The great outdoors.
If there are any cities in the world that embody this concept, Sydney is surely one of them. Even in the bleak mid-winter here, waiters will ask you if you want to sit inside, or out. The beaches will be filled with surfers and readers. The harbourside paths will be heaving with the light footfall of morning joggers.
To a large extent, this outdoor culture is a product of climate – this week, mid-winter means temperate highs of 17 degrees C, and evening lows of 9. (And famously, Sydney boasts fabulous summers.)
So from climate comes culture, and from culture comes place. City life in Sydney takes place outdoors, and it is all the more energising, active, and magnetic for it. But if this city’s culture is so intrinsically wrapped up in climate, there is every reason to be concerned about the future: a future in which climate is becoming ever more volatile.
