Greater Sydney's future plan envisions three interconnected cities: the Eastern Harbour City (around the current CBD), the Central River City (centred on Parramatta), and the Western Parkland City (developing around the new Western Sydney Airport and aerotropolis). This strategy aims to rebalance growth, create jobs, and ensure most residents are within a 30-minute commute to work, education, and health services.
Called the Greater Sydney Region Plan (GSRP), it includes the three cities – Eastern Harbour City, Central River City and Western Parkland City. It aims to have most residents live within 30 minutes of their jobs, education and health facilities and services.
Plan approved for Bradfield, Australia's 'first new city in 100 years' Plans for a central park have been approved for Bradfield City Centre, a new 10,000-home district and business hub planned in a rural area south of the under-construction Western Sydney International Airport.
The three cities – the Eastern Harbour City, the Central River City and the Western Parkland City – reflect the Aboriginal relationship with these lands, years beyond recorded time as 'saltwater country', 'muddy river country' and 'running water country' respectively.
'City of cities' was a 25-year plan for Sydney, published by the NSW government in 2005. The City of Cities — A Plan for Sydney's Future supports continuing economic growth while balancing social and environmental impacts. It is based on anticipated population, economic and demographic trends.
By 2050, Melbourne is projected to be Australia's biggest city, surpassing Sydney, with forecasts suggesting its population could reach around 8 to 9 million people, driven by significant migration and natural growth, while Sydney's growth is expected to be slower. This rapid expansion will place considerable strain on Melbourne's infrastructure, leading to increased congestion, housing demand, and cost of living pressures, prompting city planning initiatives like Plan Melbourne to manage the growth sustainably.
Point Piper consistently ranks as Sydney's most expensive suburb, known for multi-million dollar waterfront mansions and commanding median house prices well over $15 million, leading a pack of exclusive Eastern Suburbs and Lower North Shore locations like Bellevue Hill, Darling Point, and Vaucluse, driven by limited harbour views and old-money prestige.
The newer Six Cities concept was introduced by former Premier Dominic Perrottet to connect the cities of the Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle, Central Coast, Greater Sydney and Illawarra-Shoalhaven. Sydney is growing fast, but without a clear plan and long-term vision, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Common nicknames for Sydney include The Harbour City, The Emerald City, and informal shortenings like Syd, while more colloquial or historical terms range from Sydders, Sin City, to playful or affectionate "Shitney" (depending on context), plus the Aboriginal name Warrane.
Bradfield – Sydney's new 3rd city: green, connected and technologically advanced.
High-Density and Sustainable Living
The City of Sydney's “Sustainable Sydney 2030” vision calls for environmentally responsible buildings, more communal green spaces, a target of 7.5 percent of all dwellings being affordable rental accommodation and an additional 7.5 percent being social housing by 2030.
A city of extraordinary futures
With more than half the world's population just 14 hours away by air, Bradfield City will become a key destination for tourism and entertainment. Spanning 114 hectares, it is one of Australia's largest urban development projects and the first major city built in over a century.
The 5 largest cities in New South Wales (NSW) by population are Sydney, the major metropolitan center, followed by significant regional hubs like Newcastle-Maitland, the Central Coast, Wollongong-Illawarra, and often Albury-Wodonga, though the exact ranking of regional centers can shift slightly by year and data source, but Sydney remains dominant.
In the absence of any intervention, Australia will find itself heading towards a 'megacity' future. Under this scenario, Sydney and Melbourne are projected to become megacities with populations of approximately 10 million each.
Suburbs set for a boom in 2025, particularly in Australia, are driven by affordability, lifestyle appeal (beaches, cafes), infrastructure (new transport links), and demographic shifts, with hotspots identified in Perth's northern coastal areas (Alkimos, Yanchep), Regional Queensland (Toowoomba), Melbourne's outer areas (Werribee, Keilor East), and Brisbane's growth zones (Springwood, Gold Coast's Coomera), as people seek value and better living environments outside major city centers.
Sydney's property boom in 2026 is heavily focused on Western Sydney, driven by the new airport, infrastructure, and job growth, with suburbs like Blacktown, Penrith, Liverpool, Austral, and Leppington tipped for strong performance, alongside growth in established areas like Parramatta, inner-west pockets such as Dulwich Hill, and coastal areas like Freshwater, say reports from late 2025.
Here are the list of smart city projects in Australia:
Fairfield. Fairfield continues to rank as the poorest suburb in Sydney based on weekly income levels. As of 2025, households earn a median of $1,390 per week — well below the Sydney metro average of over $2,200.
Top 20 Richest Suburbs in Sydney To Live
The "best" Sydney suburbs depend on your needs (family, investment, lifestyle), but top contenders often include Lane Cove, Wahroonga, and St Ives for families and safety; North Sydney and Mosman for prestige and CBD access; Milsons Point, Glebe, and Newtown for vibrant inner-city living; and Dee Why and Freshwater for coastal vibes, with Parramatta rising as a key growth hub in the west, according to lists from Urban Renters Agent, Open Agent, and The Property Tribune https://urbanrenters.com.au/blog/best-suburbs-in-sydney/, https://www.openagent.com.au/blog/best-suburbs-to-live-in-sydney,.
There isn't one single "fastest-growing" city, as it depends on the metric (absolute numbers vs. percentage) and time frame, but Melbourne often leads in absolute population growth (largest number of new residents) for major cities, while Perth and regional areas like Mandurah (WA) and parts of Victoria (Surf Coast, Mitchell, Melton) show very high percentage growth, driven by migration, lifestyle, and affordability. For recent periods (2022-23), Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane added the most people, with Melbourne and Perth having the highest growth rates among capitals.
Although Tokyo's population is projected to decline, it is expected to remain the world's largest city in 2030 with 37 million inhabitants, followed closely by Delhi, whose population is projected to rise swiftly to 36 million by 2030.
However, life expectancy at birth will be almost 90 by then. Australia will be bigger, older, denser and even more multicultural in 20 years time! Some 'Aussie Dreams' will have disappeared such as the 'quarter acre block' and along with it the Hills Hoist garden shed and enough space for a game of backyard cricket.