Architectural Walking Tour of Public Housing in Millers Point and The Rocks

Architect, urban designer and historian Dr Michael Zanardo (Studio Zanardo) and local resident Barney Gardner will lead a walking tour of Millers Point and the Rocks that will take in the key historical public housing buildings of the area. Michael will focus on the dwelling types included in these projects, and link their architectural shape to the political, economic and social context of their production. Barney will discuss what it was like growing up and living in the area, the forced displacement of social housing tenants in Millers Point and the Rocks between 2014 and 2018 and the sell-off of public housing. Barney was born in Millers Point and was a central figure in the fight to save Millers Point.

Michael is the co-author of the ‘Affordable Housing Sydney: Architecture Guide Map’, which provides key information about the buildings we will visit on the tour in Millers Point. This book can be purchased from Michael or through the following vendors:

Gleebooks

Museums of History NSW Online Shop

Date: Tuesday 18 February 2025
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Meeting point: Centre of Argyle Place Park, Millers Point NSW 2000
Tour lead: Dr Michael Zanardo, Studio Zanardo

Planet X and Stucco Housing Cooperatives Walking tour

Professor Louise Crabtree-Hayes, Planet X Housing Cooperative, Stucco Student Housing Cooperative, and Common Equity NSW will co-host this tour of two of Sydney’s affordable rental housing cooperatives: Planet X and Stucco. Both cooperatives provide stable, affordable housing to their residents, who are both members and tenants of their cooperative. Tenant-members consequently have a direct say in the management and maintenance of their homes, and recent research has shown that active participation in cooperative governance generates a range of benefits for cooperative tenant-members and the broader community.

Stucco is an independent cooperative, while Planet X is supported by Common Equity NSW, which is a state-wide registered community housing provider constituted to support, advocate for, and grow the housing cooperative sector. Tour participants will be able to explore both cooperatives’ unique community-oriented designs, learn from cooperative tenant-members’ expertise and insights on living and volunteering in their cooperatives, and hear from Common Equity NSW regarding the unique strengths of the sector and opportunities for its growth.

Please note, this tour will involve a mostly flat 25 minute/1.6km walk between the two cooperatives.

More information:
https://www.stucco.org.au/
https://www.commonequity.com.au/
https://www.collaborativehousing.org.au/stories-planet-x 

Date: Tuesday 18 February 2025
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Meeting point: Planet X Housing Co-operative, 15 Smithers St, Chippendale NSW 2008
Tour lead: Louise Crabtree-Hayes

Tour of Midtown – A Social Mix Development

Mission Australia will lead the tour of Midtown. Midtown is a new social mix community in Macquarie Park that includes a mix of social, affordable and private dwellings. The development sits on the site of the former Ivanhoe Estate public housing. Stage one of the Midtown development completed in 2024 includes 259 social, 130 affordable homes and 376 private dwellings. The dwellings are indistinguishable. Once completed, Midtown MacPark will be a community of more than 3,000 dwellings, including 954 social and 130 affordable homes. Mission Australia has a staffed office onsite to assist in the delivery of support services and programs to strengthen the local community.

More info: https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/media-centre/media-releases/midtown-macpark-welcomes-first-residents-to-new-vibrant-macquarie-park-community

Please note, the site is a 500metre walk from Macquarie Uni Metro station, which is a 24minute commute from the Central Metro Station – https://transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/metro

Date: Friday 21 February 2025
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Meeting point: To be confirmed
Tour lead: Rachelle Elphick, Operations Manager – Midtown Macquarie Park

Walking Tour of Waterloo

Waterloo has been at the centre of changing visions of the role of government in housing, experiencing waves of intervention – from ‘slum clearance’ projects in the 1950s that compulsorily acquired private land to build new public housing, through the sell-off of public housing in the conservation area to fund the public housing system, to today’s Waterloo estate redevelopment that builds private housing on previously public land to pay for renewed social and affordable housing no longer run by government.

Waterloo remains home to Sydney’s largest public housing estate. It has a particular significance for the area’s traditional Gadigal owners as well as the wider urban First Nations communities who constitute a significant part of its residents. The future of public housing and public urbanism may be determined by actions taken in Waterloo. Delegates have an opportunity to visit the Waterloo public housing community and learn about its past and possible futures with members of the community based ‘REDWatch’ advocacy group.

Please note, this walking tour will involve some uneven surfaces and stairs. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring water and sun protection. The tour will proceed under most weather conditions.

Date: Tuesday 21 February 2025
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Meeting point: Waterloo Metro Quarter – 110 Raglan Street Waterloo, NSW 2017
Tour lead: Geoff Turnbull, REDWatch spokesperson

Geoff Turnbull has been a spokesperson for REDWatch since it was set up in 2004 to monitor government plans to reform human services and leverage the redevelopment of the Redfern, Eveleigh, Darlington and Waterloo (REDW) area. During the RWA times Geoff was a community member on the Redfern Waterloo Built Environment Ministerial Advisory Committee and its Heritage Taskforce.  He currently is a Co-Chair of the Waterloo Human services Collaborative’s Service Integration and Systems Coordination Group tasked with progressing a part of the Waterloo Action Plan to provide better supports for public housing tenants. He is also a member of the NGO umbrella organisation Redfern Waterloo Groundswell, the Waterloo Redevelopment Group and sits as a community member on the Executive Steering Group of the SLHD / UNSW Health Equity Research and Development Unit (HERDU).