An international expert on planning healthy cities has warned Sydney against following the Asian model of concentrating high rise around train stations to house a booming population.

Dubbing it "suburban cellulite", the clusters of towers were designed to give maximum patronage to private railways and retailers, but are now being regretted by Chinese planners, says Guy Perry of construction firm AECOM.

"People are not happy there," he says.

The global firm's executive director of building and places for the Asia Pacific, Mr Perry lives in Hong Kong. He says cities such as Paris would be a better model for Sydney's growth.