AGENDA

Brought about from the injustices faced by the key stakeholders of our streets, the user, Safe Space was established by a group of students from UTS Architecture in order to redefine the street for the people.

After studying at the University of Technology, Sydney for 5 years, we have been active users of George street at all times of the day. Our daily routines have been built around the route we take from Central station or where we park our cars to UTS, with George Street being a vital part of our journey. The morning coffee from 7/11, lunch from one of the many food outlets or an afternoon snack. Slowly we began to notice the weaknesses of the street. The lack of seating, the hostile architecture, the indents in infrastructure that have doors but are dark and hidden, the absence of green space and the lack of accessibility. Seeing the faults that have arisen because of the impacts that approved developments and infrastructure have had, as well as the negligence of the people’s needs by key players such as NSW transport, this was the motivation we needed to advocate for better public space on our streets and lead us to develop our first report.

At the heart of our work, we aim to collaborate with communities in a way that allows them to get their needs met. We seek to create a relationship with both the councils and the public setting that encourages discussion and ensures their voices are heard, where people can trust they are being considered in the planning process, as people may not always feel confident expressing their ideas at city run planning meetings or discussion panels.