Case Study Of Pyrmont-Ultimo

Aim
The Sydney suburbs of Pyrmont and ultimo are located on a peninsula on the western side of darling harbor. In earlier days the two suburbs ran along Union Street. Now the Pyrmont-Ultimo peninsula is a long strip of land known by locals that it is ‘into the deep waters of Sydney Harbour’. Beginning in the early 1800s the Pyrmont-Ultimo area was once occupied by many ‘blue-collar’ workers generally known as manual labour workers, the area was surrounded by industrial areas or the waterfronts. Since then there has occurred significant gentrification of old industrial sites and decayed buildings occurring in the Pyrmont- Ultimo peninsula, with the old buildings and sites being transformed into residential, commercial and community sites. As
a result of these redevelopments of decayed or ‘normal’ buildings it improved the general quality and look of the peninsula making the population of dwellers increase. When an area eventually ‘goes down’ and goes through urban dynamics, decay and sprawl the process involved in recovering it changes everything about the whole natural state or character of it positively.
Method
Urban Dynamics
The area of study, being Pyrmont-Ultimo had Urban Dynamics and Spatial Exclusion present. Through the investigation of Pyrmont-Ultimo it was evident that the place had been through remodelling of residential buildings and some commercial buildings, this was seen by the positioning of a few residential areas and how they were built in a way to benefit people. Spatial exclusion is very common in a common area for the elite who have the desire of having protected properties and their luxury lifestyles safe through restricted or limited access of certain areas by other residence or urban dwellers.
As Pyrmont has a growing number of visitors and an increasing number of residential and, as well is known to be an wealthy area, residents have a want and need sometimes of having high security to protect themselves from outsiders and what they own by which includes living in a gated community or home, with security cameras and security guards which in turn make this a main key factor to pull these people in to these types of new communities because there is an elimination of what the elite don’t want. Furthermore, it was evident in Pyrmont/Ultimo that there is also old residential buildings that are present today available for general people with a need of a general home with no high security. The urban dynamics and spatial exclusion is a big success in Pyrmont-ultimo because its only two kilometres south-west of central Sydney and has things that people desire and need such as worldwide known brand stores available such as Chanel & Louis Vuitton, beautiful oceaneanic views, touristic places to see- being the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Luna Park etc, theatres, restaurants and cafes, security available this in turn making Sydney’s “cosmopolitan lifestyle” welcome as well as enjoyable to all and suburbanisation not common. Through
the Urban Dynamics of Pyrmont this brought in many “DINKS” (double income and no kids) as well as more wealthy urban dwellers such as “EMPTINESTORS” ( had children but they no longer live with parents).
The remodelling of commercial business (photo)
Pyrmont today after 50+ years of the demolition of original homes and industrial areas
Urban Sprawl
As Sydney became a popular and famous place due to it being a secondary world city and had a very well know sugar refinery businesses operated by ‘CSR Limited’, it brought in lots of national and international visitors slowly and eventually became a very well know touristic place to visit along with Darling Harbour ‘its sister’.
As Pyrmont/Ultimo is only two kilometres south-west of Darling Harbour it eventually started to go through a gentrification process in commercial businesses and residential areas mostly turning something adaptive into adaptive reuse. Through observing the streets of Pyrmont/Ultimo mainly Harris St, there were live examples of gentrification of commercial businesses that are still present today such as; old school pubs that were mainly made of/ had tiled walls and were located on the corner of almost of every street that had been gentrificated either into cafe-restaurants or medical practises. Through Darling Harbour being so well off it had led to these improvements and the spreading out of the area Pyrmont/Ultimo, making it in a that big of a place today known for its architecture, commercial business’s and high security residential communities as well as government terrace flats. Below is an example of gentrification in a commercial
business. Evidence of an old pub turned into a Medical Practice

A Pub to a Cafe
(photo)
Urban decay and Renewal
The entire area of Pyrmont started to decay after World War II, and was considered to be a slum area in the 19th century when industries shut down and most residents moved to the suburbs. In just thirteen years Pyrmont/Ultimo’s population had declined by nice hundred people. With rundown warehouses, abandoned factories shut down, few moved and shipping in decline at the time the area became run down, poor and an unpleasant place to live. Due to this it was well known that, that was the result of intense urban decay of the area. Pyrmont was left alone until 1971 when the Sydney City Council formulated a strategic plan to figure out the need for residential renewal on the Peninsula. The government initiated the ‘Better Cities Program’ in 1991 for the Urban Renewal of specific places of which Pyrmont/Ultimo was one to start with. Consequently the ‘Better Cities Program’ help led to an increase of trade with many businesses moving back into the area of Pyrmont/Ultimo and also led to a much larger community of 13,000 people by 2004. Today it is estimated that there is a population 24,000 people living in the area, becoming more and more multicultural during the years.

Evidence of Urban Decay on building on left side. Evidence of Urban Renewal showing government terrace flats on right side on photograph.(photo)

Location /Map of Pyrmont/Ultimo (photo)

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