The Next Hot Pop-Up: Pissoirs

In a bid to encourage more families, tourists, and elderly Sydneysiders to venture into the city into the wee hours of the morning, the City of Sydney Council plans to install hydraulic, self-cleaning, pop-up pissoirs.

Part of the initiative Open Sydney, the toilets follow on from last year's successful trial of portable loos in popular night spots such as Kings Cross. Councillors hope that these more effective and aesthetically pleasing urinals will help revitalise the Sydney nightlife and promote a safer, more welcoming city after the sun goes down.

And how would pop-up pissoirs help achieve these aims? These rather sophisticated toilets, which have already been used in parts of Europe for a number of years now, disappear completely during the day only to be hydraulically lifted (in two minutes) by the simple press of a button on a remote. Rather than having to be installed each night and removed each morning as portables loos are, the pop-up sort can simply be run by neighbouring bar staff and street cleaners.

The self-cleaning function also means that the nifty machines clean themselves to magically become good as new at the beginning of each night. Each stainless steel contraption has four cubicles and is hoped to significantly reduce public urination, particularly in areas already identified in the council's research.

According to the Council's manager of late-night resources, portable urinals "diverted 5000 litres of wee in Sydney this Summer, otherwise that would be in people's front doorsteps and on our streets". The pop-up urinals are hoped to assist this even further by being more inviting and more numerous.

The council's long-term strategy hopes to ensure the success of the Sustainable Sydney 2030 commitment and is centred on developing Sydney's night-time economy. It will also involve encouraging businesses and retailers to have later trading hours, particularly during festivals such as Vivid Sydney or Chinese New Year; doubling the number of Nightride bus services travelling around the city; opening our first 24-hour library; increasing police presence; and providing local tour guides for tourists.

Essentially, the key goals are for Sydney to become more global, more connected, increasingly diverse and inviting, and to be locally responsive. Sydney is renowned for its fantastic culture and alluring nature by day. This vision wants to ensure the development of that belief by night as well.

Via Sydney Morning Herald and City of Sydney Council.