Chinese gallery finally opens

That modern Chinese art gallery on Balfour St behind the CUB site is finally opening, according to articles today in the SMH and The Australian.

What’s mine is yours, say wealthy collectors - SMH via kwout

Reinventing Our City Streets

Chippendale resident and sustainability expert Michael Mobbs spoke at a recent event on ways to make our roads and streets more sustainable. His presentation was on the "Chippendale Road Gardens Project", which can be downloaded here.

Edited to add: An article about the presentation is in today's SMH.

Chippendale Road Gardening

On Sunday, I headed out to help with the neighbourhood road garden working bee (mentioned previously). There were six already helping when I got there. We planted some more trees, established a fourth community compost bin, and spread out lucerne mulch around the plantings on Myrtle Street. Michael has planned a second day of activities next Sunday, July 19th. There are more pictures over at my blog. It was great to get to meet some of my very cool neighbours!

Interesting local venue

Gigs. Readings. Screenings. Serial Space, behind the CUB site, looks like it's worth a gander.


Update: the Serial Space website seems to be down.

How to build a community

Hat tip to Katie Chatfield.

Search for local real estate

Google has unveiled a new tool that should make it easier to search for real estate in the area.

Note: to make it work, I had to search for "2008, NSW" rather than "Chippendale, NSW".


View Larger Map

Quote of the week

This image made me smile:

"Every second person has a dog... If you're walking through Chippendale you can't walk without standing in shit."

— Spokeswoman for the Chippendale residents' group

(For the record, owners who let their dogs crap everywhere do annoy the hell out of me.)

Sydney 2030: do I dare believe?

In the past, I've written about my admiration for the City of Sydney's Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision, as well as my fear that it can't be realised and I'm being sold to.

Well, according to the SMH and The Daily Telegraph, it seems the next step — creating three pedestrian havens on George St — is in the city's sights. If that's true and they deliver, it will be a happy day indeed.

The fact that the NSW government is promising to help with Town Hall Square as part of the Sydney Metro project (that's the short, funded one) has got to help.



Artist's impression of Town Hall Square.

Green light for Pemulwuy

Thankfully, and at long last, the NSW government has approved the Aboriginal Housing Company's plans to redevelop The Block. The project is named in honour of the famed Aboriginal warrior, Pemulwuy.

REDWatch has published the initial government announcements and media reports:

• ABC calls it a "brand new day"


• NineMSN asks where the money will come from


• The NSW government announces the approval


• The City of Sydney applauds the approval


• REDWatch provides its own analysis

If the AHC can realise its vision, it will create an extraordinary new space where Aboriginal Australians live, and Australians of every background come together to work, learn and play. Of course a thousand barriers — from racial prejudice to social dislocation to random bureacracy — still stand in the project's way, but today's planning approval is an important step in the right direction.