Kensington to Kingsford Town Centres

Competition 1st Place
with Hill Thalis and JMD Design

Design Strategies

Boulevard
Remake Anzac Parade as a boulevard by widening and planting the pedestrian spine along the western side through Kensington and the eastern side through Kingsford. Strategically dissolve the boundaries between Anzac Parade, the racecourse and the university to create a coherent, legible and connected thoroughfare. Create a series of civic spaces and plazas that relate to key institutions, intersections and light rail stops that will enliven the social, education, commercial and community functions along the boulevard.

Mill Stream
Reveal the buried Mill Stream that drains the Eastern suburbs catchment area via the Centennial Park ponds to Botany Bay. The resurfaced stream will reveal a complimentary figure to Anzac Parade and provide the missing link in a new regional landscaped corridor linking Bondi Junction to Botany Bay. The stream will assist in the alleviation of localised flooding, provide opportunities for the treatment of water, the replenishment of the aquifer, and the creation of new habitats.

Parklands
Introduce a series of parklands along the Mill Stream that link Centennial Park to the landscaped areas and wetlands to the south. These parklands provide amenity for the local community and will allow the recreational circuits and programs of Centennial Park such as cycling, jogging and horse-riding to be extended through Kensington and Kingsford to the racecourse, the university and Botany Bay. A series of east west pedestrian links extend and connect these parks between the Anzac Parade and Mill Stream corridors creating a legible and walkable urban structure for the local community.

Density, Diversity and Amenity
Deliver greater amenity to the majority of residents by concentrating more intensive housing around the new parklands and the east west landscaped connections rather than locating it directly on the active corridor of Anzac Parade. Density uplifts should be tied to multiple public benefits such as a diversity of housing types, the provision of affordable housing and the creation of public spaces and parklands.