through the use of conventional traffic management techniques, but also by considering the broader issue of the liveability of the area. Preservation of the grid street layout and laneways provides a connected and legible street network that maximises convenience for pedestrians. Through intensive management, the volume and speed of traffic is kept low on the thoroughfares where traffic is still allowed.
It is an example of the modern evolution towards holistic public domain planning and creation of an 'urban village'. It is also a good example of how older, established urban areas can be retro-fitted with features that increase safety and convenience for pedestrians and cyclists, improve the area's sense of place, enable greater community interaction, and encourage active living.
Description and context
The case study area of Chippendale, to the south west of the Sydney CBD, is a mixed use precinct set on a grid street pattern in the area bound by Broadway, Cleveland and Abercrombie Streets, and City Road. Originally a working class terrace housing suburb interspersed with factories and warehouses, it has recently undergone a period of urban renewal, with many city office workers moving into the area. As well as the traditional terrace housing, warehouse conversions and new unit development have transformed the area.
The management of the public domain has enhanced the district's neighbourhood characteristics and sense of community. Public domain improvements that have been delivered in increments over time, include road closures and traffic calming measures, footpath extensions and paving, planting and landscaping. These have created better quality public open space and greatly improved safety, convenience and amenity for pedestrians and cyclists.
Road closures and footpath extensions are used to create more public open space, deter through and fast travelling traffic, and establish car-free short-cuts for pedestrians and cyclists. Attention to detail on footpath paving and extensions promote the heritage of the area. Trees and planting, including garden beds maintained by residents, provide a sense of ownership and pleasant environment for walking around. Conventional traffic management, or 'traffic calming' techniques are also used to aid safety. By thwarting traffic short-cuts and speeding vehicles, these features reduce traffic volumes to levels that encourage pedestrians and cyclists to use the area.
Integrated planning measures have placed restrictions on the amount of off-street car parking that can be provided with new developments. There is also relatively low demand for off-street parking as Chippendale is very well serviced by buses, trains are a relatively short walk away and the surrounding shopping centres and institutions provide parking. This restriction on parking means that more people walk or cycle to local destinations or catch public transport. An attractive and pedestrian-friendly built environment is a necessary inter-dependent complement to these kinds of restrictions.
Design process
The public domain improvements described here have been implemented gradually over time. The Pine Street road closure and park development occurred in the mid 1980s and were implemented by the then Sydney City Council. Many of the other improvements were the responsibility of the then South Sydney Council in the late 1990s, and were implemented either directly by Council or by developers as in-kind voluntary developer agreements and planning controls. The local resident group (Chippendale Resident Interest Group) was also actively involved in lobbying for and planning many of these changes. The area now falls within the boundary of the City of Sydney Council, and various further improvements to the public domain are planned as part of the City's 2007 Local Action Plan for the inner west.
Evaluation
The public domain in Chippendale has been managed in such a way as to provide a pedestrian and community-friendly neighbourhood island amidst busy arterial roads and major land uses such as universities and shopping centres.
Active living is supported by the creation of a safe, pleasant and welcoming environment for pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic intervention measures deter the vehicle 'rat-running' that would otherwise be prevalent due to the surrounding arterial roads. Complementary planning controls encourage small-scale local commercial opportunities, public transport use and quality architectural outcomes. Active living is in effect incorporated into the built environment at many levels.
The street design in Chippendale encourages and enables active living in a number of ways. It is a good example of how a number of the design considerations set out in the 'Streets' section of Designing Places for Active Living can be put into practice. These include:
- Slow traffic for safe streets and roads, especially in residential areas, near schools and in town centres. This can be achieved by traffic management and calming facilities, as well as speed limits.
A number of measures have been introduced in this area of Chippendale that are intended to slow and calm traffic. Conventional traffic management techniques that have been used include roundabouts, such as those on Myrtle and Shepherd streets, speed platforms, one-way pairs of streets, stop signs and line marking. These features are useful to slow down or even deter vehicles from travelling through the area. This helps provide a safer environment for pedestrians in what are sometimes narrow streets with insufficient room or other constraints to footpath treatments.
