Much has been written and spoken about the sporting legacy of the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Much too has been said about the people who made it happen: the athletes themselves, the organisers and the volunteers. And then there are the sporting and public venues, created with environmental sustainability in mind. They have stood the test of time and for the most part, are well-used today.
But there is something missing. We rarely if ever, hear about one of the Sydney Games’ environmental achievements: the transformation of degraded areas of the Homebush site from a liability to an asset called the Millennium Parklands. The parklands are a 450 green space in the heart of western Sydney and feature five distinct ecosystems: Cumberland Plains Woodlands, grasslands, salt and freshwater wetlands and waterways. So how did this come about? Who imagined it? Who designed it? Who made it real? In this Case Study, we showcase the environmental legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, from early days in the late 1980s through to games time in September 2000.