SYDNEY, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- An ambitious long term strategy to transform Sydney into three separate but interconnected cities was launched on Sunday, with the goal of creating communities that are within 30 minutes travel of services and job opportunities.
Drafted by the New South Wales (NSW) Government's transport and planning departments along with the independent Greater Sydney Commission (GSC), the Future Transport 2056 strategy is actually based on a very old concept.
Long before British settlers arrived in Australia, Aboriginal people thought of Sydney as three different areas.
The eastern side of the harbour was known as the salt water region, up river in what is now called Parramatta was recognized by its muddy waters and in the far west, indigenous people knew the location for its clear waters.
"Reshaping Greater Sydney as a metropolis of three cities Eastern, Central and Western will rebalance it, fostering jobs, improving housing affordability, easing congestion and enhancing our enviable natural environment across the entire region," GSC chief commissioner Lucy Turnbull said in a statement obtained by Xinhua.
"This is particularly exciting for Sydney's west, with an entirely new city to emerge west of the M7 motorway, where the new Western Sydney Airport and the surrounding aerotropolis will support tens of thousands of jobs."
The plan will also focus on transforming the furthest outer edge suburbs of Penrith, Liverpool and Campbelltown into thriving university towns with bustling business districts, which means "even greater opportunity for young people growing up in Greater Sydney's west," Turnbull said.
With Sydney's population expected to double and surpass 8 million within the next 40 years, transport and infrastructure planning remain key to the harbour city's success.
NSW Minister for Planning and Housing Anthony Roberts said "we need these plans to ensure we deliver the housing, jobs, transport services, schools and medical facilities Sydneysiders will need."
