What’s your favourite pedestrian street in NSW?

Photo: Vote for your favourite pedestrian street in the Urban Design Association NSW’s Favourite Place Poll 2024.

Think of the great cities of the world and up pops the iconic images and buildings: the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty or the Sydney Opera House.​

But when we live in a city we experience and enjoy the local public spaces where we shop, eat, stroll and sometimes just hang out. ​

It is the urban places at the human scale that enrich and sustain our everyday lives. And while the news often portrays the city as a development spreadsheet, a real city is a remarkably intricate eco-system of public spaces, business and civic activities. When we take a minute to think about the types of public space and compare similar places, we start to see what makes our urbanism both unique and universal.​

That is why the Urban Design Association holds an annual public poll, NSW’s Favourite Urban Place. Last year’s poll revealed Lackey Street Summer Hill as the most popular Sydney High Street. This year we are asking, what is your favourite pedestrian city street in NSW?​

Twenty pedestrian streets from regional NSW and Sydney have been shortlisted based on simple criteria: a predominantly two-sided retail street, a width of 20-30 m and at least 50 m long, and without general vehicular traffic.​

Why pedestrian streets? Because they are the heart of a city centre. Pedestrian streets are the ‘ant trails’ of the city, the busiest walking routes linking important places and lined with local businesses trading off that energy. They are the sites of public and private economic investment, civic works, landscaping and public art.​

Depending on where and when they evolved, pedestrian streets take on different forms. Some, like Beardy Street in Armidale, Macquarie Street, Liverpool or The Corso in Manly, have roots that stretch back over a century, originally laid out for trade or tourism at special civic places in the street grid. There is the short one block form; streets like in Rockdale or Gosford pedestrianised to make walking easier, quieter and more enjoyable between key destinations. There is the longer, boulevard form, like George Street in Sydney or Church Street Parramatta recently transformed with major new tram routes and a rejuvenated streetscape. And where lined with shops and intensively used, some take the classic form of a busy shopping spine, like the Pitt Street Mall or Oxford Street Bondi Junction.​

Many of these streets started life as high streets, and as traffic increased in city centres, were closed to vehicles during the 1980’s and 90’s. Now community places, these spaces are home to regular markets, street entertainment and curated events. Whether it’s the cultural richness of Freedom Plaza in Cabramatta or the historic charm of The Levee in Maitland, each street offers a unique atmosphere. Modern upgrades, like new seating, lighting, and shady trees have enhanced these spaces, making them more appealing as social meeting places. With level paving and plenty of space, streets like Rowe Street Eastwood or Cronulla Street are easy to transform for annual festivals. All reflect how our cities and towns have embraced pedestrian spaces as essential to everyday life, commerce and civic pride.​

Vote for the favourite pedestrian city street here.

Polls are open from 21st October to Saturday 9th November. The three finalists and winner will be announced at the UDA Gala on November 12th.​

Tanya Vincent is President of the Urban Design Association NSW, a professional urban designer and writer on urbanism.