Keep It Simple - Stupid !

Sydney's housing shortage is not new.   Way back in the 1950's the world saw the answer to the problem in the "Vertical village " concept, and the Housing Commission built six massive towers on the edge of the suburb of Redfern.   They were named Cook, Matavai. Solander, Marton and Banks - and they were designated "public housing " !

Hopes were high that this was the answer to big city living.   The apartments were modern and the views encompassed both the cityscape and in the distance Botany Bay. A railway station was nearby and they seemed just ideal for those who wished a short commute to their jobs in the city CBD.

Unfortunately there is a certain inevitability of disharmony when you pack people tightly together in congested living space.  A few addicted to drugs began to prey on their neighbours.  The over use of alcohol saw doors kicked in and people assaulted.  Vandalism to the lifts caused misery when residents were forced to use the stairs to access their apartments in these twenty-nine storey buildings.  Marital discord saw women bashed and these tower blocks were no place for little kids allowed to roam without supervision.   They quickly became a "no go "" area for the police - and demands for a solution were raised in parliament.

Ideas ranged from complete demolition to plans to refurnish and create a mix of public and private housing in the hope that such a mix would improve living standards and introduce a degree of accountability.  One of the main problems was the intrusion of privacy laws and the court appeals processes which made removal of drug dealers and alcoholics almost impossible.  An atmosphere of fear stalked these housing blocks and yet the procedures in place required affronted residents to front a tribunal and state their problems with neighbours - and then face the consequences when those very same people wreaked their revenge.   A code of silence prevailed.

Many years ago someone suggested that the solution to most problems was to apply the KISS formulae - which was  " Keep it simple - Stupid  !  "   What was being suggested for these tower blocks was convoluted and impractical.  Many suggested solutions were unacceptable to residents and others could never be implemented because they would infringe on many laws intended to guard the rights and privacy of ordinary people.

It seems that someone did finally get it right - and it also seems that this KISS formulae was at least a partial answer.    Each of these six tower blocks now have "Concierges " at their entrances, although the Housing Commission prefers the term " Security  ".   Public behaviour has improved - almost out of sight of what prevailed before this system was implemented.

It is not exactly pretty  !  These concieges are big, formidable men and they demand to know who is entering the building, what is their business and who they want to visit - and they are not the sort you would choose to pick an argument with.   There is also a visitors book - and they may insist on seeing ID and having a visitor " sign in " to maintain a public record.

It is almost a repeat of the "Bouncer ""system employed at Sydney's notorious Kings Cross to police entry into nightclubs - and which in tandem with lock-out laws has cleaned up the Cross.   Low life's now think twice before they approach the Redfern tower blocks and residents have added safety by knowing that undesireables are no longer free to roam the building.

It is not the complete answer - but at least it is a chink of light at the end of a very long tunnel  !