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September 24, 2007
I recently moved to Canberra from Melbourne when offered a position in the Public Service. Last weekend my partner and I returned to Melbourne and stayed with friends in the same block of apartments in South Yarra that I used to call home, not far from where Chopper grew up.
The environment in Melbourne has a knack for creating and embracing characters. The inner-city suburbs buzz with human activity almost around the clock and it would be overwhelming if you've grown accustomed to the gentle peace of suburbia that prevails in the nations capital.
The trip only lasted a few days, but one of these days was put aside for engaging in my favourite Melbourne pastime, 'people watching'. It's a fairly common activity in Melbourne, as people seek to define their individuality with visual appeal and to share it with the broader public by wandering the streets aimlessly or lounging around all day and/or night in backstreet cafés.
Melbourne, 2007
I recently moved to Canberra from Melbourne when offered a position in the Public Service. Last weekend my partner and I returned to Melbourne and stayed with friends in the same block of apartments in South Yarra that I used to call home, not far from where Chopper grew up.
The environment in Melbourne has a knack for creating and embracing characters. The inner-city suburbs buzz with human activity almost around the clock and it would be overwhelming if you've grown accustomed to the gentle peace of suburbia that prevails in the nations capital.
In Canberra, such activities are untenable. The broad malls in Canberra's centre create a sense of isolation, and it's no surprise that the cafes and restaurants generating the most activity are confined to a small walkway off the mall in the civic centre. There's little to encourage or incline the youth to confront or challenge their peers. Yet, while the streets feel empty and the parks and paths around Canberra's many lakes are scattered with pedestrians, the shopping centers seem to be teaming with consumers engaging in their favourite pastime.
It's a false perception, no doubt, but urban space isn't restricted to telling the truth.
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KeZ,
great picture. Colourful Melbourne. Melbourne should be applauded for inviting people back into the city. Parts of it around the Flinders Station precinct (especially the small lanes) are very people friendly
Sydney is otherwise. Danish architect and urban planner, Dr Jan Gehl, says that Sydney’s pedestrians are in a class below cars, often spending up to half their journey waiting for traffic lights.
Canberra was supposed to be a model liveable garden city, but the CBD does come across as cold and lifeless. Nor do Canberra's suburbs fit into the pedestrian based town centre of the New Urbanism, with its pedestrian based town centre and on sustainability as a reaction to urban sprawl .
Port Melbourne is probably a good example of the New Urbanism in Australia.