Every now and then, in the life of a city, comes a decade of consequence. For Sydney, the last such decade was the '60s, which flipped our laggard brick town into skyscraper modernity. That was huge, but trivial compared with what's coming. The next decade will shape Sydney in ways we cannot imagine but which nevertheless put the make-or-break decision for this exquisite city in our hands; yours and mine, now.

Of course, it's about growth. With a million new residents during the decade, and another million following, growth is a given. Wonder not whether, but how. Will it spell disaster or delight?

First, let us agree that delight is possible. Many people blame every city ill on population. Whatever the topic – towers, density, congestion, tree loss, food miles, transport failure or simple bad manners – the knee-jerkers repeatedly insist it's a population thing. If only we could lose the humans, they argue, everything would be just fine.

Of course, at one level this is self-evident. Sans humans, the planet would indeed be just fine – although in my opinion less beautiful and distinctly less fun. But that's not the point. We're stuck with humans, and although at a global level the population issue bleeps red, it's also true that density and delight are entirely compatible. Many of the most enchanting cities are far denser than Sydney. The difference is one not of efficiency, but of creativity.