Anti-Urbanism is making our cities WORSE

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for watching! - A special shoutout to @AheadMatthewawsome kzbin.info/door/j3zcQBk01ONf5F2QD6vd2Q for starring in this video and helping me with filming. Make sure you subscribe to him! And be sure to support me on Ko-Fi if you'd like to view our entire interview together: ko-fi.com/Post/Talking-about-Turramurra-with-AheadMatthewawsome-A0A015NAKY - There's an error at 13:37. I put the 2011 and 2022 snapshots the wrong way around. 2011 is 82.1% detached dwellings, and 2021 is 68.1% detached dwellings. The percentage went down, obviously. - My apologies, Cheltenham actually has two public parks. They're just both so far from the station that I didn't even notice them. I doubt many people would walk to them from Cheltenham Station. - I know I referenced "Americans against the city", and that we're not American. But having read it, and being Australian myself, I feel that much of it applies to Australians as well. Culturally, Australia and America share an awful lot, after all. Also, no one has written "Australians against the city" yet, so if you want to, be my guest. - A Ko-Fi supporter of mine pointed out that Cheltenham's house prices are likely hyperinflated by Cheltenham Girls High School, which does very well each year in the HSC. Yes, I'd probably agree with that assessment. No doubt that it'd be a lot cheaper were any dwellings other than detached dwellings allowed there, though. - TS Eliot's poems are still completely valid, perhaps even more so now. I just sought to critique his disdain for cities; decades of gentrification has changed them beyond recognition. - I have no doubt people will comment about how apartments have other disadvantages; particularly high strata and poor build quality. I've already addressed these in a video earlier this year, which you can watch here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5vHp6dporWWatk. - On that note, do be sure to check out the rest of my series, "The Housing Struggle", here! kzbin.info/aero/PLuqkgdTuh-yNEAoovbjUVbLdFe-bjptL6 Thanks for watching, everyone!

[@mattharcla]

I enjoy your work, and I find your views reasonable, but I see in you and essential misconception of culture. I don't think you really understand how the Australian people have developed with an historical experience of space. Particularly post-World War II we saw a transfer of the rural town and village into the city suburb, and that has now transmogrified into urban sprawl. I don't think you understand that a huge backyard and a generous front are part of the psychological set of preconditions. What has happened to Australia's cities has been varied use by finance and construction companies to squeeze Australians. A lot of us don't like it. So whilst I enjoy and understand your interest in a European form of density, I must stand for what I know, which is an Australian experience of space and time.

[@channelzero2252]

Have you seen the three massive skyrises behind Crown Street in Wollongong? Coupled with the unit blocks on Burelli Street, that's a couple of thousand units in the city in ten yars. The only thing most people are worried about is all the extra cars. They haven't increased the amount of buses. You could probably make a sub-video about it, to accompany this one.

[@andrew1038]

@@BuildingBeautifully I like your videos but none of the current rental developments have enough room for a young tradie to park his work van or ute. If you park on the street your tools get stolen… All made for white collar workers

[@Helllyeah]

The problem isn’t high density. It’s bad design. Premier European cities are full of med/high density housing where they have no problem raising families in apartments. It really helps though when the built environment was designed to be beautiful AND functional. But the development industry in Aus is mega corrupt so we can only dream.

[@fcfhkmelb]

Because high density developments in Australia are designed by people who have only lived in low density suburbs and will never live in high density housing. You can raise a family even in a super high density suburb in Hong Kong but not in Southbank or Docklands in Melbourne.

[@regblann2700]

It seems the developers, certainly in Sydney, are very poorly regulated and can get away with really poor construction standards. I think another thing that inhibits apartment dwelling is the criminally high strata fees. It seems strata companies are also very loosely regulated. The whole enterprise is geared to maximise profits for the developers and strata companies and sod the occupiers.

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@fcfhkmelb If the HK people can really raise family in super high density, then their birth rate would not be at the bottom of the world list. However, Unaffordability is No 1 in the world. Unfortunately, the most profitable listed railway company came to Australia to set up an subsidiary to own 60% of Syd Metro & Melbourne Metro. TOD is the way to make people serve the public transport & developers.

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@regblann2700 No matter how good are the apartments being built, individual buyers do not really own the land. Public units for elderly & disabled, which of course not for sale, I support NSW to build some near the regional stations to boost the population.

[@fcfhkmelb]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@yesbeautyfly By your logic Africa and India must be the most suitable places to raise children because they have the highest birth rate in the world. Australia must be one of the least suitable places to raise children because the birth rate is quite low. White Australians have lower birth rate than Muslim Australians so White areas in Australia must be less suitable to raise children than Muslim areas.

[@Dobuan75]

What is missing? Culture. The multiple local pubs, the civic centres, the community hall, the music venue; the art space. The things Melbourne and every vibrant European city have, and that we need to copy.

[@mathewferstl7042]

@Dobuan75 most historical suburbs will have these exact things which is where yimbys like myself want to focus development, not that it is required.

[@jamium]

Melbourne propaganda!!! (I agree)

[@Low760]

They killed off night life in Sydney.

[@NelsonMandela961]

Melbourne is incredibly gay, Sydney is far better

[@yt.damian]

You dont copy culture.

[@jace888au]

I really enjoyed this. Loved the linkage to quotes and other material, and also its just a nice perspective on different suburbs of sydney.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thanks Jeff! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@SamuraiAwesome]

The Triangle of Meadowbank-Rhodes-Wentworth Point is such a great beacon of what medium and high density housing can look like in Australian cities. Well designed public spaces, walkable with services easily accessible. You always see people walking dogs, meeting in cafes and kids riding bikes and playing in parks. Its interesting how many people visit from nearby suburbs on weekends to enjoy the walking/cycle paths and public spaces. It shows the importance of proper planning is crucial in making high density living viable and enjoyable. I would love for you to do a video focusing on these communities in Sydney as I feel it is an excellent microcosm of what Sydneys future could look like

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@SamuraiAwesome All 3 have contaminated soil with dioxins river that fishing is banned. Syd Olympic Park was a dumping grounds & Homebush Bay was a wrecking yard for abandoned ships with proximity to Rookwood, the biggest still operating final resting place (for ancestors) in Southern Hemisphere with very high density.

[@jazepstein]

This video didn't mention Wentworth Point when it lauded Meadowbank and Rhodes, and I'd say that was on purpose. Wentworth Point is almost as bad as Marsden Park, in terms of there being no rail-based public transport there (with stations in neighbouring suburbs being tantalisingly close but inconveniently far), and in terms of there effectively being just one congested road to get in and out. Even though Wentworth Point isn't in the middle of nowhere like Marsden Park, the former feels almost as isolated as the latter.

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@jazepstein Olympic Park deserves to have elevated light rail or monorail to connect the still busy stadiums & nearby suburbs. If so, I support to put some tourists accommodation right above such small stations to spread the tourists from City Circle.

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@jazepstein Probably Wentworth Point is not the TOD this KZbinr loves to have. It only has Ferry & Bus on the previous contaminated industrial land.

[@Thatonestrangefella]

As someone who lives in a suburb where new Tod is being built. When new development was released my dad complained saying their “would be too much traffic” as if the train station with 2 train lines didn’t exist

[@peepeetrain8755]

in Newcastle they say it at every moment. Traffic is fucked anyway, traffics always been fucked, My mum (who doesnt view the past as rose coloured) recalls Hunter street as smoggy, horrible and standstill traffic with busses and cars, compare it today and its walkable, with a tram and the opposite. But the old novocastrians are adamant that the tram and new apartments have ruined the city.

