Integrating public art into the urban fabric can have cultural and economic benefits for new developments and for the city as a whole.
Engaging developers, architects and landscape architects in commissioning public art will help to make Sydney an even more interesting, distinctive and culturally diverse city. The City’s interim guidelines City of Sydney Guidelines for Public Art in Private Developments have been developed to assist developers and building owners in providing high quality artworks that help to make buildings interesting and memorable and which also benefit new businesses and residents.
The purpose of the guidelines is to ensure that high-quality public art is included in accessible public spaces in large scale developments; to assist owners and developers in the commissioning, procurement and display of public art; and to ensure works of public art are constructed, installed, maintained and managed in accordance with Development Consent.
The City is currently reviewing these guidelines and the processes around commissioning public art in private developments. The emphasis in the last few years has been in developing a method whereby public art is considered early in the development process, and site-specific responses are encouraged. The review currently underway will include research into best practice and will aim to refine and improve the current process for submission, assessment and communication in order to achieve even better results.