Summer Hill

Shopping Village

Lily Wang (3221491) BENV 2984 10/05/2008

 Context
Summer Hill shopping village is located approximately 8 km west of
Sydney CBD. The area is bounded by Carlton Crescent to the north
and Smith Street to the south. There are only two pathways run-
ning through this precinct – Hardie Avenue and Lackey Street. Lackey
Street is the precinct’s main road. The precinct slightly slopes downhill.

What attracts people to Summer Hill is not its role as the retail or com-
mercial centre for the residents (because most residents do their shopping
in the nearby larger centre of Ashfield), but its village atmosphere. Sum-
mer Hill is one of the older areas in Sydney. It is one of the few suburbs
which retained its history and character in the built environment. There
are several heritage listed buildings in the precinct, with hundreds more
throughout the rest of the suburb. Summer Hill shopping village has a
close-knit community enhanced by the locally owned and ran shops. Every-
one, it seems, knows one another. This gives a feeling of human warmth.

Despite its size, Summer Hill shopping village can be quite and
busy at the same time. It is busy because of Franklins, and the
precinct’s bustling cafes and restaurants. However, these uses
tend to be internalised, especially on winter and rainy days.
Accessibility, TOD & Connections
Summer Hill Shopping Village is well integrated into the city’s structure because
of its close location to the CBD. Close by are major routes of Liverpool Road
and Parramatta Road. As well, the precinct is situated next to a train station.

The precinct is accessible via multiple modes – trains, buses and cars. Summer
Hill train station is located the northern end of the precinct. Buses run on Lack-
ey Street and on Liverpool Road nearby. These two forms of public transport
connect the precinct to the Sydney CBD and other parts of inner west includ-
ing Canterbury, Ashfield and Marrickville. By car, the precinct is primarily
linked through Carlton Street and Smith Street which runs along its boundaries.

Within the precinct, there are signs which starts to suggest the move towards
Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Summer Hill train station, which was
once derelict has now been upgraded with lifts, disabled access and colour of
the station (green and red) to reflect the historic character of the suburb. These
urban design features, though small, have increased patronage on the trains, es-
pecially during peak hours. Now, there are express trains which stop at Summer
Hill station. The shift away from car usage is also evident from the level of de-
tail placed upon the pedestrian crossings. These zebra crossings are intricately
paved in tiles which suggest the importance of these crossings to the residents.

The permeability within the precinct is low. There are essentially only two
choices of routes. However, this is purely due to the small nature of the precinct.
Despite the low permeability, there are many pedestrian connection points.
The precinct has only one set of traffic lights, located in the northern end at
the intersection of Lackey and Carlton Street. These lights change frequently,
allowing the easy flow of traffic on Carlton Street, which can be busy during
peak hours and on days when buses replace trains due to track down. Addi-
tionally, there is one zebra crossing on Lackey Street and two on Smith Street.
 The Town Square
The town square is the focal point of the precinct. It is a distinguishable landmark
where people can meet up with each other. The conscious placing of the commu-
nity notice board in the square emphasises the square’s importance as a landmark
for the precinct. There is obvious community pride and care for the town square
because it is well kept. There are no graffiti or signs of vandalism. This well-kept
nature of the precinct focal point suggests that the overall precinct is a safe place.

Due to town square being the centre of focus, it has the microclimate of feeling
like the warmest part of the precinct. One factor contributing to this warmth
is the use of different pavement to the rest of the precinct. The tiles are smaller
and are of an earthy red colour. Another factor contributing to its comfort-
ableness is its openness. Only one side of the square has a tall wall. How-
ever this wall has a mural of a landscape which actually enlarges the space.

The town square consists of a fountain, outdoor benches and tables, and a mural
depicting country lifestyle. The fountain is situated in the middle of the square.
Due to its size, it is a prominent feature which defines the square as a landmark.
There are two different types of outdoor furniture in the square. There are single
benches along the edges for people to sit and enjoy the scenery, and benches with
chairs to encourage families and group activities to be taken outdoors. Placing
these furniture in the square invites people to enjoy their surrounding environ-
ment and enjoy meeting each other. The lighting in the square is ornamental.
The mural depicts Summer Hill almost like a rural European village town
with rolling hills and classic buildings. This emphasises the village at-
mosphere of the Precinct. The mural is also painted primarily in warm
colours of brown, red and yellow. Hence, reinforcing the warmth of the pre-
cinct. The mural also generates interests and stimulation for the precinct.
The only flaw with the town square is that car park is situated immediate-
ly behind it. This disrupts this visual experience because of it is dull and
uninteresting. The car park is a harsh environment and forms a sharp jux-
taposition to the softer feel of the town square. However, there have been
obvious urban design interventions to overcome this. There is a red pedes-
trian pathway linking the square with the car park. The choice of red is to
complement the red pavements. Furthermore, this pedestrian pathway
is the same width as the wall gates, hence creating a sense of connectivity.

Apart from the physical features of the square, there are also two tall decidu-
ous trees. These trees, not only add to the aesthetic quality of the square but
also provide shade in summer and sunlight during winter when its leaves have
fallen.