[@electro_sykes]

What did you say back

[@Thatonestrangefella]

@@electro_sykes i told him the trains exist

[@ChrisTopher_Urbanism]

Great video. If people want to live in a small town where everyone knows their name and their neighbours look out for them, then they should just live in a small town - there are still plenty of them around where life is like that (Bathurst, where I currently live, has that kind of feel to a degree). Sprawling suburbia in large cities is, in my experience, more anonymising than dense developments because people still work and live all across the city (unlike in small towns where people generally work and shop in the same town centre). With denser developments in cities, though, it is also possible to know your neighbours. I've lived in apartments in Sydney where I've known the name of everyone in the building and there was somewhat of a sense of community - I still have some of the pot plants my neighbours across the hall gave me when they moved out.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

I completely agree Chris. Small town energy belongs in small towns, not cities. Trying to turn cities into a collection of small towns has proven itself to be a failed crisis, as evidenced by the housing crisis, but very few if any people want to admit this. The internet, of all things, has proven that community can come from large congregations of people, rather than just small villages. Look at the Building Beautifully community, after all!

[@_peepyopee]

And if people want to live in European like cities they can move to Europe. That's the substance of your argument

[@excapethematrix807]

problem is that overdevelopment in cities is pushing people out to the country to escape the ballooning cost of living in the cities, resulting in higher costs and locals being priced out of their own towns.

[@eingrobernerzustand3741]

​@@excapethematrix807 Im sorry to burst your bubble, but thats cause you live in a fatbelt suburb. If you actually lived in a small (2-10 thousand people) city, youd know those suffer from a issue called rural depopulation with very few exceptions.

[@eingrobernerzustand3741]

​@@BuildingBeautifullyId argue that a online community and a actual community schould not be conflated.

[@axb6061]

Is there a way you could deep dive into building standards and the issue of defects in new builds (both strata and houses)? Probably not in one video, there’s a wide range of different problems and circumstances, and lots of ongoing issues aren’t public yet, but it would be interesting to see what you could do with the topic

[@paxundpeace9970]

The amounts of defects and major structural problem in newbuild single family homes inside and out of australia is insane. Broken rooftiles at new builds loose roof Installations guters, more over broken roof trusses in huge numbers static and structural deviations from approved plans insane.

[@davidarnold8186]

Mmm, do you mean like not using a single sheet of gypsum between individual apartments as opposed to the supposed amount of sheeting? The authorities are a paper tiger I suspect

[@ycmnhaechan]

I certainly know that I get so depressed coming back to Sydney after trips to Korea and Japan :( I love a bit of urbanism

[@luvelty]

The suburbs are so alienating. The neighbours are ghosts, no one interacts with anyone, and there are so little third places. Centralised areas let us talk to one another, and actually builds socialising places within walking distance. I'd rather live in an apartment if it means I can walk to a park than live in a house with my own backyard.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

Good for you. I find cities cold, impersonal and uninviting. The sense of community is often only skin deep, especially if it only means going to a park (if there is one), a coffee shop or the local shops to buy stuff. That wears off and is replaced by the shopkeepers banter, a nod from people we only pass in the hall, the press of strangers in the street, and craving 'events' to keep us feeling alive.. Community means engagement with others in significant positive endeavours we can't achieve alone. But we need more than just being on a Strata Committee. Community, innovation and high art always come from the edge, from places of struggle, that breed authentic collaboration, not from places of hype and saleable comfort and convenience. But what you say is true of places (of all types) that have been done badly. My point is we should do urban, suburban, urban fringe, semi-rural, towns, villages and rural properties with equal competence and panache. First we need to see beyond the cliches. Look at the clip at 3.55. None of the people appear to be even facing each other let alone being engaged in conversation or shared experience. A few are on a mobile or have headphones on. And that's labelled "Community". A big issue (no pun intended) is that urbanisation in currently less affluent areas often means replacing a population with no ability to upscale to the new development, and they get shafted off to some developing, cheaper, less well serviced areas. Meanwhile the area gets gentrified by a new population attracted by the developer's snake oil salesmanship. The original inhabitants of several inner city suburbs were all 'transported' to Green Valley or Mt Druitt for their crime of being poor. Except for union green bans, The Rocks too would have been transformed into high rise developments.

[@paxundpeace9970]

I slightly disagree pretty common to have garden partied or friends offer due to more space out side. (At least in traditional suburbs)

[@OzzaWazza]

It’s sad you’ve had that experience with the suburbs. And while I can’t speak on your experience, I can speak on mine, of which I’m sure many Australians share. Growing up in the homes of neighbours, building friendships with the kids on the street, to which I still keep in contact with today. The elderly neighbours helping cultivate plants from the garden and cooking things to share. Teens and adults looking after the pets when away. Living in an apartment now, it just isn’t the same, sharing a community with people from all walks of life was the most beautiful thing ever, something I hope can be replicated in apartments, but in my experience, has never materialised

[@Novusod]

Some people appreciate the peace and quiet of the suburbs. There is a personality type called "introverts' and they don't like being around other people. For them the suburbs are slice of heaven on Earth. They don't want change because it suits their needs. They fought very hard to create the suburbs so they aren't going to give them up without a fight.

[@strikerbowls791]

Pretty backwards. Houses are much better

[@kazamafraz]

I was just in the car with my grandma driving past Wentworth Point, and she was talking about how she hates highrise apartment and misses when everyone had houses… and it reminded me that this video was premiering! This was a great video. You’re a big part of the reason I’ve developed a public transportation and urban planning obsession

[@electro_sykes]

Apartments are good for single living

[@eqev]

I live in Meadowbank and I love it. I could have bought a house in a suburban ghetto, haha, but I live in a nice suburb close to everything, with access to green space and public transport.

[@antontsau]

We! Do Not! Need! Anything! No mountains, no sea, no hospital, no GA airport, no international airport, no zoo, no shopping beyond Topride mall, no, no, no, all this is not in our 15min range! Hurrray, the life is simple and easy. Hamsters heaven.

[@BIGIFANDYELLOWCARD]

Meadowbank is a modern ghetto mate.

[@somebotsareatstevanshouse]

@@antontsau because living in a 15min city means you can't leave it? I live in one and leave all the time using PT to do other stuff not in my area.

[@yt.damian]

@@antontsau I dont understand what your gripe is? The OP isnt telling you what to do. The OP isnt telling you that you are wrong. The OP is saying what works really well for them. I dont understand why that makes you so irritated.

[@antontsau]

@@yt.damian for them it can be anything. The problem that all this inevitably applies to me. I get a hamster ghetto instead of town where its possible to live and work, useless tram instead of (already existed like ANZAC!) main road, poor 3rd world sheeple country instead of society of wealthy independent citizens.

[@tasmanianmapping]

Calling High-rises a ghetto is ridiculous. Even here in Tasmania, where we have nothing denser than medium density, noone would complain about an apartment building.

[@babylon6847]

Because you never lived in a high density area. Unless you live in such an environment, don't comment on things you don't know about.

[@tasmanianmapping]

@@babylon6847 i have stayed in them temporarily, never found anything wrong with them

[@babylon6847]

@tasmanianmapping Try years. Not worth it. Housing isn't a single box solution.

[@tasmanianmapping]

@@babylon6847 high density living is the best solution to the housing crisis, it;s obvious,

[@kennylee8936]

​@@babylon6847So would you call Tokyo and Seoul, some of the densest and most prosperous cities in the world ghettos? How about places like Mount Druitt, that's mostly low density and it's often considered as a ghetto...or more famously, Compton in LA, which is definitely low density? A building doesn't make ghettos...it's the people.

