Case Study : The Parramatta River Urban Design Strategy
Project Proposer, Project Manager and
Construction Contractor: McGregor
Coxall
Urban Designers: Equatica
Architect: Parramatta City Council
The Parramatta River Urban Design Strategy is
a strategy for the regeneration of Sydney’s second largest Central Business District
and its waterfront—a site that encompasses 31 hectares in the centre of
Parramatta. The Strategy reorientates the Parramatta’s Cental towards the river
and positions Parramatta Quay as a new water arrival point connecting the
center to Circular Quay by ferry. It also proposes four new vibrant mixed-use
precincts on the river foreshore.
In
addition, the Strategy incorporates a new brand for the City of Parramatta:
‘Where The Waters Meet’, based on the meeting point of the harbour and river (where
fresh water meets salt water).
Uses: Commercial, Public Open Spaces, Mixed Use,
Retail, Residential, Community, Recreation
To
enhance the aquatic ecology of the river and improve the connection of
Parramatta Quay, the Strategy proposes to move the point at which salt and
fresh water meet, by relocating the Charles Street Weir and moving Parramatta
Quay to a more central location.
Principles:
Enhancing, Connected, Diverse, Enduring, Comfortable, Vibrant, Safe, Walkable,
Context, Engagement, Excellence, Custodianship
I find
this project very interesting because of its Strategy proposal of a mixture of
land uses along the river foreshore, offering spaces for events, recreation,
commerce, employment art and culture. New laneways named ‘Water Streets’ will
improve the connections between Parramatta City and the river and will feature
public art, water sculptures and water sensitive urban design initiatives. New
medium rise apartment buildings with northerly aspects are also proposed and
will contribute to the mix of housing types and tenures in the area. They will
be set behind lower buildings on the water’s edge, defining the edge of the
city and the visual corridor of the river.
A new pedestrian walkway under Lennox Bridge
will link the proposed new urban terraces to the Foreshore Parklands and
Parramatta Quay to the east and the King’s School and Parramatta Parklands to
the west. Another new pedestrian crossing over the Marsden Street Weir will
connect the visual arts building and the performing arts building on the
opposite banks of the river.
Another interesting point of
the project is the aim to redesign Parramatta to be more pedestrian friendly
and a more comfortable and exciting place to visit. It links Parramatta’s Central
Business District to the riverfront and redevelops Parramatta’s river foreshore
into an interesting and inviting place to visit.
The increased use of the
Parramatta foreshore will enhance its safety, day and night. The presence of
more people in the Parramatta CBD and river foreshore area will likely reduce
crime. Passive surveillance from people in buildings, cafes and shops adjacent
to the foreshore area and public spaces will also improve safety in the area.
The Activation Plan provides a guiding framework to
establish a strong active river corridor covering both the lower level
foreshore though to the upper level city streets. The plan embeds four modes of
activation along the Parramatta River: Building, Event, Water and Recreation to
ensure an all year active river environment.
The four principles underpinning changes to built form are:
– Cultural Landmark Buildings; - Changes to riverside
theatre and a new aboriginal cultural centre are proposed
– Event Activation; - Event zones are designed to
accommodate a diverse range of events through terraced seating and pedestrian
plaza’s;
– Water Activation;
- Water quality improvements should allow Parramatta River to be accessed and
utilised by paddle boats, kayaks, outdoor cinema’s and a multifunctional water
square;
– Recreational
Activation; - Passive and recreational activities should be enhanced along the
north and south bank through terraced spaces and open grass spaces; to form
cultural landmarks along the river,
– Arrival Landmark Buildings; - Landmark buildings are
indicated in strategic locations to enhance sense of arrival;
– High Quality
Building Frontages ; - New and upgraded
building frontages to address and activate the river corridor;
– Heritage Adaptive
Re-use - wherever possible heritage buildings should be enhanced and adaptively
reused;
The landscape plan aims to maximise space for events,
activation and connectivity across the site. I like the idea of the plan
structure around a hierarchy of open spaces that deliver a varied and interesting
public realm with the scale. These landscape components are; – Terraced Spaces –
Pedestrian Movement– Access Points – Public Transport.
In my opinion this project implementation in the city would
be very successful because of the multiple uses, its pedestrian area, the
greenery and the panoramic context etc. Not only for this, but also as an
important meeting point of the city, providing a landmark area for the city.
Wonderful blog post! really impressive share about Water Sensitive Urban Design. Please keep sharing such posts. Thank you.
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