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ABC News: Planning for growth in Sydney

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Politician stands beside large poster at press conference, poster shows map of Sydney and reads "Vision for Sydney in 2031"
ABC News: Planning for growth in Sydney

SUBJECTS:  Geography

YEARS:  7–8


Sydney is already Australia's largest city but the outlook is for an increasing population and continuous growth.

Looking toward the planning horizon of 2031, a recent government plan has pleased some sections of the community, but it is not without its critics.

In this clip from March 2013, see how the state government is planning to manage Sydney's urban future.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Urban sprawl is the uncontrolled growth of cities into the hinterland around them. Do any Australian examples of urban sprawl spring to mind? What do you think drives it? What effect can it have on cities, people and the environment? Can planning prevent urban sprawl?
  2. 2.Listen for a point about the type of development that is planned for Sydney's outer fringe. The reporter comments that 'there is no doubt the city's future is big'. Do the projected statistics about Sydney in 2031 support this claim? Listen for the point about infrastructure. Note the various viewpoints expressed about the plans for future growth in the west.
  3. 3.Why is the government targeting western Sydney for growth? What might happen if suburban development occurs without infrastructure improvements? Developers appear to support the government plan. Why do you think this is? How is the view of Opposition spokesman Luke Foley different?
  4. 4.Find a map of Sydney's current metropolitan area. Note the location of the CBD and inner-city suburbs. Find the city's outer boundary and the names of the suburbs beyond it. Can you see the main road and rail links into the CBD? Create or print a simple map of Sydney. Find out the areas targeted for future growth and add this information to it.



Date of broadcast: 19 Mar 2013


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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