[@tomm8120]

I live in Meadowbank and I'm glad you pointed out some of it's positives, I particularly love the cycleways - they extend to parramatta and can take you south towards concord - five dock if needed too. However, it can feel a little isolated here, besides from the train there isn't rlly any fast connecting public transport (especially the buses they're shocking). The ferries nice but travelling 50 mins into the city when there's faster alternate transport (plus paying a crazy fare $7 one way) isn't always appealing. I know there's future plans for developing meadowbank further, so we'll see what the govt makes out of this nice little suburb.

[@AheadMatthewawsome]

Look Mum! I’m on that channel that is Building things Beautifully! Thanks for inviting me to do this collab and talk about my community, it’s all come out really nicely! And it was such a fun day filming all of this!

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you for coming along and agreeing to be in the video Matthew, your input in this video and insight into Turramurra was highly valuable!

[@tompang5296]

You beat me into making a video about Turra - a suburb I'm in! Wouldn't be surprised if we've seen each other before. I was planning to wait till my exams have finished for the year. Glad you could be around to help out Sharath!

[@jazepstein]

Thanks for your urbanist tour of Turramurra, where I'm an apartment-dwelling local these days. Yes, it's quite idyllic medium-density just north and east of the station (where you filmed), if you can afford it, in Gilroy Rd and Turramurra Ave - low traffic noise, leafy streets, and two great parks (Cameron Park and Turramurra Memorial Park) at your doorstep. However, a great many more apartments (somewhat more affordable ones!) are touching or are just off Pacific Hwy, further up and getting into Warrawee - not as idyllic, and definitely not as walkable, although about the same convenience level, with shops and trains a short walk away - that's where I am. And thanks for mentioning the long-overdue Turramurra Hub, maybe it will actually get built one day, it would be a massive boon to the area - but knowing Ku-ring-gai council, I wouldn't hold my breath, we'd be lucky if it happened in the next decade or two.

[@tompang5296]

@@jazepstein I think we're neighbours - I'm where you are as well...

[@oufukubinta]

You say it best! I wish most users on the Sydney skyscraper forum were more like you and less anti-skyscraper and urbanism

[@lukadapro7112]

Resident of Fairfield here, while I do agree with the video I also think Frank Carbone is justified in his comments. Most of Fairfield LGA only has buses which come every 30 mins or hour and stop at 8 every night. The only parts of the LGA with reliable public transport are the eastern parts (Cabramatta, Canly Vale and Fairfield) with heavy rail and portions of the west which has the T80 bus route. But the thing is these places already have apartments, the suburbs with heavy rail have loads of old red brick apartments and the T way stops also have some apartments with pariewood and Bonnyrigg also undergoing densification with townhouses and apartments being built. The fact is Fairfield LGA has crappy public transport and considering with it does have has already densified enough. Without substantially better and more frequent public transport there would be mass congestion as everyone here relies on their cars as for the majority of trips there is no proper alternative.

[@rakeau]

Thoughts On community: Squashing more people into a small space does not create "community". Community requires people to know eachother. This readily happens in rural/regional places. It does not in cities. Every face is one you pass by, never to see again. Arguably, community also happens when there is less ammenity, because people need to help eachother and be self-sufficient. Where there is mass amenity, it's "just business". On design: Current Urban and Suburban planning in Sydney both suck. Shoehorning massive developments onto previously suburban blocks creates for terrible, permanent planning. Dense suburban like Marsden Park and The Ponds is also horrifically bad. There's no winners here. Developers don't care, they just want to maximise profit. On construction: There's 3 things that must happen to make apartment living more palatable. 1. Parking. Sorry, but we want our cars. Each dwelling should have its own segmented parking. It's not only useful for cars either - garages make a great space for storage and for hobbies too. Give people this space. And forcing people to park on the street makes things hell. Sure, if transit is there, great, if it's better, people will use it. But let them have the car for the weekends, roadtrips, etc. We still need the parking. Hostile architecture of removing parking and forcing people to not have a car is not acceptable. 2. Strata / Body Corporates. We're lucky we don't have "HOA"-s like in the states for standalone housing, but we somewhat do have it when it comes to density. Not great. 3. Construction quality over the last 20y in Sydney is known to be shockingly bad. We need to massively increase quality of construction so that owners of such properties can be confident not just to own it, but to live in it.

[@yesbeautyfly]

Unfortunately, NSW does not ban developers to build south facing apartments so some residents must have dark cold days at homes during winter. Also, bathrooms & kitchens in apartments always have no windows.

[@rakeau]

@ How do you build an apartment building, or any building really, without a side that faces south though. Like sure maybe you can arrange apartments differently, but still. Agree on “landlocked” rooms though. I really hate that, tho I generally see that more with houses with bad extensions.

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@rakeau Houses have 4 sides & duplexes have 3 sides but unfortunately many apartments have south sides only. If a bldg is narrow with mainly east and west sides then south sides are small. If the law forces all individual apartments to have winter sun, then south side can be limited to stairs, hallway, lift, vertical rubbish well & etc. Though Marsden Park & The Ponds have higher temperature than beach side suburbs in summer, the big houses have enough roofs to grow more electricity than AC can consume by installing 6.6kW solar systems for just $2999 plus surcharges. Overlooking & overshading do not really exist because the neighbours are limited to 2 storey. House & Land packages always beat strata properties. The real value is the land, not the structure.

[@rakeau]

@@yesbeautyfly Sure certain apartments within an apartment building would be south-only, but the apartment building as a whole can't not have 4 sides (generally speaking), so the building is always going to have a north face, and thus any apartments on that side will be north facing. I cannot for the life of me figure out why anyone would think there is a mandate to build all apartments with their vantage facing south.

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@rakeau It is a common sense to expect all residential dwelling to have natural sunlight & ventilation. Apartments with south side only are the products of design defects so as windowless carpark, kitchens & bathrooms. They should have never been approved from Day 1. What is lack of is the law to ban them.

[@userreview2806]

We need a good balance of high and low density suburbs. It's nice to have some suburbs like Cheltenham but we also need more dense housing that has everything and more a low density suburb has

[@Pete7554htp]

I understand the need for greater density housing etc but I like my backyard and have no intention of giving it up. I live 5 min drive from work and I'm happy. Given the choice I'd choose Cheltenham over Meadowbank.

[@MangoBells]

No one said you have to give it up? It’s just that an expensive house with a backyard shouldn’t be the ONLY option because house owners have blocked out building apartments/units/townhouses for those who would happily live in them. Given the choice most people would choose a Ferrari over a Hyundai, but in real life most people don’t actually have that choice to make because it’s unrealistic financially. If you can afford multimillion houses then go buy one there, just don’t block development so lower income people can live there too!

[@Pete7554htp]

My first comment was that I understand the need for greater density, did you miss that? Did I say I was blocking development? Ummm no I didn't. I'm just stating that I have no intention of giving up my backyard. If the next suburb over wants to increase density then good on them. You read too much into my comment my friend. To borrow your analogy, I’m sick of being told we all have to drive a Hyundai for the good of society. Some of us want a choice between a Hyundai and a Ferrari.

[@yesbeautyfly]

All house owners have the right to block high rise & high density in their areas to lock the development ratios & keep their suburbs as they are so it is fair for everyone rather than a jackpot for a few. Who want big construction sites with big holes & big bldgs for decades behind their fences to overlook plus overshade them?

