Urban Growth and Decline
CHANGE OVER TIME

The spatial nature of Sydney has changed over time. In the 1830s, Sydney was a `walking' city with densely populated urban areas such as Redfern,
Woolloomooloo and Paddington close to the central business district (CBD).

After 1880, Sydney evolved into a transit city due to the building of railways, which encouraged the growth of suburbs such as Parramatta.

In 1932, the Harbour Bridge was opened, providing a transport link and faster access to North Shore suburbs such as Pymble.
The evolution to an automobile city began after
World War II and saw the growth of suburbs north
(Cherrybrook), south (Menai) and west (St Marys).

Faster road and rail links and the availability of cheaper housing eventually led to the development of dormitory towns for commuters in the Wollongong,
Central Coast and Blue Mountains areas.

URBAN SPRAWL

In the 1970s and 1980s, Australian cities tended to continually grow outwards in a process known as urban sprawl.

Increasing car ownership and the development of freeways gave people greater choice in where they could live and work.

The development of new housing on the rural±urban fringe also encouraged the development of shops, schools, medical centres, industries and recreational facilities to support the growing population.

The impact of urbanisation in these outer areas has been a loss of natural environments and changes to rural land use on the edge of the suburbs.

Over 40 per cent of threatened ecological communities occurs in urban fringe areas.

THE DOUGHNUT EFFECT

With decentralisation of services to outer suburban areas, people no longer had to travel to the CBD for shopping and other services.

The shift in population from the inner to the outer suburbs led to a gradual emptying of the inner city and
inner