The problem with Sydney’s ‘institutional’ public toilets

UNSW industrial design lecturer Dr Christian Tietz admits that with their prison-cell aesthetics, public toilets are generally not something the average Sydneysider looks forward to using. His question, however, is: why?

While other public infrastructure – such as Sydney’s art-laden new metro stations – is increasingly built with a “design” mindset, public toilets “look old and institutional”, Tietz said.

“There’s bright white light, everything in there is bolted on and looks like an afterthought. Nothing about it is soft or provides a sense of relief or intimacy,” he said.

“There could be domestic elements in there. Different finishes, different colours, textures, there could be better lighting … ventilation … how does it make one feel?”

As Sydneysiders join run clubs, visit local markets and eat dinner from pop-up food trucks, the humble public toilet is a critical piece of infrastructure being too easily overlooked, Tietz said.

He suggested practical elements like more bag hooks and larger cubicles. “This is not rocket science, but it’s a provision of those seemingly unimportant things … to increase the amenity of this space for users,” he said.

Tietz also said public toilets should be designed to consider their uses beyond relieving oneself, including changing clothes, washing, and even providing a space to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Rethinking public toilets is one of the big ideas for Sydney’s infrastructure submitted to the Committee for Sydney’s annual Sydney Summit, supported by the Herald. From additional light rail lines to turning street lights into mini energy hubs, here are three others.

Expanding the light rail network

For the chair of Sydney’s light rail operator, the lesson from the metro project is clear.

“Turn up and go [transport] is what Sydney’s fallen in love with,” ALTRAC chair Penny Graham said. “And after the shiny new metro, the only other service that provides that is light rail.”

She would prioritise an extension of the L3 line all the way to La Perouse, an extension of the L1 line through Alexandria to the airport, and a Parramatta Road light rail corridor.

Graham said expanding Sydney’s existing light rail into a true network would encourage high-density housing in accessible areas, regenerate precincts experiencing serious decay, and extend transport equity, noting, as a form of public transport, light rail could “transform urban spaces while still moving masses of people”.

The idea of a light rail line to revitalise Parramatta Road is, of course, not new. ALTRAC presented plans for the line to the state government in 2024. One year earlier, it was presented as a solution for the neglected strip by a coalition of business and housing groups.

Burwood Mayor John Faker has been passionate about extending light rail onto Parramatta Road.

“We need a whole rethink,” he said, to “transform what is pretty much now the ugliest strip in Sydney into a boulevard.”

Faker’s vision includes the potential for “anywhere between 50,000 to 100,000 new dwellings”, shopping precincts and entertainment areas serviced “by a spine that will have light rail, cycleways” and two lanes for cars in each direction, warning that without a plan, the project would be rendered impossible by ad hoc development.

“You’ll lose the opportunity to create a boulevard which could rival [those] across the world.”

Connecting Sydney’s waterfront

Sydney’s harbour is famous around the world, but public access to the waterfront outside the inner city is patchy at best.

“You’ll be walking on a beautiful waterfront parkway and then bump into someone’s backyard,” said Atelier Ten Australia managing director Paul Stoller.

Stoller said Sydney could learn from San Francisco’s ongoing four-decade quest for continuous waterfront access.

“They have … a mandate that whenever waterfront private property is sold, or there’s a development application on them, [public space] has to be provided full stop.”

He believes there should be a long-term plan to make all waterfront land in Sydney accessible to the public.

“It’s just a better experience when it’s continuous,” Stoller said. It would also double as an accessible and safe route for commuters, and would allow families to access waterfront recreation without encountering dangerous roads.

Under his proposal, an existing state government agency would work to secure land from private owners.

Requisitioning land would reduce the value of waterfront properties by virtue of a smaller footprint. Government funding would be necessary to compensate for these losses, he admitted.

In the long term, however, Stoller believes properties fronting a growing waterfront pedestrian corridor could see an increase in property value.

Streetlights as green microenergy hubs

As Sydney grows and towers replace houses, space available for solar panels relative to energy needs will dwindle. Also, large wind turbines are unsuitable in urban areas. How can we ensure Sydney has a clean, green energy supply?

Bayside Council environment and resilience manager Dr Hong Nguyen says turning our city’s streetlights into renewable energy micro-hubs is the answer.

Nguyen’s idea involves attaching 50 centimetre-tall micro-wind turbines and tiny solar panels to 260,000 streetlights across Sydney.

Not only would this power the streetlights, Nguyen said, but connecting these microgenerators to the grid would produce an immense amount of green energy to power Sydney.

Bayside Council has already performed trials of the technology on off-grid CCTV cameras, supported by micro-wind turbines and solar panels. “It’s just a matter of … making a smaller scale of that technology,” he said.

“If we can get … funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency,” Nguyen said, “it can expedite the program.” AusGrid would also need to be on board, he said, as would local councils.

Nguyen said pilot programs could be rolled out in select suburbs. If successful, the microgenerators can be implemented across Sydney.

The Sydney Summit is on Friday, February 6, at the ICC.

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