Here's What Sydney's CBD Could Look Like in 2020

Nicola Balch, a landscape architect at McGregor Coxall and Alberto Quizon, an Architect at CHROFI, call their idea 'The George St Living Room'. Designed to engage people of all age groups, the centrepiece of their plan is a ‘services carpet’ of infrastructure that allows a variety of elements to plug in including fixed exercise equipment and digitally interactive benchtops with built-in phone chargers, as well as flexible open spaces for markets, events and festivals.

Krystal Pua, an architectural grad at Tropman and Tropman, led a team whose design is titled Moving Space and Staying Place. Their idea would split the street into 'moving spaces', meant to ease human congestion, and 'staying spaces', where people can take in street performances and public artwork and dine in streetside eateries.

Finally there's Christian Vitulli, a landscape architect at Site Image, whose team envisions a colourful, multicultural streetscape which they've named Urban Street Craft. Their plans would focus on the southern end of the pedestrian zone between Park Street and Bathurst, and incorporate outdoor dining, indigenous art and illuminated digital projections.

The three shortlisted finalists will spend the next month being mentored by property and design specialists in order to help fine-tune their proposals, before a final winner is announced in early November. That person will then present their ideas at the ULI 2016 Asia Pacific Summit.

When completed, the George Street light rail will connect Circular Quay with Central Station, while the 1km pedestrian zone will stretch from Hunters Street and Bathurst.

Which George Street would you like to see? Leave your two cents below. 

Image: The Living Room.