V i s i o n & a c t i v a t i o n s t r a t e g y

M A I N S T R E E TO s b o r n e P a r k

3

i n t r o d u c t i o n Osborne Parks’ Main Street, identified as the section between

Cape and Eldorado Streets, has an opportunity to use Placemaking to develop and flourish. Village Well have been commissioned by the City of Stirling to develop a Vision and Activation Strategy to provide a place vision and clear set of place principles to guide the activation of Main Street through community led activities.

In order to complete this process, Village Well conducted two workshops with local community members and traders, to influence Placemaking outcomes and drive the formation of an active community group. This document provides a summary of the activation ideas and strategies identified in these workshops as seen through the lens of Placemaking.

The development of a local group of Placemakers (community members, landlords and traders) will drive the success of the projects proposed in this document.

W h y P l a c e m a k i n g ?

A Placemaking approach involves understanding and celebrating the uniqueness of a place by reconnecting people to place.

Placemaking is unique in that on the ground outcomes are driven and often delivered by core stakeholders and place users. Through the Placemaking process a platform is created that facilitates ongoing meaningful dialogue between the many relevant disciplines and stakeholders involved in creating great places.

Specifically, developing a strong vision and set of principles to drive ongoing projects and change, allows for the strategic and resilient development of place. This ensures that places can adapt to meet their current needs and reflect external conditions on an ongoing basis whilst building on what is working well.

4

ASPIRATIONS

- More vibrant

- Strong community feel and a community hub

- Coffee culture and people watching

- Improved trader return

- Anchor tenant/s

- Change the perception that you need to go elsewhere

- Redesign as a food and café strip

- Diverse retail mix (particularly eateries and fresh, fast food)

- Attract more people

- A destination - somewhere cool to go and stay all night

- Public art and murals

- Accessible - less congested, better parking and pedestrian friendly

- Opportunities to enjoy being outdoors

- Refresh and bring something new

- Cultural festivals and events

W o r k s h o p s u m m a r y

BUILD ON ITS STRENGTHS

- Location and exposure

- Access and street width

- Unique heritage and history

- Great traders and great, loyal customers

- Weather/climate

- Familiarity and local community

- Create a food and café strip

- Safety

Village Well conducted two workshops with local community members and traders over the 16th and 17th of March, 2016. This section provides a summary of the ideas identified in these workshops.

Workshop participant aspirations for the future of Main Street, Osborne Park.

Participants were asked to identify ‘what makes Main Street, Osborne Park special?’ in order to identify existing strengths to build on.

5

- Established anchors

- New development in progress

- Increasing choice

- Celebrate unique heritage and history

- Creating a destination

- Beautifying through clean up, art and greenery

- Maximising on space

ISSUES

- Parking

- Traffic speeds and congestion

- Run down and unattractive streetscape

- A segmented street - lack of connection

- Lack of diversity and interest in retail offer

- Communication and co-ordination (between community, traders and Council)

OPPORTUNITIES

PLACE PERSONALITY

NOW FUTURE

Tired

Boring

Unconnected/Disjointed

Great

Not ageing well

Ugly

Bubbly

Amazing

Got potentialLost

Bipolar

ExcitingRich in depth

WOW

Attractive

Multi-cultural

Energetic

Sense of pride

Cohesive

Participants were asked if Main Street was a person, what sort of personality and physical characteristics would it have right now? What kind of personality would you like it to have in the future?

The workshop group were asked to identify the key issues and opportunities that would impact on the ability of Main Street to meet the aspirations identified earlier. This task helps to form a well informed vision and realistic action plan for the precinct.

6

Main Street

A multi-cultural and authentic village hub, active day and night, loved by all.

P l a c e V i s i o nThe Place vision and principles are used to steer decision making to ensure placemaking success in the short and longer term by having a clearly articulated end goal.

The ultimate measure of success will be for the community to own and participate in the ongoing delivery of the place vision.

7

P l a c e P r i n c i p l e s

A c t i v e D a y & N i g h tA place that can transform from a convenience hub and casual dining destination during the day to an active spot for dinner and drinks come nightfall. Activation should be encouraged through a great food offering, staggered operational hours and calendar of events.

C o n n e c t e d & c o n v e n i e n t Main Street will be a convenient place to visit, whether you are walking from the surrounding area, hopping off the bus or arriving by car. The reduced traffic speeds will improve the pedestrian experience and encourage people to stroll through the precinct, taking moments to stop and appreciate the great retail offer and strong community spirit.