There are also small plants surrounding the fountain. Although this is in
character with the square, I feel that it is not very well kept. The plants
seem to be overgrown and are covering the beauty of the fountain.
Along one side of the square is a short wall that is covered in grape vines. The
vines create a nostalgic reminder of traditional Mediterranean wine growing
regions. Though not high, they also give a sense of mystery like the walls of
a secret garden.

Overall, the vegetation within the precinct enhances the village and communal
feel about Summer Hill.
 Lackey Street
Lackey Street is the precinct’s main road. No major roads enter the pre-
cinct which allows the shopping village to remain peaceful. The low volume
of traffic on Lackey Street also means that there is greater connectivity be-
tween the stores on either side. This connectivity can be seen in the street
signage warning motorist of high pedestrian activity. The high connectivity
of the street enhances the village and community atmosphere of the precinct.

The main activities on this street are shopping, people dining in the cafes and
restaurants. The precinct is busy throughout the week, although there is no
night life. At night, the street is unsafe to be at because there is no one around.

The street is a comfortable and inviting environment because there is

an even ratio between the width of the streets and the height of the build-
ings along the main road. As well, the buildings on either side are similar
in height. This creates a sense of balance in the urban environment. This
makes the precinct’s sense of enclosure feels comfortable movement channel.

The intricate details on the street contribute to the overall character of the pre-
cinct. The sidewalks of the street are paved with rectangular black tiles. These
tiles give the precinct a simple but understated elegance and sophistication.

Lackey Street is lined with deciduous trees on both sides. Like those in the
town square, these trees offer sunlight during winter and shade during sum-
mer. The trees enhance the sense of closure for the streetscape and soften
the hard edges of the buildings making it more inviting. As well as trees,
there are natural vegetation bushes planted in the street side traffic islands.
This slows down the traffic and adds to the aesthetic quality of the streetscape.
There is varying rhythm on the side walk. There are people walking fast as
they cross the precinct in order to get to the train station. There are also peo-
ple who walk slower. They usually walk closer to the shops. This is because
the shop frontages, though small, offer lots of interesting and intricate de-
tails. This slower rhythm is also replicated on the road due to signage ad-
vising a slowing down in speed warning and the trees which line the street.

The buildings define the character of the street. Most buildings are 2 storeys high,
creating a uniform skyline. The height of the buildings also minimises the hu-
man scale of the buildings, thus creating a more inviting environment. The
buildings are also set back quite far from the street, allowing the creation of a
3 metre wide footpath. The buildings have active frontages which are inviting.
There is a close connection between the shop and the street because of frontage.

Most of the buildings belong to the Victorian and Federation era. The highly decorative
façade have been well kept. Moreover, these buildings use a lot of brick and pastel earthy
colours. These choices make the buildings and the whole street feel more connected with
nature, hence reinforcing the nostalgic feeling of the past and the village atmosphere.

The awnings of the buildings create a sense of warmth and se-

curity because they scale the building down to the human lev-
el. The awnings make the environment feel more enclosed and safer.

There is only one infill development – the Commonwealth Bank building. This
newer building, however, complements the surrounding structures. It has main-
tained the same height, so as to not break the uniform skyline. It also mock Fed-
eration façade with glass eves also complements the surrounding buildings.

A detracting feature in this precinct is the advertising signage. They detract from the
overall appearance of the street. They do not add to the village feel of the precinct. This
is due to their font, use of colour schemes not matching the façade and their brightness.
Franklins & the Car Park
Although the whole of Summer Hill Shopping Village is considered the re-
tail and commercial centre of the suburb, the focus of economic activ-
ity is the Franklins building. This is especially evident on Sunday after-
noons where most of the shops on Lackey Street are closed but Franklins is
still bustling with activity. In this sense, it can be said that Franklins have
sucked the life out of the local businesses. The design qualities that make
this building attractive are that it is brightly lit and has a large frontage.

The Franklins building is one of the two newer buildings in this precinct. The build-
ing is low in height, which fits with the precinct’s character of low density. The
design of the building however, does not complement with the rest of the precinct
because the colours are too bold and the materials used are metal and concrete. The
more modern look of this building detracts the precinct from its village atmosphere.

In spite of this, the Franklins building is ‘hidden’ behind the buildings

and the town square on Lackey Street. It is located at the edge of the pre-
cinct. Hence, its visual and aesthetic are not immediately noticeable.

In contrast to the town square, the adjacent car park offers a starkly differ-
ent environment. It feels cold and uninviting. There are some urban con-
scious design features to remediate this. As mentioned earlier, the pedes-
trian path way through the car park is painted red. This adds colour which
brings about a little more stimulation to this area. As well, half way along
this pedestrian walk, in the middle of the car park is a small but nicely land-
scaped area consisting of a bench, some bushes and a tree, and a public toi-
let. Though small, it adds a nice touch of nature to the hostile environ-
ment. The nature bay is also an extension and link to the rest of the precinct.