Sunday Walking Tour: Public Art In The City

Sunday Walking Tour: Public Art In The City

Date: Sunday, 13th October 2024

Time: 10:45am—1:00pm

 - Please arrive by 10:45am for an 11:00am departure -

Meeting Point: QVB Statue of Queen Victoria

Public art can be found across the city, in parks, city squares or laneways and as part of a new metro station or a private development. Public art can make places more meaningful, helping to weave history and stories into the landscape of the city. Explore the history and stories of a range of public art projects starting at Town Hall and ending up at Circular Quay via the new Martin Place Metro. Discover both new and well established art on this walking tour led by Urban Design expert, Diana Griffiths and artist Ashley Frost.

Please note, this walking tour will involve some uneven surfaces and stairs. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring water and sun protection. The tour will proceed under most weather conditions.

Tour Lead:

Diana Griffiths, Director, Urban Design, Studio GL 

Ashley Frost, Artist

Festival of Public Urbanism 2024

Great cities are defined by the quality of their public realm. From parks to civic architecture, well designed public infrastructure supports and enables the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of urban life. But are these public assets, along with public processes of urban governance and planning, under attack? Over the past fifty years key legacies of the modern urban project – such as publicly funded housing and urban infrastructure; or comprehensive planning for new development – have been eroded by waves of political and economic reform. Faith in market based ‘solutions’ has reduced public planning processes to ‘red tape’ and replaced public investment in rental housing with subsidies for private investors and households. At the same time, digital transformation under ‘platformisation’ has seen private corporations able to evade domestic regulations, disrupting every facet of urban life and governance. 

The Festival of Public Urbanism will debate these topics and more. Join us to engage with academics, activists, politicians, industry leaders through our program of panel discussions, walking tours, and podcasts across Sydney and Australia.