ABSTRACT
This chapter traces a short profile of Parramatta within the regional and metropolitan strategies of the Greater Sydney area. It highlights how Parramatta evolved from being a suburban centre in Western Sydney – an area traditionally associated with economic marginality, low employment opportunities and lack of public services such as transport and education facilities – to becoming one of the fastest-growing metropolitan centres in the country. The chapter analyses the Smart City Masterplan and other technology-driven initiatives that Parramatta undertook between 2010 and 2016. It explores the development and roll-out of this Masterplan in more detail. By connecting the long-standing strategies for redistributing access to economic and cultural resources throughout the metropolitan area to the Smart City Masterplan, its critical role in rebranding Parramatta as a node of expansion contrasts with the apparent failures in delivering its promises. Parramatta's efforts have merely resulted in the design of a high-tech showcase in a large redevelopment precinct.
