I came across this over the weekend. A new space delivered as part of a masterplanned precinct in Sydney. A DDA-compliant ramp. Some steps. All leading to… a fire hydrant. It probably looked fine on a plan. And I imagine the council ticked it off as public benefit.
But what is it actually for?
Not every public space needs to be a big statement like public art, a destination playground, a water feature. Most don’t. But it should still have a job to do. Something small, even. Otherwise it’s just a missed opportunity.
This is a small example. But we see versions of this everywhere, and sometimes at much bigger scales. When we're so focused on controls, compliance and approvals, it’s easy to forget to ask a few basic questions: Who is this for? What does it offer the community? And how might it actually support the place, and the developer, over time?
If we don’t ask those questions, we end up creating spaces that technically work, but don’t really do anything at all.
