Foreword by Richard Rogers
The Pritzker Prize-winning architect gives his perspective on Sydney and Sydney XXXL.
Throughout history, cities have been the cradles of civilisation bringing people together for commerce, for the exchange of ideas and technology, for citizenship.
In the twenty-first century, our world faces unprecedented challenges: an increase in global GDP, poverty and inequality, a widening gap between the rich and the poor, rapid population growth, the degradation of the natural environment, global climate change, political instability and terrorism. Our response to these challenges will determine the fate of our fragile planet and our ability to provide a life worth living for its citizens. Our cities, which now house more than 50 per cent of the world’s population, are central to our sustainable future.
In the past half century, it has been my good fortune to be involved in urban master plans, projects and buildings across the world. I have seen how cities have revived their fortunes, with civic leaders helping them to turn their back on socially and environmentally unsustainable suburban sprawl, and restoring city centres as places for all people. But we still have much to do to achieve a fair society where everyone can meet their needs — for food, for shelter, for healthcare, for education, for a better quality of life.
I am delighted to introduce this book by Ed Lippmann. It is a timely and engaging review of Sydney’s history and its position as a world city, setting out a positive plan for action.
Few cities in the world are blessed with such outstanding natural beauty as Sydney. It boasts a stunning harbour surrounded by an amazing natural environment — the Blue Mountain escarpment to the west, the fertile Hawkesbury/Nepean river system to the north, superb sandy beaches along the Pacific Ocean and abundant national parks. The city itself lays claim to a sophisticated financial and services downtown, south-west Pacific location and convenient alignment with the time zone for South-East Asia. As a major recreational and higher education services hub on the Pacific Rim, it looks as much towards the growth dynamos of South-East Asia as it does towards the anglophone countries of the Northern Hemisphere.
Sydney today faces the same urban challenges confronting many growing cities across the globe — social inequality, housing affordability and livability, transport overload and congestion, and environmental damage, to name just a few. Sydney, however, has its own very special circumstances, namely its geology, geography, topography, vegetation and climate.
My London office has enjoyed a close, collaborative relationship with the Lippmann practice in Surry Hills, Sydney, for more than a decade. I hope we have made a positive contribution to the city’s development, through projects such as Barangaroo and 8 Chifley Square, both of which Ed discusses in this book.
In countries around the world, I’ve been advocating an urban renaissance based on compact, dense development to create lively and connected communities. This, I believe, is essential to the continuation of urban civilisation in our time. We need better planning and architecture, but also a clear vision and sense of leadership. This is everyone’s duty. As planners, architects and citizens, we should be bound by the Ephebic Oath, made by young men in classical Athens: “I swear not to leave my city diminished when I die, but greater, better and more beautiful.”
I heartily commend Ed Lippmann’s book. It comes at a critical time in the life of his city and will contribute to the crucial debate now underway on the future form of Sydney — and on our urban future globally.
~Richard Rogers, Rogers, Stirk, Harbour + Partners
Continue reading Sydney XXXL. Next: Introduction
