Vanity unfair - examining the impact of development authorities on the designation and development of public space: Barangaroo case study

Abstract

Increasingly prominent on the site of a former shipping terminal and docklands, the $6 billion Barangaroo development on Sydney's foreshore is claiming the last piece of undeveloped land on the city coast. The contestation that is surrounding the development invokes imagery of Darling Harbour redux. Arguably, the development is typical of the dominant movement of neo- liberal cities in the Global North that have seen an increase in the influence and powers of private stakeholders in the public realm. An increasingly interconnected world has accelerated the rate of change however governance has adapted at a slower rate. This disconnection has exacerbated existing issues, one of which is the contestation of what is called public space. This case study of the Barangaroo project will be grounded in theories of globalization and public space, and an accompanying analysis of morphological differences and planning policy through successive changes in the development plan. Through this case study the paper will begin to construct an argument for a more inclusive, adaptive and interdisciplinary planning process that realigns contemporary planning theory with practice and makes clear definitions of what the is public might be. This includes a move towards transparency against what is increasingly becoming a trend towards veiled opaqueness of governance in all aspects of public life while an increasing level of surveillance is thrust upon us in what is a public policy reform agenda that is scarily becoming more bipartisan.

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