Urban renewal case study

About the excursion

Sydney Olympic Park has a rich and dynamic history. The 640 hectares of land has been transformed from an industrial wasteland into a vibrant specialist economic centre, integrating world-class venues and parklands to create a new sustainable community.

The case study

This Urban Renewal case study field trip takes students on a journey through the dynamic changes that have occurred in and around this site over the past 250 years. The journey will start from Aboriginal custodianship, through to European arrival and colonial industries that began as far back as 1790. The journey will then take them onto the post-war boom period with industries including the brickworks, abattoir and naval armaments depot. Students will see first-hand the adaptive reuse of the heritage buildings that were built during this time period.

As we weave our way through the new suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, students will learn about the urban dynamics that occurred throughout the 20th century. Students will get to see first-hand, the results of one of Australia’s largest urban renewal projects that resulted from the successful bid for the 2000 Olympic Games. Students will be able to see the sustainability principles and practices that went into the design and development of the ‘Green Games’ and the sustainability legacy they have left today.

Students will look toward the future and understand that the Master Plan 2030 provides the blueprint for future urban development within this vibrant township. Geographic skills include field sketches, annotating photographs, taking photographs, using GIS, interpreting historic photographs, data collection through surveys and population data analysis.
 

Learning content

• Synthesising and evaluating fieldwork data about the dynamics of change in a country town or suburb.
• Urban Dynamics.
• A case study of the results of the urban dynamics in a large city selected from the developed world including its social structure and spatial patterns of advantage and disadvantage, wealth and poverty, ethnicity.
• Changing economic character, nature and location of residential land, commercial and industrial development.
• Culture of place as expressed in the architecture, streetscape, heritage architecture, noise, colour, street life, energy, vitality and lifestyle.
• Growth, development, future trends and ecological sustainability.

Learning outcomes