In some areas, where on-street parking is provided, it is angle parking with landscaped 'book-end' kerb extensions. This design approach helps to narrow the street in order to curtail traffic speed, and creates room for planting beds that help to beautify the area.
- Provide safe places to cross streets close to the direct line of travel for pedestrians and cyclists.
Footpaths have been widened at a number of street corners, creating space for trees and other planting. The additional space creates greater amenity for pedestrians, makes them more prominent to motorists and results in shorter crossing distances. The footpath extensions are engineered to deliver slower traffic speeds. One way they achieve this is by creating an environment that gives motorists the message that they are travelling though a pedestrian-oriented area.
- Support on road cyclists with bicycle lanes and unobstructed paths of travel.
While Chippendale, like most of the city, still lacks separated on road cycle lanes, the various traffic calming measures that have been incorporated make the area a relatively cycle-friendly environment. As such it is heavily used by cyclists as an alternative to the surrounding arterial roads with their extremely heavy traffic. Shepherd and Myrtle Street are designated bicycle routes, and various Sydney cycle maps suggest a number of other streets in Chippendale as recommended cycle routes.
A good example of how traffic calming measures assist cyclists is Myrtle Street. Potentially a through traffic corridor, Myrtle Street has been redesigned to offer angle parking, speed tables, speed humps and footpath extensions. These treatments have meant that the street now has sufficient amenity to be a designated bicycle route.
- Create attractive and welcoming street frontages, with verandahs and shop fronts instead of high walls and garage doors.
Attention to footpath detailing gives an impression that pedestrians matter and enhances local heritage, community amenity and sense of place. Footpaths have been widened at a number of street corners, creating space for trees and other planting, including garden beds tended by residents. Around the area, it is notable that many households have claimed the footpaths as garden space.
Rustic looking materials have been used for kerbs and edgings. The street frontage of one building has a pavement mosaic created by local artists operating from the local community arts centre. These particular works were provided as a result of Council requirements and developer agreements aimed at improving the public domain in the vicinity of the development in such a way as to deliver broader community benefits. Other colourful mosaics can be found in the footpath adjacent to the Peace Park at the corner of Myrtle Street and Buckland Street.
Additional local public open space is created by road closures providing 'breathing space' for locals, safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists, and opportunities for social interaction. Some spaces are provided with play equipment, benches and public art, others leased out to cafes providing local activity as well as providing income to Council that can be used to fund further enhancements. The Broadway Café at the closed off end of Shepherd Street, acts as a meeting place for both residents and outsiders, and despite its proximity to busy Broadway, manages to capture a feeling of refuge and neighbourhood. Similarly, the café on the corner of Buckland and Myrtle Streets now has space for pleasant outdoor seating, despite its proximity to busy Cleveland Street.
- Ensure streets are adequately lit and that lighting is well-maintained.
Street lighting provides adequate light in the area. The encouragement of cafes and local retail also helps to increase both the level of lighting at night, and the level of activity in the street.
Project participants
- (Former) South Sydney Council
- Chippendale Resident Interest Group
Project summary
A range of public domain improvements to streets in Chippendale, from the mid 1980s to the present. Road closures, traffic calming measures and attention to detail in road and footpath design are some of the measures that have resulted in an attractive, pedestrian and cycle friendly neighbourhood in the inner city.
Getting there
- The nearest train stations are Central and Redfern (5-10 minute walk). Numerous bus routes run along Broadway, City Road and Cleveland Street.
- For route and timetable information, see http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/ or http://www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au/, or telephone the Transport InfoLine on 131500, or use the online route planner: http://www.131500.info/.
- UBD Map Reference: Map 14 And 15
- Google map link: http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=qAndhl=enAndgeocode=Andtime=Anddate=Andttype=Andq=chippendale+sydneyAndie=UTF8Andll=-33.886587,151.196111Andspn=0.006003,0.0078Andz=17Andom=1
Endnotes