Meet the 2019 Bradfield finalists
Generously donated by Lendlease in honour of John Bradfield, the Lendlease Bradfield Urbanisation Scholarship aims to develop the potential of students and nurture Sydney visionaries who aspire to shape the city's future.
To be eligibile for this year's scholarship, students were asked to provide a response to the 2019 topic, "How can truly global cities like Sydney evolve to ensure our lived experiences are front and centre in future urban development?".
Sean Perry, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws
Sean believes that thousands of Sydneysiders could be living in sea-based island housing developments with high-speed metro trains and golf carts as the only modes of transport.
Walking and cycling will be prioritised to maintain liveability, connectivity, and increase the health outcomes for the community. Marine access will be made available and helicopters will be used for emergencies.
The floating city would provide at least 500 public amenities and affordable housing for about 20,000 residents. It would feature stable communities while serving as a barrier to storm surges to protect the existing coastline. Resources such as water, food and government services would be shared between the floating city and the mainland to increase cohesion.
Olivia d'Souza, Bachelor of Architecture (Honours) and Master of Architecture
Olivia believes the negative impacts of sprawling high-density developments, to provide a fast solution to increased infrastructure and housing demands, led to the isolation and alienation of the individual. Olivia would like to see innovative approaches to the way new high-density developments are constructed to retain open space and promote social fluidity.
Planning smaller, more frequent and easily maintainable parks across all areas of the city can create a connectivity between areas of the city and urban fringes. ;like islands for social connectivity acting as a meeting place between different segments of society. The development of small spaces such as footpaths and alleyways into green spaces can provide meeting areas between frequently traversed zones. Olivia believes these open spaces need to consider all stakeholders in the planning process so as not to compromise on innovation.
Joshua Holmes, Bachelor of Civil Engineering & Commerce
First-year Civil Engineering & Commerce student Joshua Holmes envisions a Sydney that celebrates our diverse identity and rich heritage. This would be achieved through a redesign of our city streets and laneways using unique and engaging public installations. This would lead to creating additional work spaces that encourage expression and creativity, all while promoting sustainable practice.
Daniel Kim, Bachelor of Commerce/Advanced Studies
Daniel’s vision for Sydney as a global city addresses the changing nature of work, effectively managing the aging population and congestion in a multi-modal manner. Urbanisation in Sydney brought about a prosperous economy with connectivity and diversity, accelerating its development among other global cities.
However, as a result of urbanisation, Sydney experienced a few challenges that stem from the changing nature of contemporary work, an aging population and unwanted congestion, slowing the city's progress in improving its liveability. In order for truly global cities like Sydney to evolve and offer better-lived experiences during the phase of urban development, government must influence industrial relations and the workforce using appropriate regulations including, effective use of the power of media.
Anita Pickard, Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering (Honours)
Anita believes that to ensure positive lived experiences are front and centre in future urban development of global cities such as Sydney, sustainability needs to be the focus of all development decisions. Anita sees the physical landscape of Sydney and its urban planning as some of the most promising areas for sustainable development.
Numerous green spaces, mixed-use buildings, environmentally friendly building materials and processes, safe and inclusive public areas, and affordable housing are all examples of key areas where cities can ensure our lived experiences are in the forefront of urban development.
James Kapaniris, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) & Bachelor of Commerce
James believes that a global city needs to place our lived experience at the forefront of all we do. The city must offer a thriving live music culture, a modern and inventive food scene, and showpiece sport and entertainment spectacles. It also needs to ensure these things are accessible to all by being at the forefront of innovation in its engineering, architecture, transport and urban development.
His vision sees a transformation in living densities and the design and planning of low-rise apartments with central communal areas. More people per square kilometre means more opportunity for cultural experiences in the area. For this vision to be a success James says our public transport system must be revitalised and government policy needs to provide for individuals' lived experiences.
Delos He, Bachelor of Architecture & Environments
Bachelor of Architecture & Environments student Delos (Dilong) He says architects and urban planners need to respond to the needs resulting from the expansion of our city, population and culture. He would like to see greater mobility geographically, integrated facilities and encouraged interactions. He believes our architectural landscape should evolve and move away from clusters of isolated towers with little common space or shared space to designs that reinstate the notion of community.
About the Lendlease Bradfield Urbanisation Scholarship
The scholarship was generously donated by Lendlease and established in honour of John Bradfield, who designed Sydney's most transformative pieces of infrastructure, the underground electric railway and the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge to unite the northern and southern shores of our city.
