Public Sydney: Drawing the City Book Launch

Public Sydney: Drawing the City – Book Launch & Panel Discussion

Join us for the launch of Public Sydney: Drawing the City, the second edition with new drawings, essays and photographs, fully updated and improved.

We're pleased to welcome authors Philip Thalis and Peter John Cantrill, whose work traces the history, design and importance of Sydney's public realm – from parks and streets to civic spaces that bring the city to life.

The evening will be introduced by The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Sydney, AO, followed by a panel discussion chaired by Olivia Hyde, Director of Design, Homes New South Wales. She'll be joined by:

• Philip Thalis, co-author of Public Sydney: Drawing the City

• Peter John Cantrill, co-author of Public Sydney: Drawing the City

• Abbie Galvin OAM, Government Architect New South Wales and Acting Chief Executive, Powerhouse Museum

• Dr Daniele Hromek, Director and Design Lead, Djinjama

• Jess Scully, Executive Director, RadicalxChange, author and former City of Sydney councillor

Event details:
📍 State Library of NSW
📅 Thursday 29 October
🕠 5:30pm arrival for a 6pm start

Arrival: Please enter the Library Auditorium via the Macquarie Street Building located at the corner of Macquarie Street and Hunter Street, Sydney 2000. 

Copies of Public Sydney: Drawing the City will be available for purchase on the night.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Book description:

What makes a city beautiful, functional, memorable?

Public Sydney reveals the city through its most powerful public spaces. Presenting more than 100 key sites in plan, section and elevation, it uncovers the layered history, harbour-shaped geography and design intelligence that give Sydney its distinct urban character.

Meticulous drawings are paired with historical and contemporary images in incisive essays to trace how Sydney's public realm has been shaped over time - and why its shared spaces remain central to Sydney's identity, vitality and everyday life.

Representing over two decades of effort, research and recording, this new and thoroughly revised edition contains new maps, images and essays to offer fresh insights. Public Sydney shines a light on the past, present and future of the city. For designers, planners, policymakers, historians and anyone fascinated by the life of cities, it is an indispensable resource and a landmark study of urban public space.