Sydney’s swagger is back, fueled by its 24-Hour Economy strategy moving from policy to pavement, with looser alfresco rules and new entertainment precincts enlivening laneways from the CBD to Moore Park, and late-night transport planning catching up to the crowds these changes are drawing. It’d be a shame to waste the planet’s eighth best air quality, after all. Big civic hardware is arriving just as fast. Sydney Metro’s City & Southwest line now runs through the new city stations, including Barangaroo and Martin Place, with the Bankstown conversion slated to deliver full metro frequencies across the corridor by 2026. The #8 ranking in our overall Livability index should improve as a result. Western Sydney International Airport is still on track to open in 2026 – with its own metro line following in 2027 – rewiring visitor flows and site-selector maps across the metropolis.
Sydney’s overall Prosperity index (ranked #8) will be helped by Atlassian’s timber- hybrid headquarters at Central Station opening in 2027, adding torque to a start-up district already knit to universities and rail. Meanwhile, Martin Place’s new multi-level dining anchor, The International, is pulling long Friday lunches and corporate cards into the city’s sandstone heart.