Year 10 Monday 28/3: 9.2 Population Growth in Sydney

Sydney's population has been continuously growing. Sydney began in 1788 as a small convict settlement of around 950 people including convicts and their marine guards. Since then it has grown to a city with a population of 3.9 million people (according to the 2004 census). With the birth rate higher than the death rate, Australia's population will keep on rising. It is predicted that over the next 30 years the population will rise by 40 600 people and to house them the government will need to build an extra 640 000 houses. An additional 500 000 jobs will be necessary for these people and 7500 hectares will be used as new industrial land. This will all take up about 6.8 million square metres and another 3.7 million square metres will be used as additional retail space. This is very serious because the rising population will put serious strain on the housing industry, to house these people will cause a huge amount of construction outwards. This will cause some extreme urban sprawl as urban consolidation won't be able to deal with the rising population. Sydney will be affected in that it can't expand eastward because of the ocean. Sydney can only expand westward and this will cause massive urban sprawl and Sydney's resources will be stretched to the limit.