Wild cities and concrete corridors: How AI is reimagining the landscape

Drifts of ground cover plants and wildflowers along the steps of the Sydney Opera House, traffic obscured by meadow-like planting and kangaroos pausing on city streets.

This is the way our cities could be, as imagined by landscape architect Jon Hazelwood, principal at multi-disciplinary architectural firm Hassell. He has been exploring the possibilities of rewilding urban spaces using AI for his Instagram account, Naturopolis_ai with visually arresting outcomes.

“It took me a few weeks to get interesting results,” he said. “I really like the ephemeral nature of the images — you will never see it again and none of those plants are real.

“The AI engine makes an approximation of a grevillea.”

Hazelwood chose some of the most iconic locations in Australia, including the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, as well as international cities such as Paris and London, to demonstrate the impact of untamed green spaces on streetscapes, plazas and public space.

He said he hopes to provoke a conversation about the artificial separation between our cities and the broader environment, exploring ways to break down the barriers and promote biodiversity.

“A lot of the planning (for public spaces) is very limited,” Hazelwood said. “There are 110,000 species of plants in Australia and we probably use about 12 in our (public) planting schemes.

“Often it’s for practical reasons because they’re tough and drought tolerant — but it’s not the whole story.”

Hazelwood pointed to the work of UK landscape architect Prof Nigel Dunnett, who has championed wild garden design in urban spaces. He has drawn interest in recent years for his work transforming the brutalist apartment block at the Barbican in London into a meadow-like environment with diverse plantings of grasses and perennials.

Hazelwood said it is this kind of ‘complex nature’ that is required for cities to thrive into the future, but it can be hard to convince planners and developers of the benefits.

“We have been doing a lot of work on how we get complex nature because complexity of species drives biodiversity,” he said.

“But when we try to propose the space the questions are: how are we going to maintain it? Where is the lawn?

“A lot of our work is demonstrating you can get those things and still provide a complex environment.”

At the moment, Hassell together with the University of Melbourne is trialling options at the Hills Showground Metro Station in Sydney, where the remaining ground level planting has been replaced with more than 100 different species of plants and flowers to encourage diversity without the need for regular maintenance. But more needs to be done, Hazelwood said.

“It needs bottom-up change,” he said. ““There is work being done at government level around nature positive cities, but equally there needs to be changes in the range of plants that nurseries grow, and in the way our city landscapes are maintained and managed.”

And there’s no AI option for that.

A landmark beachfront home in Balgowlah Heights has sold for $17.5 million, setting a new residential record for the tightly held Northern Beaches suburb.

The six-bedroom residence at 30A Beatty Street changed hands on July 21 through Clarke & Humel Property, eclipsing its own previous benchmark by $5.7 million.

The property last sold for $11.8 million in October 2017, a result reported as a Balgowlah Heights record at the time. Its latest sale represents an increase of more than 48% in almost nine years and places it well ahead of other known sales in the suburb.

It is not the first time the address has reshaped local expectations. The home sold for $3.15 million in 2013 before extensive alterations and additions transformed it into the substantial trophy residence seen today. From that transaction to its latest sale, its recorded value has increased more than fivefold.

Occupying 1,074sqm in an exclusive no-through pocket, the property backs directly onto the golden sand of Forty Baskets Beach. A gate at the bottom of the garden opens to the beach and surrounding foreshore walks, creating the kind of direct harbour access rarely available on the Northern Beaches.

The home’s elevated, cascading design takes full advantage of its position. Walls of glass frame panoramic views across North Harbour, while a succession of indoor and outdoor living spaces follows the slope towards the water.

Arrival is suitably dramatic. The four-car garage—complete with harbour views—is connected to the residence by a lift. From there, a covered walkway leads through tropical gardens to an entrance framed by a koi pond, stone flooring and soaring ceilings.

At the centre of the home is an expansive living and entertaining level. A stone kitchen fitted with Miele appliances steps down towards the view, incorporating an integrated refrigerator and freezer and a built-in breakfast bar positioned to overlook the harbour.

The adjoining formal dining room opens through a bi-fold wall to a landscaped side courtyard. A substantial living room, anchored by a gas fireplace, also connects to the main terrace, creating a continuous relationship between the interior, gardens and water.

An electrically operated roof allows the terrace to be used in different weather conditions, while automated internal blinds and ducted airconditioning add to the home’s extensive technology and comfort features.

Outside, the entertaining areas continue around a swimming pool and spa. A built-in barbecue, steam room and generous terraces give the property the atmosphere of a private resort, with the beach only steps away.

The accommodation has been arranged to suit a large or multigenerational household.

Four bedroom suites occupy an upper level, while the main bedroom commands an entire floor. The private retreat includes sweeping harbour views, a large walk-in wardrobe and a luxurious ensuite.

On the lower level, a billiard room and bar are accompanied by two bedrooms and a bathroom. A separate self-contained studio provides further flexibility for extended family, guests or live-in staff.

The residence also includes a private home office, yoga room and extensive storage—features that allow it to function as both a secluded family home and a large-scale entertaining destination.

Sustainability and energy resilience have also been incorporated through solar panels and a Tesla battery.

Despite its rare waterfront setting, the property remains close to the conveniences of the lower Northern Beaches. Bus services are approximately 450 metres away, while Balgowlah Village, local schools and North Harbour Reserve are within easy reach. Manly is about three kilometres from the home.

The sale underlines the scarcity premium attached to Sydney homes combining substantial land, direct beach access and uninterrupted harbour views.

Balgowlah Heights has a median house value of about $4.23 million, according to PropTrack data displayed on realestate.com.au. At more than four times that figure, the Beatty Street result sits in a different tier from the suburb’s conventional prestige market.

Its price is also $6.65 million above the $10.85 million paid for neighbouring 30 Beatty Street in December 2025.

While conventional luxury features helped support the result, the defining asset is one that cannot be readily replicated: a private rear gate opening directly onto Forty Baskets Beach.

Wild cities and concrete corridors: How AI is reimagining the landscape

A new AI-driven account by leading landscape architect Jon Hazelwood pushes the boundaries on the role of ‘complex nature’ in the future of our cities