High-rise gentrification : the redevelopment of Pyrmont Ultimo

In Sydney, in the post-second world war period, a detached home in the suburbs was viewed as the most desirable form of urban living. Consequently, suburbia and home-ownership increased dramatically. In the same period, Pyrmont and Ultimo, two high-density adjacent inner-city neighbourhoods on the harbour, dominated by rented terrace housing, suffered a spectacular decline. Their working class residents fled the area in the face of industries relocating or closing down and suburbia being touted as a far more salubrious location and way of life. In the 1970s and 1980s, Pyrmont was regularly voted the least desired neighbourhood in the city. The 1990s saw a dramatic reversal in the area's fortunes. Urban spectacles and dozens of apartment blocks filled the abandoned lots and thousands of people now live and work in the area. In this paper, we analyse the determinants of the changing urban form of Pyrmont Ultimo. We argue that it can only be understood in the context of economic restructuring and deindustrialisation, the transformation of Australia's class structure, fundamental demographic changes and the shift in perceptions of what is considered desirable urban design and living. We also illustrate the fundamental role the state played in the area's rejuvenation. Keywords: gentrification; economic restructuring; inner city; redevelopment; Sydney