Mr Roberts who,with chief commissioner Lucy Turnbull,will be influential in drawing up the next metropolitan plan for the city,says the concept of the"line"demonstrates where the energies of city planners and developers must be focused.
In essence,more jobs are being created to the north of Mr Roberts'line. But more housing is being created to the south. The result is congestion,unemployment and frustration.
"The structural problem Sydney has … the fundamental,wicked problem … is the issue that our jobs are in the east,and our housing development is in the west,"Mr Roberts told a breakfast this week hosted by the property developers'group Urban Taskforce.
"Twenty years ago,most of our housing development was much closer to the eastern agglomeration. We are now talking about 60 to 70 per cent of housing supply coming on stream west of the M7… over the 40-year period,"he said.