[@akade1]

Wanted to buy in Meadowbank for the reasons stated in this video. However, the apartments were sub-par, handles falling out kind of quality. For the asking price it just wasn't worth it.

[@BIGIFANDYELLOWCARD]

You made the right choice. It is a ghetto in the making. Cheap apartments filled with trashy people, bogans etc.

[@Low760]

He gets his commission so it's fine. Building quality is low in nsw.

[@FlightEagle]

This x100. Australian, and in particular, Sydney apartment development is focused on building at low cost, then selling high. That means favouring short-term aesthetics instead of using quality materials and fittings. As long as it LOOKS good for the first 5 years, the developer walks with their profit. Notice how all these building's exteriors are concrete render, usually white render. This looks welcoming and fresh, until about the 5 year mark, when it becomes stained and streaked. Then by 10 years water ingress behind the render causes cracking, delamination from the cheap cinder block walls, chucks of render falling off, etc. Happens to 99% of concrete render in Sydney. Builders here seem to be incapable of correctly applying and sealing the render to prevent water ingress. By the 15 year mark the building does look like it is from a ghetto as body corp rarely pay for proper remediation, i.e. removal of existing render and re-application. Sometimes all this happens even faster, apartments in Clemton Park near Campise, had to have complete replacement of exterior render in 3 years of build. It was falling off in chunks. Australian private enterprise and self-regulation has shown they will not change this - government has to step in with higher quality building standards AND frequent independent testing during build by more than 1 independent certifier.

[@walkerbomb]

It sucks when one part ruins the rest! And it happens all the time. Construction here in the US is also sub par now, unless you are custom building.

[@sharnicarnicarni]

Meadowbank is so beautiful but risky to buy when there are construction issues in those new apartments.

[@pacomarveeny9640]

The issue with places like Cheltenham and many other stations along the northern and north shore lines is that the railway cannot really handle anymore trains to take on more passengers. The northern line is already nearing capacity and can only run a maximum of 8 trains per hour between Epping and Strathfield, 4 trains per hour between Hornsby and Epping, due to the busy central coast and Newcastle line sharing tracks. The north shore line is at a near full capacity with unreliable train services that run on just one track per direction between Gordon and Hornsby. Gordon to Chatswood can handle a lot more leeway for more train services but more tracks need to be added to increase reliability. They will need to add more tracks to schedule more trains for more passengers, which will be a bit challenging with the terrain and development along the railway line between Epping/Gordon and Hornsby. Not to mention the roads along these suburbs are terribly congested. I think if the gov want to add more housing and density to northern suburbs with infrastructure capacity and opportunity it should focus more on suburbs which have better feasibility such as Gordon, Eastwood, Lindfield, Rhodes, West Ryde and North Ryde. These areas have capacity with bus networks, better road links, have more rail infrastructure (more tracks on railway and opportunity along the corridor) and other established infrastructure which will mean less pressure for tax payers to fund big infrastructure projects. These areas also have better zoning opportunities it appears, so development can happen quicker.

[@lachlanmcgowan5712]

Yeah the Hornsby to Strathfield corridor of the T9/CCN has needed two extra tracks for at least the past hundred years. At this point the main thing holding it back is that it would be difficult to make room for the extra tracks in the cutting sections without undermining the properties that back into the railway. In the long run Sydney may be forced to do something silly, like an extremely long northern freight rail bypass tunnel, if they can't find a way of quad tracking the Hornsby to Strathfield line.

[@jazepstein]

@@lachlanmcgowan5712 Strathfield to Rhodes track quadruplication was completed about 10 years ago (and it involved significant work, eg the complete redesign and rebuild of Concord West station), freight is off the T9 tracks now for that section. Rhodes to West Ryde quadruplication and Thornleigh to Hornsby third track is currently in the planning stage. I admit there's still a long way and significant hurdles to go, but I believe quad track all the way Strathfield to Hornsby is the government's long term goal.

[@tsetstransport]

I swear it felt like I was being insulted throughout this video 😭😭screw this so called 'Eliot' - he's nothing compared to me!! 😤😤 Apart from that.. I enjoyed the video Sharath! :)

[@Cringe69.]

what is up tsetstransport I'm a big fan :)

[@rabidsminions2079]

Previous Industrial suburb = past toxic wasteland. Good friend from a previous workplace spoke about inner west area near the watet that used to be Industrial much like canal road between mascot and tempe. It was a toxic wasteland and they let it sit for decades before building thousands of units on that area. The people living there had no idea that it was once a toxic wasteland area.

[@SimonBauer7]

crazy how things can change. where i study was once a metal casting factory, probably enogh toxic crap was there too.

[@daveg2104]

You could certainly say that about Rhodes - Union Carbide and Berger Paints. It took a long time (and no doubt plenty of money) to clean up that site. Meadowbank had Plessey (electronics), Automatic Totalisators Limited and Hoover (plus a few smaller businesses). The Contaminated Land Report only mentions localised contamination that would be fairly easily rectified. If you know of a different report, I would be interested to read it.

[@rabidsminions2079]

@@daveg2104 Rhodes is probably the area that my friend was referring to, he spoke of this based on local knowledge of the area going back decades ago ie 1950's and 1960's.

[@Low760]

​@@daveg2104corruption was rife in NSW in the 70s and 80s so reports can overlook stuff.

[@daveg2104]

@@Low760 Yes, I know. The redevelopment at Meadowbank isn't that old. Post 2000 anyway. There were probably all sorts of activities carried out in that area over the years.

[@SimonBauer7]

as someone that lives in a 700 resisent village where there is no highrise (duh), even i have to agree that huge suburbs without highrise makes no sense in a city. you can make nice apartment buildings, without your city looking like a ghetto where if you are on the wrong street youll be murdered. it doesnt have to be a soviet tower block...

[@davidarnold8186]

Enjoyed this video, very interesting. Another literature reference that touches on urbanism is Orwell’s Wigan Pier. While written in the 1930’s it’s observations on the de-urbanisation of some of the UK’s industrial Northern English towns ,struck me as being quite relevant to how we reside today.

[@robroysyd]

I think there's a greater scope to what's being discussed. Sure medium density can be great but it's the towering blocks of high rise apartments where there's some justification for concerns about them becoming future ghettos. This happens when there's too many people too far from the common areas to feel any ownership of those spaces. I was told by an architect that if a lift lobby serves 6 apartments then those residents will tend to the lobby. More than 6 and the space becomes a dump. Poet's Corner in Redfern is an example. Postwar U.K. built a lot of budget high rise apartments and that didn't work out well. I lived in Newtown which was high density low rise and it was great with street parties etc. The offer conmen with many of these new high rise developments is not enough attention is given to sound isolation.

[@MangoBells]

More than 6 apartments and the lift lobby becomes a dump? That's news to me as someone who has lived in a dozen apartment buildings in Melbourne and Sydney! It's not the case at all and you'd be severely limiting the potential of land if you diminished the capacity of apartments to below 10 because otherwise its a "dump"

[@scyl]

I disagree, high rise apartments are usually better built than medium apartment, just because much more experience and capital is needed people tend to have more oversight on them. It seemed like every developer you never heard of was building crappy medium size apartment back in 2018. High rise also have better amenities and lower strata cost because of economy of scales. I don't disagree that Postwar budget high rise apartments didn't work out well, but that is because of bad planning and bad design. The solution isn't to ban high rise, the solution is to design better.

