For more than a decade, the time and place for skateboarding has been a contentious issue in central Sydney, with suburban interlopers and city dwellers earning the ire of authorities for using any piece of available street furniture, railing or obstacle as part of their urban skating jungle.

Eight years ago, a City of Sydney council report recommended building four new skate parks to meet the needs of Sydney's growing cohort of skateboarders. This month, skaters finally got a single, rebuilt ramp. However, the skating community's hopes have been raised by the $500,000 included in this year's council budget for the four new facilities.

Cameron Sparkes, head of the Sydney Skateboard Association, said much of the city's existing skate infrastructure was in a dangerous state of disrepair, affected by rust, holes and loose panels.

"We're drastically behind every other city of Australia in terms of the amount of skateboarding infrastructure that's available to the public," he said. "Places like Melbourne, Perth [and] Adelaide are just putting us to shame."

Mr Sparkes welcomed the recent replacement of a worn-down ramp at Waterloo Park in Sydney's inner south, at a cost of $130,000. But he said a lot more needed to be done to cater for "one of the fastest-growing cultures in the world".

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the number of boys aged five to 14 participating in skateboarding, roller-blading or scootering rose 10 per cent between 2009 and 2012. For girls, the increase was close to 14 per cent.

A report by the CSIRO and Australian Sports Commission in April last year identified adventure and lifestyle sports as a "mega-trend" and said skateboarding was "experiencing a rapid surge in popularity".

City of Sydney councillor Linda Scott said the failure to build more skating infrastructure was one of many commitments on which lord mayor Clover Moore had promised but not delivered. Last year, Ms Scott gathered 3000 signatures to a petition calling on council to take action and hundreds of skateboarders attended a council meeting in support.

She said skate parks were essential urban infrastructure, like football fields and childcare, that contributed to healthy, active lifestyles.

"It just makes our city a bit more fun and that’s what Sydney needs," she said.

But there is disagreement about exactly what type of skating infrastructure Sydney needs. Modern "street plazas", such as Waterloo Park, contain obstacles that would naturally occur in an urban landscape – railings, steps and mounds – while old-school skate parks such as the one at Bondi Beach feature giant bowls built for showing off transitions and tricks.

"There are some guys who are die-hard street skating fans and then there are other guys who are die-hard bowl skaters," Mr Sparkes said. "You'd be hard-pressed to figure out which one would be more popular."

He said both preferences should be accommodated by transforming unused and undesirable spaces below bridges, overpasses or motorways into skating facilities.

Bondi skater Noah Fuzi, who prefers transition skating on bowls, agreed.

"They are different types of skating but we’re all the same people," he said. "Everyone wants a bit of everything."