Location: Darlinghurst, NSW

Stanley Street is a five block east-west street in the heart of Darlinghurst’s mixed-use core. The street is traversed by busy north-south arterial roads and as such is segmented in character and use.  The block between Crown and Riley Streets is one of inner Sydney’s most loved cultural adornments, being home to a vibrant collection of Italian restaurants, bars and cafes.

This project seeks to build upon the precinct’s existing vitality and character through improved opportunities for outdoor eating and pedestrian amenity. The primary intention is to subtly transform the character of the block from that of a street to a more specific, piazza-like space.  Key strategies include modification of kerbs to improve the sense of pedestrian friendliness, ground plane treatment that accentuates spatial width rather than corridor length, variation in tree planting strategy to articulate from other blocks and to reveal the street architecture, and awning and lighting strategies. Enhanced opportunities for street closure or partial closure to encourage regular street festivals and al fresco dining during high demand times of the day are a further consideration of the proposal.