Chapters 1 to 11 Combined - Century City

NORTHERN SECTOR PRECINCTThe Northern Sector Precinct is thelargest precinct and refers to that partof Century City between Ratanga Roadand the Grand Canal, together withsome land around the wetland thatforms a logical part of this precinct.The vision for Northern Sector Precinctis to achieve an integrated, mixed usedevelopment (work, play, shop andstay), which has a good image and“sense of place”. The amenity andvalue of individual projects must beenhanced and at the same time avibrant, rich environment created forvisitors and residents alike.Two fundamental principles underpinthe structure of the Northern SectorPrecinct. The one principle is torespond to and enhance theinteraction between development andthe water canal system. New canalswill be created and developmentaround existing canals will help tointegrate the northern sector.The second principle is to infuse newlife to the development by making theNorthern Sector a vibrant andattractive environment, with apedestrian friendly space and aprestigious address. This is partlyachieved by realigning the boulevardand changing its character, and byinjecting a wide range of residentialaccommodation into the precinct.In the northern sector the boulevardhas been altered to take on twodifferent forms. Part of the routecomprises the main distributionsystem within Century City connectingthe gateways and other componentsof the project. This distributor roadextends from the existing CenturyAvenue to link up with an entrance atRatanga Road. Another entrance fromRatanga Road connects with thesouthern arm of Century Boulevard. Asa result there are three entry pointsinto the precinct from Ratanga Road.Part of the former boulevard routewithin the northern sector has beendiverted and altered to improve thecharacter of the road through thisarea. This diverted section links upwith the two arms of CenturyBoulevard but takes on a more urban,pedestrian friendly and integratedcharacter. To facilitate this, the roadpenetrates the sector more effectively,gentle curves are introduced into thealignment and the cross section isreduced.Internal streets subdivide the NorthernSector Precinct into developmentblocks and have the important role ofproviding public linkages betweenurban spaces and the variousdevelopment parcels. Most internalstreets run perpendicular to CenturyBoulevard and connect the Boulevardwith the open space system. Internalstreets accommodate vehicular trafficbut should be pedestrian oriented andtreated to encourage slow speedmovement. The buildings adjoiningthem should form active edges andsupport street life at ground level.Private development within the NorthSector Precinct will exhibit differentresponses. Certain residential projects,such as Knighsbridge or the highincome housing overlooking thewetland, will maintain their exclusivityby a series of new canals that allowgood visual integration but limit publicaccess onto these sites. Otherresidential projects, such as the Oasisand the medium income housing,contain perimeter fences with a moreopen landscaped environment insidebut restricted access from the outside.The essential elements of the NorthernSector Precinct Plan are presented inthe following plans.PLANNING PARTNERS: CENTURY CITY URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK October 2005 34 REVISION 1