[@robroysyd]

@@scyl I al lot of the problems relate to poor planning and design,. How to ensure good planning and design? Keeping in mind some of the issues might not be apparent until some time after residents move in'

[@scyl]

@@robroysyd I am no expert, but I think a lot have already been learnt over the last 50+ years. We just need good government oversight. Developers will always be profit driven, so we need governments to ensure good design to the best of our knowledge is being applied.

[@abiramen]

was the English Mod B flashback really necessary 😔😔

[@BuildingBeautifully]

😭😭 the PTSD is real

[@forestzhang3191]

did not think I was going to get slapped with P-E-E-L today 😤😤

[@reddust8649]

Exhibit A is the tunnel from North Ryde through to West Lindfield and back to Chatswood, all in the spurious name of deleting a bridge across the Lane Cove River and placating a coterie of Chatswood West Nimbies. This has produced an unnecessarily deep and funereal location for what should be an important station at North Ryde. It has also produced a record, the deepest metro tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere (maybe the Northern as well). It’s a nightmare for any needed evacuation. Our then Premier, Bob Carr did a deal with the local member, the Leader of the Opposition, B O’Farrell to delete the bridge,add 7 minutes to each one way trip and cause safety issues. The self appointed guardians of public interest, the Greens, applauded this shocker. Know that your opponent does not respect political fences.

[@nichobee]

It's just old timers who can't accept that Australia is a much different place than even the early 2010s. I agree that there's overdevelopment in certain areas, but Sydney has been a global city for a while now and was always destined for high density high rises. It's up to the government to expand infrastructure to accommodate a growing population.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

It's not just 'old timers'. I'm appalled at the number of rail fans who still think the Sydney CBD is *and should always be) the centre if everything, who deride cars when the rail system was equally responsible for sprawl (look at any 1960-70s map and it virtually all follows rail lines), who think Parramatta is 'western' when it's virtually the centre of greater Sydney's population, who want more public transport to enable people to get to the city for 'good jobs' (rather than creating good jobs more widely and closer to people's homes), who think anything west of Burwood is "way out there", don't think metros should exist, that the three (current and forthcoming) metros are actually different in type and purpose, or why 25KvAC should be used wherever possible.

[@David-gb2nk]

Or just cut the unhinged level of immigration to a sustainable level and not build the dog box apartments.

[@peepeetrain8755]

the old Australia exists where it has always existed, Out Woop Woop Back o'Bourke, population: 350.

[@electro_sykes]

It’s oldies that drive 2004 Toyota Camry thinking it’s still brand new.

[@lindasweeney969]

One day you too will be old! Hopefully anyway. Think about that!😂

[@yesbeautyfly]

From Central to Circular Quay, office occupancy rate did not bounce back to Pre Pandemic level but this current NSW Premier tried to stop public servants to work from home. He is upsetting many LGAs by forcing higher density & wasting public $ into cost blown projects. The last QLD Premier, who launched $0.5 fares on State-wide Translink, did not win. With so many unwelcome moves, will this NSW Premier be re elected again?

[@jack2453]

Video idea... The middke ring suburbs of Sydney (ironically including both Campsie and Meadowbank) were converted in the 1960s and 70s from single family house areas to medium density suburbs of 3-storey walkups. How was that achieved? What has been the results?

[@digicell2882]

it all depends on the area, some places desperately need it whilst others is just getting rid of people for no reason

[@Will5353_]

Lot of these parks don’t allow ball games and there simply lot more rules that you wouldn’t have to follow if you had your own place Small apartments just don’t suit family’s and at this point of time the ones being built are just too small

[@TomHommus]

Density usually means the worst title you could get strata title. Your share of land per your unit entitlement these days with high rises and skyscrapers may as well be 0. Building depreciates land appreciates especially since there's only so much land in Sydney. You want to get torrens title with a bit of land if possible - even if it's a bit further out. It's practically guaranteed returns and capital gain in the long run, whereas when I was looking at flats in the past few months quite of people were breaking even or having capital losses despite holding for 5 years.

[@ozzyay9720]

I lived in one those new modern apartments before, poorly designed, poorly engineered and poorly structured, moved to a low density house out in the burbs and have not looked back. I'm not against apartments, but they just need to be built better.

[@yesbeautyfly]

Against apartments is good because they are always bad no exceptions. They are not on Torrens Title & never have 4 sides like a house. Most of them have dark toilets, internal kitchen without window plus basement carpark no window too.

[@williamm2003]

Finally glad someone gave my suburb of Meadowbank the shoutout it deserves. All the convenience of Rhodes but at 2/3rds its housing price...bought my red brick unit for 300k last year. don't own a car, I take the train/metro everyday (actually faster than driving). and I run 5kms every few days across the parramatta river to rhodes riverside walk. Honestly a dream place to live

[@jazepstein]

Hahaha, you bought a unit in Meadowbank for 300k ... by "last year", do you mean 25 years ago?

[@williamm2003]

@@jazepstein july 2023 lmao

[@jorder85]

People are not upset at building projects themselves. They are upset at how they look - all grey, white, soulless blocks like the ones seen in Wolli creek. They drain the life out of anywhere they’re built

[@davidarnold8186]

Agreed, grey seems to be the new black. They should’ve zooshed it up with panels/cladding ect done in different primary colours. Sure would brighten up Wolli Creek

[@hocamrastas4778]

There are good urbanism developments and some really terrible ones. Sydney can be a windy place and regardless of well intentioned design, wind and overshadowing is a huge problem in many new higher rise precincts. Anything over 9 stories is generally avoided in most countries with long experience of apartment living, for very good reasons. Also many areas that have been redeveloped around train stations... eek Mascot Station and sorry Canterbury... have some really substandard pedestrian vibes and smells. Plans can look neat on paper and obviously bringing more housing together is great on so many levels but if the footpaths are going to be blocked by garbage bins every Tuesday or the ground level experience actually alienates pedestrians rather than engaging them, nobody will want to walk those windy lonely laneways which means unfortunately they'll choose to head straight to their basement carparks and drive. Of course we have some horrible ugly detached housing suburbs, but quality design is key if we want to increase density and unfortunately that's not what high rise has done so far in Sydney.

[@anubizz3]

@@hocamrastas4778 So which one to follow amsterdam?

[@tompang5296]

Rhodes and Meadowbank was where our Year 10 Geography school excursion took place! We learnt about concepts related to Urbanism such as urban sprawl without actually saying what's good and bad though...

[@lindasweeney969]

Community is created by the people not the building. The daughter that now lives in a single dwelling house used to live high density. She was working and didn’t know any of her neighbours in the high rise. She is close friends with her neighbours next door and shares the vegetables she grows in her backyard.

[@amys500]

Meadowbank! My home suburb. Was factories, low rise apartments and houses when i grew up. No shops or anything though back in the day 😠 Such excellent transport and parklands 💚

[@sigma_799]

not everyone likes ruined beauty and increased traffic caused by apartments, respect that. if you enjoy densely populated towns then live in chatswood this isn’t china

[@peepeetrain8755]

then go live in a regional town then. Sydney is a city. A global city. We have tried to mix the two and it didn't work. You cant mix small town living with city amenities. You get a housing crisis if you do.

[@mongerrr]

This one of the biggest problems with Australia. Apartments need to be walking distance from metros, train or light rail. If apartments are causing massively increased traffic, then you've designed your city wrong. In terms of beauty, higher density should enable better public green spaces. If developers are going nuts and creating a concrete jungle with no trees, no parks and high rise 1 bedroom shoeboxes, then that is a failure of government regulation. We need more family sized apartments and less building defects, but these are no good for profitability.

