Assignment 1

I've been considering what area to do for the City Observation Exercise and came up with three potential sites.

1. Surry Hills - Crown Street

I have recently been spending a lot of time on Crown Street in Surry Hills, as I have just begun working in a restaurant there. I usually get to the area a little earlier than my starting time so to kill time I will go sit in Shannon Reserve next to the Clock Hotel. What struck me about the area is that it seemed to embody so much of the diversity that Jane Jacobs mentions in her book, as well as what WH Whyte mentions in his analysis of small city spaces. Any time of the day, you will get people going to the park (which in a way reminds me of a living room as all the seats are along the perimeter facing inwards) and people will be there playing with children, enjoying the sunshine, chatting to friends in little circles on the grass, or reading/listening to music. 

The little square of grass next to Surry Hills Library is also one of my favourite places places in the whole of Sydney. Sitting there you can people watch as people enter the space off Crown St, watch the cars and pedestrians in front of you, get glimpses into the park, and watch the people on the balcony of the Clock Hotel as they watch the street below. Just that little area has so many layers of physical, aural and visual interaction. I recall one time not long ago I was sitting on the balcony of the Clock Hotel, and we saw as an brass band decided to display an impromptu performance walking up and down Crown St, stopping in front of the grass next to the Library, while some (probably inebriated) onlookers started dancing.

However as much as I love Surry Hills I feel like it is almost too perfect. It's a suburb that embodies almost everything I find successful about inner city living - proximity to public transport and infrastructure, clean and interesting laneways (which seem safe even walking at night), interesting cafes, bars and shops. I feel like the other sites I was looking at are so much more complex and need to be 'fixed', such as Redfern or Maroubra Junction. 

2. Maroubra Junction

I very briefly considered doing Maroubra Junction for my project. I live close by to it and my bus often passes through the area.  What both attracted me to consider the Junction for the project is the diversity of the population demographically, diversity of building types, as well as the odd, awkward public spaces. The diversity of building types includes high rise residential, semi detached and detached family homes, small shops, restaurants (including a McDonalds and a Yum Cha), retirement homes, and social housing close by. I think this reflects itself in the population as the population mix includes students living in the high rise residential, the elderly, the disadvantaged, families, and young professionals.

At the night, the area is one that I avoid, not because it is unsafe, but it feels unsafe. The street lighting is poor in areas, the place is deserted (especially the carpark that separates both sides of Anzac Pde), and waiting at the bus stop is such that they now post security at bus stop near the corner of Maroubra Rd and Anzac Pde. It is strange as it seems to almost tick all Jacobs "diversity" boxes, and yet at night the place feels uncomfortable and in my opinion, a bit ominous. 

3. Redfern - area around the station, Redfern Street

Redfern is such a complex, fragmented suburb I almost don't know how to describe it. The eastern part is almost like the Surry Hills laneways, a fine grain network of fairly clean and safe laneways and streets. As one moves west however and along the main Redfern distributor that is Redfern St, the social housing towers come into view. Walking around the area of the towers is almost pleasant as there is an extremely large setback to the towers, planted with trees and filled with birds, but the presence of the towers and some of the human population makes it slightly less idyllic. Then near to the towers next to Redfern St is the recently gentrified Redfern Park and Oval, with little cafes, bars and restaurants nearby. The large presence of students is also interesting due to the proximity to Sydney University, and price of the housing. 

What I would love to study about the area is how the public areas - parks, squares, setbacks and streets- link or divide all these highly diverse areas. Do they add or take away from the social fabric? How do people use them? Are they successful?

Ashleigh