Woden the Manhattan of the south?

This is showing up the Canberra 2030 “consultation” – supposedly all about the government pushing for a sustainable city – for the utter cr*p it is. High-rise apartments are NEVER eco-friendly. NO ecologically sustainable developments go over 9 stories. Ever. Ask any sustainability town planner. No government concerned with a sustainable, amenable Canberra is going to partner with a development of this kind.

I don’t see this happening. (At least not in the moderately-near future.)

Druggies have to go somewhere I guess…..

Having never been to Sydney’s Oxford street, I did a google images search and the following was the first result.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/01/17/oxford_street_wideweb__470x304,0.jpg

I do like the idea of densification around the city and town centres, but I sure as hell wouldn’t pay $400k for an off the plan apartment given the sort of quality you can expect in this town.

In fact I can’t imagine why anyone would willingly pay that sort of money, but at least people have the option.

Buzz2600 said :

Skyplaza already looks like decrepit public housing. Now they want to build a bigger one??

They don’t really care what it looks like, or how it will age; socially as well as physically. They care just enough to prepare a marketing spiel and, of course, they care that it sells. Once.

What the …?

Oxford Street is interesting because of the people not because of the architecture. If they were talking about building 2 & 3 story terrace houses with some creative touches, a public plaza with shops at ground level, then I might be able to appreciate it … but a 35 story monolith? What about something more central Parisian style (still high density but with height restrictions and beautiful architecture, public gardens and local shops) ??

Skyplaza already looks like decrepit public housing. Now they want to build a bigger one??

What’s the ceiling height? Developers don’t care, and low ceilings = low socio-economic residents

How many of the flats will be public housing? How good will the soundproofing be?

Gubmint is pulling down the old housing developments where the crackheads and dealers used to congretage. At least a handful of those 1500 residents can look forward to iceheads and the mentally ill making a lot of noise at all hours of the night and day, and some nice “home business” that attract dodgy male clients who stay for half an hour.

Why would anyone with enough money to make choices about their lifestyle bother living in a high-rise near an ugly wind-corridor shopping centre?

Looking like a slum already!

NOTE that the publicity has not mentioned top-quality design. That’s because this is developer and not sustainability-driven.

Last of all, look forward, buyers, to a carpark squeeze on several fronts: not enough of them, and too small. All in the name of sustainability – but simply convenient for the developer.

Greenfields is looking better and better!

Sounds like an ambit claim. Government knocks the main tower back to 25 stories and claims kudos for protecting the built environment, while developer still laughs all the way to the bank. And of course these will be generously proportioned apartments that offer a real alternative to single dwellings, not over-priced pigeon holes, won’t they? And the plumbing won’t leak, no sir- the Bermudan-based holding company that has shouldered full responsibility for building defects guarantees it …

Suggestions that it will be like Oxford St shows what happens when developers start drinking their own Kool-Aid. ‘Atmosphere’ like Oxford Street or any other vibrant social scene comes from diversity and complexity- things that developers work hard to avoid, because they increase costs. More likely is that , as Reprobate says, it will be come the Bronx of the South.

watto23 said :

If the apartments were more affordable than a house it would be a good thing. As it is apartments seem to be aimed at the young and stupid.

I don’t have an issue with the height myself, in fact the height is the best way to keep the green inner spaces that Canberra has, rather than infilling over them.

A one bedroom apartment in Woden is still more affordable than a house with land anywhere else in Canberra.

If the ‘young and stupid’ want to get a foot in the real estate door – should they wait for a boomer to offer them their house for half the market price?

I have this argument regularly with all the olds in my family – they hate apartments, don’t think they should be approved to be built and can’t imagine why people would want to live in them, at the same time saying that young people just have to take what is cheap and on offer, rather than being picky and holding out for their McMansions, and/or freeloading off their parents.

I don’t know where I’m even going with this … its just pushed my ‘lacking in oldie tolerance’ button.

If they were serious they’d have diesel cars, not environmentally unfriendly electric ones.

Cool, will there be a “Tool Box” shop and three wig shops like their are on Oxford Street?

I think it just might work.

As long as ‘Woden Green’ doesn’t end up like the ill fated Cabrini Green in Chicago…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabrini%E2%80%93Green

watto23 said :

I don’t have an issue with the height myself, in fact the height is the best way to keep the green inner spaces that Canberra has, rather than infilling over them.

Its ironic, but until the area in question got fenced off and bulldozed recently, it had great potential to serve as the green space needed to balance the sort of development they’re now proposing to build on top of it.

Any kids who end up in the proposed apartments will need to go to the cemetery if they want to kick a football around.

Looks kind of promising. Hopefully the architecture will be more in line with The ApARTments than the rather lego-looking Sky Plaza.

Seems a little incongruous to call a large apartment building “Woden Green”. Unless they’re planning on painting it green, which still wouldn’t make it uglier than Sky Plaza.

A load of fanciful BS. I seriously doubt it will happen.

More like the Bronx of the South.

fantastic! what canberra needs is more apartment blocks. having space & a yard is so overrated

Oxford Street in Woden? Where will the gay sauna be?

watto23 said :

As it is apartments seem to be aimed at the young and stupid.

As we all know, the intellectual and mature types much prefer to invest in their 400m2 slice of urban sprawl.

sorry … meant to say ‘view’

35 storeys … give you a great vie of Woden

If the apartments were more affordable than a house it would be a good thing. As it is apartments seem to be aimed at the young and stupid.

I don’t have an issue with the height myself, in fact the height is the best way to keep the green inner spaces that Canberra has, rather than infilling over them.

An Oxford Street is just what we need! All Andrew Barr’s Christmasses have come at once!

And hundreds more impossibly expensive apartments is also just what we need to address housing shortage/affordability.