[@yesbeautyfly]

'This' is where? Where I was in Chatswood, I was so confused that was I in Australia? Similar feeling when I was in Auburn.

[@babylon6847]

​@@peepeetrain8755Nope. Sydney is Sydney, not Manhattan. YOU should move over. No one caters to your narrow viewpoint.

[@jonathonharris8753]

I fully support anti-urbanists and what they stand for. It is just too counterproductive for our nation to pander to the anti-urbanists in our major cities. There is a huge amount of land for people to live a suburban lifestyle in Australia. I think we need a designation for 'cities of national importance', to clarify which cities are too important to reject development "just because you don't like it".

[@kennylee8936]

Maybe we need a "NIMBYs moving to the country" movement?

[@SimonBauer7]

​@@kennylee8936honestly yes. thats the actual solution. even in much denser germany you dont have to live in a city if you dont want to (i dont, and thus i live in a village).

[@MangoBells]

@@kennylee8936 it won't work because they don't want to give up the amenities and things city living grants them-- they just don't want anyone ELSE to have those benefits too. Especially anyone poorer than them, yuck!

[@kennylee8936]

@@MangoBells If it's not NIMBYs moving out it's NIMBYs dying out then.

[@yesbeautyfly]

Exactly. National importance comes first, then State importance. If a big city is sucking up the resources & people like a cancer cell, then Australians must stand up to stop it. Australia is big. Germany plus Switzerland are still smaller than half of NSW. Lots of rural Australian areas need people to develop but Sydney does not need more people.

[@plonkaplonka4998]

Why don’t we just stabilise our population and stop with this constant growth. That will lower the house prices (less demand) and make housing more affordable for everybody already living here. Also people will not have large families if they are living in shoebox apartments hence why everyone wants a house.

[@STatic-ht4kt]

I think if Sydney’s population growth was slower, we wouldn’t need to change our ways to make for more people, right low density housing allows for a spacious lifestyle where people can engage in hobbies like gardening, dirt bikes, etc. Right now everyone is moving to Sydney, and we need to bring people to Perth, Adailde, also we need to build more around cars, even though public transport is good, there is nothing like driving a car, you get to decide where you go and driving is it the pinnacle of freedom.

[@STatic-ht4kt]

Also right now we are ending up the Kowloon walled city.

[@yesbeautyfly]

This KZbinr drove to many places in Australia with Amy. They neither took train to Bathurst via Blue Mountains nor took coach along Pacific Hwy.

[@nianbozhang9070]

@@STatic-ht4ktIf you think Kowloon Walled city is when apartment, then you are one sheltered c***

[@noctain6683]

I live Cheltenham in Melbourne its the complete opposite it has a fat shopping centre that bridges across a highway and is pretty dense at least around the shopping centre and the town with apartments

[@mathewferstl7042]

The video hasnt even been uploaded yet but nimbys are already floading the comments.

[@babylon6847]

Gee, nobody is proving the "NIMBYS" wrong. Anyone that doesn't share the wacko YIMBY opinion doesn't mean they're NIMBY's.

[@dmbennell1799]

In Meadowbank I worked at Siemens Plessey, previously at the site of that sprawling apartment complex by the train line.

[@TomLaios]

At 11:47 I call bullshit on your theory that new residents will use public transport.I've lived in the Burwood area since 1972 when it was still industrial. As high rises have sprouted the traffic has just progressively gotten more and more gridlocked. Now, on Saturdays, you cannot get even INTO Burwood from Parramatta Rd, as the traffic is stopped at the corner of Wentworth and Parramatta Rds.

[@fcfhkmelb]

Those who drive into Burwood do not live in the apartments in Burwood.

[@TomLaios]

@@fcfhkmelb Yes they do smartarse.

[@fcfhkmelb]

@@TomLaios Burwood itself is a popular weekend destination for Asian people outside the area. Why would people living in Burwood drive into Burwood on a Saturday morning or early afternoon? If all Burwood high rise residents drive you should see traffic going out of Burwood during the day and on weekdays as well.

[@TomLaios]

@@fcfhkmelb what part of Burwood residents have to get about with all the high rise Chinese residents, who coincidently, also own cars, and drive around,adding to the gridlock,escapes you? Burwood was choked with traffic when I started driving in 1984. Now its infinitely worse.You can't keep adding cars to roads with fixed dimensions.

[@fcfhkmelb]

@@TomLaios Some do drive but a whole lot more take public transport. Look at how busy Burwood station is day and night. You shouldn't be driving either.

[@Krenisphia]

16:30 This gives me anxiety just by looking at it. It's so unpleasant to have a shop right in front of a busy main road like this.

[@jgonsalk]

Loved this video! You did heaps of research and did a lot of location shooting to bring this together, not to mention the editing. I don't think there is a single elected member of any local or state parliament with this kind of passion. Seriously consider a career in politics, we need a genuine person like you who really cares about the well being of our communities.

[@lindasweeney969]

Firstly the suburbs you are talking about are unaffordable even with high density to a lot of people. 2 when you bring children into the equation a backyard where a child can play and still allow the parent to keep watch without having to travel. During Covid my daughter was able to turn her backyard into a lovely play area. She works from home now and can work and keep an eye on her kids playing outside. People leave apartments in their droves once the kids are born and they are on top of each other. There is room for both though. People without kids and people with. There needs to be both! Our single dwelling suburb works well has local walkable shops and I know most of my neighbours. We hang out in each others front yards and chat. Share and help each other. High density creates heat traps . In a hot country this requires air con which drives up carbon into the atmosphere from a very dense area so increases global warming. Again I do say there is a place for it but it’s not the best idea to make it the only.

[@sharnicarnicarni]

Exactly. The Meadowbank are beautiful but the price is just unaffordable for many people and they are small apartments. I might as well buy a house or townhouse for the same price and have more rooms and a backyard to grow things.

[@yesbeautyfly]

​@@sharnicarnicarni Exactly. Big high rise apartments cannot be affordable, even if the land is free. Construction cost of each sqm goes up exponentially with the height to withstand weight, wind & some level of Earthquake. In addition, usually such projects must have basement carparks plus hidden temporary pools for flood to ease the pressure of storm water system.

[@yesbeautyfly]

3 or 4 generations in 1 big house or with a granny flat is the best. Houses can now produce more electricity than needed, the problem is the battery. Other than the cost, the risk of BBQ alive is scary.

[@scyl]

@@yesbeautyfly I don't know much about building apartments, but whether they are affordable or not is not really a concern, that's what capitalism is for. If people can't afford it, developer can't make money from it, then it won't be built, simple as. However seeing how there are apartment all over the world, I would like to think people smarter than me have figured that it does make sense whatever the construction cost is.

[@yesbeautyfly]

@@scyl Big apartment projects usually take years to sell before construction. In Sydney & Melbourne, lots of developers, who cannot sell many locally in a short time, love to have overseas sale campaigns to find buyers who have not been to Australia at all but of course the cash strapped individual investors, who do not really know what do Australians want, can hardly have capital gains. Auctions are mainly for houses and lands. Many nations limit land buyers to their citizens only but for apartments such limit is usually quite loose. If you go to Chatswood & Burwood, how many advertisements are in non-English?

[@nightowldickson]

Anti-Urbanism is NOT making our cities WORSE. You know what's making our cities worse? Rapid urbanisation without building adequate infrastructure to support the growth in population - schools, hospitals, roads, public transport etc.

