Parramatta City River Strategy
2016 National Award of Excellence - Urban Design
2015 New South Wales Award of Excellence - Urban Design
McGregor Coxall
Great landscape architecture often involves embracing elements of the natural environment to drive forward design thinking. When applied in an urban design situation, opportunities arise to change the focus of a city. The Parramatta City River Strategy is such a project. It sets out to rediscover the natural aesthetic of the river and, in doing so, to recalibrate the economy of Sydney’s second CBD.
It’s a bold project that seeks to draw from the community, to inform decision makers and leaders and to provide a forward vision for Parramatta. It pulls together transport frameworks, recreational corridors and multi-use architectural spaces, balancing infrastructure with aesthetic outcomes.
At the same time, Aboriginal and colonial heritage is recognised and provided for through a collaborative delivery and implementation plan. As summed up by the Lord Mayor, it is “a plan for a world class river foreshore that recognises the importance of the river to the city, improving the city’s connections while protecting and activating the river for people to enjoy”.
