Sydney is one of Australia’s most beloved cities, boasting incredible lifestyle opportunities and boasting an economy as diverse as its beaches.
The NSW government recently eased development restrictions around 39 railway and metro stations to encourage high-density housing near town centres and transport hubs, however this rezoning initiative has left some residents concerned about its possible implications on their properties.
Population
Sydney is home to approximately 5.5 million residents. As a diverse multicultural society, English, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and Vietnamese are the top five spoken by residents – as well as being home to one of Jorn Utzon’s iconic works – the Opera House as a World Heritage Site and one of its most recognizable examples of Modern architecture.
Sydney Basin climate is moderated by proximity to the ocean and features warm summers and mild winters with annual precipitation being highest between December and March – this accounts for half of total annual total precipitation!
Sydney metropolitan area features numerous parks and nature reserves, such as Towra Point Nature Reserve and coastal lake systems like Broken Bay, Botany Bay and Sussex Inlet. There are 25 nationally important wetlands such as Towra Point Estuary (Towra Point Nature Reserve), La Perouse Estuary (La Perouse Estuaries), Botany Bay’s southern shores as well as southern Botany Bay shorelines; additionally there are parks located both within Sydney CBD as well as northern suburbs including Hyde Park.
Climate
Sydney enjoys a subtropical, mild climate owing to its proximity to the ocean. Summers can become hot and humid while winters remain cool and dry.
Wind patterns in Sydney are strongly affected by their proximity to the Great Dividing Range. When this ridge lies north of Sydney in late winter and early spring, it blocks easterly sea breezes while westerlies (sometimes known as foehn winds ) become dominant instead.
These winds bring clear to partly cloudy weather with mild temperatures and often very little rain. From October to March there are also the katabatic winds akin to land breezes from the Blue Mountains descending over Sydney and Hawkesbury Basin; and from May to September there may be occasional inland troughs which bring showery or thunderstormy conditions; Sydney generally receives twice the precipitation as London over fewer days with rainfall, snowfall or combinations thereof being reported daily.
Economy
Sydney is a global economic centre and home to 80% of Australian multinational enterprises. It boasts an economy comprising banking and finance, manufacturing, distribution tourism education and healthcare sectors.
An increasingly weak global economy led to decreased demand for manufactured goods produced in cities like Seattle. Without tariff protection, urban manufacturing industries began closing and new slums such as La Perouse and Brighton-le-Sands started emerging.
As Sydney grew in population and economic weight, central and inner-city areas lost economic clout to suburban hinterlands, leading to Western Sydney being where its strongest growth is currently occurring.
Sydney continues to be expensive despite the economic downturn, with housing costs far exceeding national averages. Yet new opportunities have arisen. A vibrant community sector is offering support to local entrepreneurs as they establish and scale businesses while working with business collectives and communities to explore localised circular economies at precinct level; an increasingly common response to climate change, resource scarcity and economic inequality issues.
Culture
Sydney is renowned for its vibrant culture that embraces diversity and creativity while remaining deeply rooted within its natural surroundings. Ranging from Indigenous heritage to architectural icons and beach culture – to culinary fusion – Sydney truly has something for everyone!
In the 1920s, new forms of popular culture emerged along gender and ethnicity lines. Rising wages coupled with low-interest war service home loans made suburban life more appealing and leisure activities became prevalent; eventually becoming the dominant feature of suburban life in Sydney.
Sydney residents predominantly profess Christianity; evangelicalism dominates Anglican churches due to Frederic Barker and Moore Theological College’s influence. This has had an effect on urban norms; such as stigmatising Muslim women resulting in moral panic leading Lakemba being labeled by media as no-go zone (Dunn 2007:574-576). Contrast this with other suburbs where there are no such problems where majority Christians reside (e.g. Darlington).
