Who are we?

Urban Village is an online magazine for Surry Hills and surrounds. Specifically targeted to the community of Surry Hills, Redfern and Chippendale with exciting plans to expand our reach to Darlinghurst and Potts Point.

We started Urban Village because we recognised the importance of sharing diverse and hyper-local community narratives to bolster the strong identity of the area. We’re strong believers in the power of print to bring the neighbourhood together.

In partnership with the Surry Hills Creative Precinct, Urban Village covers everything from local news, profiles and community history, arts and culture, new business profiles and events. We’re driven by locals, for locals – that’s our point of difference.

We offer unique content from our city’s fascinating inner city fringes written by a close-knit group of on the ground staff writers, as well as a broad range of local contributors.  We strive to publish stories from all over the community to make sure everyone’s voice is heard. From the long-time locals to the new businesses setting up shop, we shine a light on every pocket of our ever-expanding neighbourhood. 

History

Our first issue went to print in September 2017. We saw a need for cohesion within the neighbourhood between residents, businesses, development and the arts scene, and sought to connect and celebrate every aspect of the area with a print publication. In 2020 we offer urbanvillage magazine online or delivered digitally to your inbox.

In our two years in circulation we’ve profiled countless local businesses big and small, and local perdsonalities Paul Capsis, Ariel Sexton-Shaw, James Winter, Meg Hewitt, Picnic Touring’s Kali, Becky Lucas, Aaron Chen and Ellie-May Barnes – to name a few.

We’ve participated in the Surry Hills Festival, arts festival Double Take and the Crown Street Public School fete. We’ve worked with Transport NSW on the Head to Surry Hills program, encouraging locals and out-of-towners to visit our restaurants, bars and retailers.

Distribution and Readership

We strive to publish stories that appeal to every demographic in Surry Hills and surrounds. As we are a free neighbourhood online publication, we aim to target a broad range of interests and age groups and strike the right balance between the residential, creative and business interests of the area.