North Sydney has a spring in its step again.

Around the streets of the suburb that was Sydney’s second-biggest business district until Parramatta boomed a few years ago, hoardings shield construction sites where sleek new commercial buildings and apartment towers are taking shape.

Workers are returning to offices after this year’s extended lockdowns. Hip cafes, bars and restaurants are swinging open their doors. Lush new public spaces are on the way, including a vast plaza outside the future Victoria Cross metro station. When services commence in 2024, the commute to Barangaroo will take just three minutes.

There’s even talk of transforming an old tramway viaduct into a new park and fostering a Melbourne-style laneway culture with cafes, bars and restaurants tucked away between buildings.

This fresh new look, with pedestrian-friendly thoroughfares and sprawling public spaces, is a far cry from the neighbourhood’s reputation as a soulless commercial district with a whole lot of through traffic.

On government predictions, by 2036 there will be 80,000 workers in North Sydney – up by 20,000 in just 15 years.

A key part of the renaissance is the arrival of upmarket residential projects that will inject life into the neighbourhood outside business hours.

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