Architecture expert Kevin McCloud snubs Melbourne and Sydney in favour of Canberra
Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud has thrown a spanner in the old Sydney v Melbourne debate by declaring Canberra as the city with the most potential in Australia. Here’s why.
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Step aside Melbourne and Sydney — Kevin McCloud has thrown his support behind Canberra as the Australian city with the most potential.
The Grand Designs presenter explained the two usual suspects were too widely developed already, whereas the nation’s capital still had room to expand and build better buildings for the future.
“I’ve been in both Melbourne and Sydney recently and they’re both very, very dense places,” he said.
“You look at them and think, to make it work more sustainably and redensify some of the suburbs and bring more people into the centre, you’re probably going to have to unpick quite a lot in the first place.
“I’m going to say the one city which shows the potential … is probably Canberra.”
Mr McCloud said the “garden city”, full of roundabouts, wide streets and public servants, could develop a thriving inner-city with a mix building uses.
“It was laid out with space,” he said.
“It hasn’t been overdeveloped so it has potential.
“There’s a mix of houses, offices and workshops and the planning constraints have been relaxed to allow that mix.”
He also used his National Press Club address to encourage Australians to get off Twitter and Instagram and to experience buildings in real life.