[@oufukubinta]

You're against all those things as well though

[@excapethematrix807]

@@oufukubinta no one is against building new infrastructure. We are in a housing crisis and we have a trades shortage however. To argue that excessive immigration and overdevelopment isn't putting a strain on public services is completely nonsensical.

[@anubizz3]

He actually quite tame Urbanist. wait until you see the true Urbanist that want to change every city into Amsterdam.

[@SimonBauer7]

​@@anubizz3i dont see how thats a bad thing. pot everywhere, amsterdam still looks nice.

[@anubizz3]

@@SimonBauer7 Aside from having 562 car per 1000 people for such small and flat country, not in the top 10 most livable cities , do not have top 20 universities, have one of the worse housing crisis and considered having rubbish public transport even by European standards. Yeah they great city but hardly a utopian city.

[@7figuretraveller]

It’s interesting to hear about a different version of Urbanism that’s less car dependent . But as you mention, good public transport is crucial otherwise people will go back to being car dependent miles and miles and miles away from somewhere …..

[@adyghe3]

problem is these apartments often are not big enough for families of 4. very limitied space

[@drecion1]

I used to go to Meadowbank Tafe. It’s a nice little community around there

[@k.vn.k]

To address Sydney’s anti-urbanism problem: 1. Revise Zoning - Allow mixed-use and higher-density zoning in targeted areas to reduce sprawl. 2. Engage the Community - Educate residents on the benefits of urban growth and gather feedback on pilot projects. 3. Improve Public Transit - Expand transit and add green spaces to support urban density and reduce car dependency. 4. Support Affordable Housing - Offer incentives to developers for affordable, diverse housing options. 5. Adopt Smart Growth - Focus on compact development and preserve open spaces. 6. Create Cultural Hubs - Foster vibrant city centers with cultural and economic attractions. 7. Simplify Development Processes - Provide financial incentives and reduce bureaucracy to encourage sustainable projects. These steps can make urban growth more sustainable and appealing.

[@babylon6847]

Nope. Head off to a third world cesspool with high rise blocks and stay there. Silly YIMBY fantasies.

[@cam4007]

“When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” Excellent summary.

[@waza987]

I can’t believe you went to Cheltenham when you could have gone to Denistone for the same density.

[@nickgrech9634]

Ripper vid. Thank you Sharath.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thanks Nick!

[@annabelapurva-madhuri4861]

I’m in Zetland and I love it :) another awesome vid Sharath

[@rabidsminions2079]

Go to mascot to see the unit blocks that are 6 + levels high there is no grass area in front of the blocks. Mascot looks like the city not a suburban area. Also Zetland where the streets like more like the city, also the lanes are very narrow which makes it difficult to park your car. I grew up in a semi in the eastern suburbs of Sydney until mid 20's then lived in a 1970's unit in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, and now a house in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. 2 bed units are not good for families with 2 kids once the kids become teenagers. Definitely there needs to be more 3 bed units. Also. Blocks of units need some grass area so that kids can play on the strata land. Also local parks are a must where there is no longer thN 400m walk to the parks. Kids need local parks. Also high density ruins an area you only need to lookat the thousands of unit blocks in Zetland, near the train station, rosebery, Mascot. It just pushes the price of the local houses up as no one wants to live in these units forever.

[@donttalkcrap]

I agree that there should be more 3 bedroom apartments. You should write to Harry Triguboff of Meriton.

[@Low760]

He won't address this, he's in his early 20s and thinks only about his circumstances.

[@gdawwg1125]

Because people associate unit buildings with immigrants and outsiders. and unfortunately blaming outsiders for your perceived problems is as old as time

[@SimonBauer7]

meanwhile everyone that isnt from one of the native tribes is an immigrant technically. same for the USA. people there cry about immigrants, yet they themselves are immigrants. its something ill never understand

[@gdawwg1125]

@SimonBauer7 yep

[@NelsonMandela961]

Immigration is at the core of the housing and rental crisis though.

[@gdawwg1125]

@NelsonMandela961 and also vital to our economy No point having cheaper houses if no one has a job

[@khaldounhajaj8347]

@@NelsonMandela961really. Let’s we what happens if we stop immigration?

[@perhapsme988]

Wait till you are married and have kids. You likely have grown up in a house with yards. With most young adults, you might be taking what you have for granted. And you might be bored living in the suburbs and in house. But when you have kids and live in an apartment without much space, you will feel bad for your kids stuck in concrete boxes. High density living isn't as attractive as young people think. Young people should ask your own parents why they moved out to buy a house and commute for long hours to work. They did it for kids. Grow up a few more years before you have strong opinions.

[@MangoBells]

Kids worldwide do just fine growing up in apartments mate. Not to mention that the “yard” that most developments have now is more like a 2 metre patch of grass out the back anyway. Not exactly useable space.

[@jack2453]

Have you seen the houses they are building on the urban fringe these days?? Huge houses, minimal yards, no space for trees, maximum paved area. Not nice for kids at all. We need mixed use townhouse, midrise.

[@mathewferstl7042]

Most of the negative comments are from like 3 people but have commented a lot. Really quite the loud minority

[@peepeetrain8755]

unfortunately they're the only 3 people who comment on development. If you want to see change, you also got to be pro-active because so far, the loud minority are the only people who go to council meetings and talk to mp's.

[@mathewferstl7042]

@peepeetrain8755 exactly. That's why I'm a part of yimby Melbourne and regularly make submissions to my LGA

[@babylon6847]

Negative is subjective and the "negatives" are those with actual common sense, not Sharath spewing his developer talking points for his Uni essay video was a half - arsed attempt of encouraging high rise living.

[@babylon6847]

​​@@mathewferstl7042You are not YIMBY because you don't advocate development in your own area, just others. Hypocritical.

[@mathewferstl7042]

@@babylon6847 I do though... I live in Melbourne, specifically in the city of Glen Eira. Of which there are big plans from the state government to up zone multiple stations within the LGA. I am a bigger supporter of this and fully intend on expressing said support at council meetings and during engagement processes. I live where the up zoning will occur, my house will be up zoned. What more can I say? I am also a member of YIMBY Melbourne. You are laughably wrong about us, your "enemy" is a figment of your imagination.

[@andrew1038]

Not good for tradies to live in. No room for the work ute!!!

[@Low760]

Or a shed to work on things. But why care about people's Hobbies?

[@David-gb2nk]

You won’t need hobbies comrade. Didn’t you hear the uni student? That’s your privilege showing. You are probably racist to.

[@falafelscobes6122]

1:13 omg yes! In the elevator you meet all sorts of people it’s great and forces you to make chit chat and meet your neighbours and communicate . Same for pool/mail room/gym etc.

[@Spike5543i]

Turramurra has a few too many pizza shops imo

[@jasonhuang6332]

Brother I don't think you're a civil engineer I think you're a town planner

[@Ram84_1]

Welcome back Sharath!

[@freelanceopportunist559]

Leave Cheltenham alone! Enough beautiful historic areas have been demolished for ugly cheap apartment blocks that are an eyesore within 20 years. Those big old homes make perfect sharehouses- mature gardens, big rooms, high ceilings and double brick makes a bedroom like your own house. Sharing in modern buildings is insufferable with paper thin walls and no yard space.

[@nianbozhang9070]

Or how about beautiful and cheap apartment blocks?

[@yesbeautyfly]

Meadowbank was so beautiful before so many apartments were built along the contaminated Parramatta River. The city planners stripped the sole ownership of individual buyers from Day 1. Rural properties in the future Bradfield City near Western Sydney Airport will be next.

