|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DIGITAL PLACEMAKING
Perhaps the best-known example of digital placemaking within Australia is Sydney’s Vivid Festival, a “show of lights, music and ideas.” It is an oft-lauded exploration of digital placemaking - “the use of digital technology within a dedicated public urban space to specifically communicate with the public,” according to UNSW’s Dr. M. Hank Heusler.
Without doubt, Vivid is a world-class example of digital placemaking, and certainly invites imitation. However, councils and businesses that wish to integrate digital concepts into their placemaking strategy should approach the idea with equally healthy doses of both enthusiasm and prudence. While placemaking should never be approached with a ‘set and forget’ outlook, this is especially true of digital placemaking – digital content requires constant updating, and is immensely expensive; with equipment requiring a higher degree of maintenance. Think of Times Square – a plutocratic torment to an extent, but it never stays the same. Content changes constantly and a steady stream of capital keeps the place updated and the foot traffic rolling through.
Not to say that every digital placemaking strategy should rely on the well-lined pockets of interested parties, but it’s important to realise that setting up a giant television with an endlessly cycling slideshow does not make a good digital strategy. Digital placemaking must pass a higher bar to be successful – it should be dynamic, interactive, and most of all meticulously organised.
|
|
|
|
|
OXFORD STREET ACTIVATORS
Over recent years, Oxford Street, located in Darlinghurst on the edge of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and the CBD, has observed an increase in shop vacancies. At Place Partners we took it upon ourselves to develop installations and small-scale projects to activate the street front. In collaboration with the University of New South Wales’ (UNSW) Art and Design staff, students and the local community, we delivered 15 small-scale projects along the corridor. Oxford Street Activators is intended to create pause points along the street to slow down pedestrians, turning the street into a destination in its own right rather than a thoroughfare. Projects were designed to build on the already existing creative culture of the area.
Place Partners utilised the Place Score Street PX tool to compare Oxford Street’s PX Score before Oxford Street Activators and after. The Street PX tool is able to capture the Oxford Street Community’s assessment of their place experience and compare perceptions over a 12-month time period. ‘Public art, community art, water or light feature’ had the highest performance increase after the project of 29 points, reflecting highly on the efforts of Oxford Street Activators. The comparison also revealed ‘Landmarks, special features or meeting places’ had a 22 point increase to become number one attribute for the street.
Following Oxford Street Activators many local businesses integrated project installations in their window displays, helping to strengthen partnerships between both businesses and the community.
|
|
|
|
|
|
PICTON NSW
An hour and a half south of Sydney lies a beautiful, quiet town Picton. As you drive along the winding streets and green pastures filled with lovely calves and cows, you could forget that this town, just a little over six months ago had suffered one of the worst floods in the last century. Since then, the people of Picton have come together in community spirit to sow solutions on how to revive their town. Already, Pictonites held a successful campaign that included Christmas in July. With the real Christmas in December on its way, the ideas on how to boost their positive profile are in action once more.
Wollondilly Shire Council, along with Place Partners have held a workshop and working bee for the businesses within the community to foster creative foresight on how to get people thinking about Picton and what makes it great. Forget the floods, because this town has caring people, who will work together to see that all their shops reopen again and that activities to engage both locals and out-of-towners alike are in place.
Stay tuned for exciting possibilities which may include street activations such as art installations involving Picton's local schools and shops as well as competitions. For now, Picton is being present, collaborating as a tight-knit community, more resilient than ever and looking forward to tomorrow. Their future looks bright.
|
|
|
|
|
WALKING THE PATHS
No one can deny that walking is essential in everyday life, as is providing a safe and comfortable environment in which to do it. Over the last century, cities have been drastically accommodating to vehicular transport, making roads wider and faster - their spread taking away, bit by bit, the delicate human scale that enabled walking as a part of everyday life. Recently there has been an increase in global awareness of these issues and now governments in Australia are discussing active initiatives to make neighbourhoods more walkable for all members of the community.
The ACT Government’s vision is to become Australia’s cycling capital and most walkable city. In early 2015 it announced the establishment of an Active Travel Office (ATO). Active travel describes a mode of transport involving physical activity - such as walking and cycling - to get from one destination to another – like travel to and from the places we live, work, learn, visit and play; as well as public transport.
A whole-of-government approach is crucial to the creation of ‘walkable’ communities in new and existing developments. These communities contribute to the sustainability (both natural and economic) of urban environments and lead to more social interaction and physical fitness; diminished crime and other social problems; and liveable communities that in turn result in happy and healthy lives for the people who live in them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
HABITAT III
"This century will see a substantial majority of the world’s population living in urban centres. It is now estimated that 54.5% of people live in urban areas. The Habitat III conference is the first Habitat conference to occur when the world population is majority urban. This makes Habitat III even more pressing, from the scale of global governance to that of the individual.”
40,000 people have recently left Quito at the end of Habitat III; their purpose - to chart a sustainable course for urbanisation. The draft New Urban Agenda recognises that decisions about how we house, feed and mobilise urban populations will have a critical impact on human wellbeing and sustainability. It aims to implement the Sustainable Development Goals in cities, particularly SDG 11: to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.
While one of the most important issues discussed during the gathering was reconciliation of land and resources, including urban infrastructure and environmental quality, in support of city densification, we can say this was mostly concerning the 95% of growth expected for the developing world. In the developed world and particularly Australia, more pertinent issues arise over themes discussed under the umbrella of Smart Cities - particularly open data-based planning and concerns about oversight of wide-scale information gathering.
For all us placemakers, data is a critical tool we use in full awareness of the fine line between its use for benefit or exploitation of the user.
|
|
|
|
|
|
WOLLONDILLY
PLACEMAKING TRAINING
Following the success of the Shoalhaven training, Place Partners will be completing further training with the Wollondilly Council. The Shoalhaven participants were delighted with the concepts behind a place-based approach - “It was an incredible learning experience” and “I will certainly think about my role differently now!” By incorporating a range of placemaking methods, including case studies presentations, short exercises and on-site work, participants were able to gain a valuable understanding of what placemaking is and how it can be used in their relevant workplace.
The Wollondilly training will be held on the 29th and 30th of November, with a third session to come in mid-December. The variety of workshops will encourage participants to think differently about their existing role and how to develop a new area of expertise. The goal is to educate members about the benefits of a place-based approach.
After gathering a greater understanding of placemaking, members will be put into small groups and required to develop placemaking projects. The final session will require groups to present their projects to other participants. By focusing on transformative learning, Wollondilly Council members will be able to more effectively understand what a place-based approach is and how it can benefit them.
If your business, organisation or council are interested, you can reserve slots for 2017.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Printer-friendly version