[@aus-reviews8462]

too many indians and south americans

[@yesbeautyfly]

Add some TOD of Housing NSW units for elderly & disabled near low usage regional stations are the best. The residents are highly unlikely to drive plus they have discounted Opal Cards. Importantly some are eligible for free travel.

[@lovelyhurlin6494]

Living in an apartment sucks. Suffering other people's noise and second hand smoke. Iv lived in apartments for 20 years since I moved out of home.

[@udamnit]

Profitability is underlying to every development, developers (and councils) just want maximum return. People are resistant as we are going from a 2-300m2 homes (+yards) to 70-90m2 units with single car spaces, this is causing the ghettos where streets are filled with cars and there is a lack of parking. Why cant we get a minimum unit size of internal size 150m2 and dual car spaces. Hi-rises are fine but cant replace private space.

[@mysticalmatt4130]

"When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression." This is true. I've only ever lived in suburbia. I'm now wanting to downsize because I can't be stuffed with mowing the lawns anymore. I love public transport, restaurants, parks, coffee, and saying hello to another human once or twice a week. I love everything about urbanisation except the people. I've come to accept I'm an introvert.

[@psymaanpseudonym9579]

Your case against anti urbanism, is also the case for it. As is your case against Cheltenham. I have lived in Meadowbank, and inner Sydney. The additional space of a house, and not having to live right near noisy, selfish neighbours, and rats and cockroaches is a very strong factor. Especially since working from home became more of an option.

[@peterseverin517]

I’d like to see more urban consolidation and transit oriented development in the eastern suburbs and north shore areas 🙃

[@Low760]

Good to see you're in the pockets of developers now man. Disappointing. Hot with no parks and you never own the site you live in. Docklands worked well too.. for Chinese investors. And Cheltenham values are high because people want the space. But the area changes slowly with high rises.

[@RamonInNZ]

Maybe the Pacific Highway should be tunneled at certain spots to help with people movement???

[@peepeetrain8755]

they did that then tolled it. The pacific highway is the only non-toll way to get to the CBD. There is a tunnel and alternatives road but its tolled. Good luck building a new highway and it not being a toll road in Sydney

[@jazepstein]

Yep, I guess I'm biased (living in Turramurra) but I think a tunnel from Wahroonga to Artarmon would be great. Could then convert Pacific Hwy to 1 lane of regular traffic each way, plus bus lanes, plus cycleway, plus more green spaces (lower speed limit wouldn't hurt either) - a la Epping Rd post Lane Cove Tunnel. But looks unlikely to ever happen, due to Northconnex having now been built from Wahroonga to West Pennant Hills (speaking of which, why is Pennant Hills Rd still three lanes of regular traffic each way, with a speed limit of 70km/h?!), plus due to the insane level of nimby-ism in Ku-ring-gai.

[@stevedaniel5042]

This guy is paid for by developers. He obviously hasn’t been to Canterbury Bankstown where it tops the state in building complaints snd non compliance. This is complete misinformation and misleading

[@DarrylAdams]

I dislike Mediwbank only because the roads are too narrow for the level of traffic around the area. One truck or road work would clig the streets. Rhodes is far better as a design

[@glenn5077]

What about fires ,noise ,smell ,people ,parties,your boat ,car for holidays ???? you try to make it sound so good just look at China

[@Mottohead73]

I live in Turramurra and got to agree, but think some of the building that are going up a subpart in there standards. also there are to many NIMBY who vote against building the HUB, which I really believe would help revitalise the town centre. (also I live on the north side excuse who would live on the south😜

[@dotto87]

15:26 I know I know! I was wondering if you had put in a photo of an old Metroad marker intentionally, and I guess two seconds later I had my answer :)

[@yesbeautyfly]

High density = Overcrowded +Over cramped. For the neighbours to suffer is Overlooking + Overshading.

[@andrew1038]

None of these developments have any room for hobbies like shed/workshop/ garage space…

[@Low760]

Exactly. People who want to live in high rises have no practical skills.

[@scyl]

You’re absolutely right-having a shed or garage is valuable for many people, but it’s not a necessity for everyone. No one is suggesting we eliminate houses altogether; instead, we're advocating for a wider range of living options to suit diverse needs and preferences. If someone has $3 million and wants a home with a garage, that’s fantastic, and they should have that choice. But why shouldn’t someone who prefers to spend their money on travel and live close enough to walk to shops have the option of well-designed apartments? Variety in housing allows people to shape their lives in a way that aligns with their priorities.

[@andrew1038]

@ how does a 22yo plumber get $3m for a house??? Renters want a garage or shed too!

[@scyl]

@@andrew1038 I am not sure what you are asking for, you don't want apartment because there is no garage space, but you also don't want to have to pay $3 million. So you want your cake and eat it too? Or are you asking for something in between, like a townhouse?

[@andrew1038]

@ apartments with a decent garage. My local council lets people build medium density with no street parking for a 1km or more. And studios with no parking…

[@uzziman9659]

1:16 you almost recorded 2 people getting ploughed 😅

[@anguscos4506]

For more HSC English related trauma, Kennth Slessor's William Street provides an unconventional view of urban life, contrasting the earlier romantic poems written about australia

[@jessikaross9841]

Just a heads up that your discord link says it's invalid

[@BruceMa22]

Leave Cheltenham alone. We love it here. I’m not against high rises but they should be built in a few designated hubs like Sydney or parramatta. Apartments should be built much higher, and house lots should be bigger. One high quality skyscraper in cbd is way better than having 20 low rises in the suburbs. And that way skyline will look nicer. NYC area imo is an ultimate ideal city. You’ll have really high quality high rises in manhattan, and in the meantime you can have big and nice houses in Staten Island, Long Island, etc

[@MangoBells]

"I'm not against high rises but not in myyyyyy neighbourhood". Much of this video was talking about medium level density of units and low-rise apartments anyway-- now tell me why would they be an unwelcome addition to your neighbourhood?

[@peepeetrain8755]

the thing about Cheltenham is that it is losing people, aging population, no one can afford to move there, the median house price is over $3 Million. Cheltenham is dying and wont ever grow unless that number goes down. This is a problem all over sydney, the eastern suburbs dont have enough teachers in the public schools and classes are becoming overcrowded, the 30-40 age demographic are leaving Sydney the fastest and no one is replacing them. because they cant afford it. Sydney is unnaffordable for those who dont already live there, a city where regional people would come in and work and contribute to the city historically. You may love Cheltenham now, but in 20 years when it'lll be a ghost suburb full of geriatrics and no one to replace them?

[@amys500]

I think most people won't have the choice to live in big house suburbs anymore so people in Sydney will, over time, get used to living in denser communities

[@quarkcypher]

I'd rather live in an apartment or terrace house, close to amenities, than in a suburban wasteland far from services. Medium density housing makes sense to me.

[@UltraXD.]

“The rape of Kuringai” has got to be the most stupid protest ever. Building more single family homes near Ku-ring-Gai will destroy the bush, when just adding subtle medium density in the area you’ve got is all you need.

[@jazepstein]

As a resident of Ku-ring-gai for much of my life, all I can say is, do NOT underestimate the level of nimby-ism around here!

[@Michael-D.-Williams]

Conveniently just across the river from Dioxin Central.

[@MADgamer9212]

What's the best upcoming areas in Sydney? Ie with urbanism plans in the works.

[@xephren6557]

2:47 that guy's goin for it

[@adhandshadow4545]

No way your on the ABC