F r i e n d l y & W e l c o m i n gThe best thing about Main Street will be the friendly and welcoming community. You will always see people catching up for a chat over coffee or a meal. The friendly nature is reflected with the vibrant entry signage and art throughout the precinct.

D e s t i n a t i o n a l & L o c a l The rich history and cultural offering at Main Street will make it a destination, both for the local community and people across Perth. Great local traders, a fantastic offering of multi-cultural restaurants, eateries and delis and an attractive streetscape will make it a must visit destination.

Place principles are a lens to guide the development and initiatives within this report. They highlight the core placemaking values and are considered as our ‘non-negotiables’ in order to facilitate the achievement of the Vision.

8

C a s e S t u d i e sLygon Street, MelbourneLygon Street is a well loved italian precinct, rich with history and offering block after block of italian restaurants, gelato shops and local retail. The critical mass of italian oriented alfresco dining opportunities has created a distinctive identity for the strip. Slow traffic allows pedestrians to cross the street and enjoy a stroll along the tree lined footpaths.

South Terrace, FremantleFremantle’s eclectic South Terrace is a bustling multi-cultural hub offering a wide range of quirky and local shopping and dining opportunities.

The street is also host to a wide range of events, including the popular street art festival. Its rich history, art and cultural offerings have helped to create a well loved destination for both locals and visitors to Perth.

9

A c t i v a t i o n P l a nProject AreaThe following activation projects presented are to be implemented in Main Street, Osborne Park between Eldorado and Cape Street.

It is recognised that the majority of activities will be located between Eldorado Street and Federal Street as the primary retail strip of Main Street however activities will be linked to the commercial section of Main Street between Federal and Cape Streets.

Mai

n St

reet

Robinsons Reserve

Eldorado Street

Royal Street

Federal Street

Lawley Street

Cape Street

10

Community main street blitzIn order to bring the community together and improve the appearance of Main Street, organise a one or two day ‘Main Street Blitz’ with local volunteers.Key activities associated with the blitz should include: • A spring clean of the streetscape

including the removal of litter, spider webs, stains and other unaesthetic features.

• Mulching and replanting the existing garden beds

• Painting of blank walls with colour and murals

• Creation of an entry sign to provide a visual cue welcoming you to the precinct (both entrances).

• Introduction of ambient street lighting Status: Quick Win (JuLy/August)

1.

Pop Up parkletsIn Main Street, car parking spaces occupy the predominant frontage to the street. This prime space provides an opportunity to transform one or two spaces at a time for the purpose of temporary parklets. Parklets can take the form of shady seating areas, alfresco dining for local restaurants or exciting play areas. They add both usable area as well as visual interest to the precinct without having a detrimental impact on parking. Parklets do not need to be expensive to be effective but traders or community groups might wish to commission artists to create parklets as semipermanent installations in the future. Parklets could be popping up on Main Street as standalone projects, or in association with events. For examples of parklet projects, Park(ing) Day is a good source of inspiration.

Status: Quick Win (August - ongoing)

2.

11

Slowing D0wn TrafficTraffic on Main Street is quick and frequently congested, creating a thoroughfare rather than a destination. Taking a note from the success of Beaufort Street, the action group will work with Council to install time limited (2 hour), parallel on-street parking in non-peak times. This can be implemented by painting spaces on the road and signage to clearly convey the changed traffic conditions. As a test, the first stage of this intervention should be focused between Eldorado and Cape Street in the first six months. Based on the success of this change interventions may be extended to Scarborough Beach Road in the following six months. This strategy will act to slow down traffic and improve the pedestrian experience on Main Street. Status: Medium Term (July - December)

3.

Street EventsMain Street has the space, local community and retail mix that is perfect for playing host to a range of events. Events could include a Main Street Festival that coincides with the Osborne Park Agricultural Show (December). This would encourage people to come and visit Main Street while visiting the show. An event might include market stalls and stages (potentially using car park spaces) as an attraction. There is also an opportunity to host multi-cultural festivals to reflect Main Streets diversity and character in partnerships with local groups. A regular farmers market could also be held at recurring intervals along Main Street. As a longer term strategy there is an opportunity to create pedestrian links with Robinson Reserve and use that space for events. Status: Medium Term (July - December)

4.

12

Build The CultureAn aspiration for Main Street is to build a quirky and authentic village, a place which offers a mix of local and family oriented businesses. This is something which needs to be continually fostered through a wide variety of activities and changing perceptions.

As a short term action, develop a rotating community night (a discount for drinks/meals) at the local tavern and restaurants which encourages community members to meet and mingle, as you can always be certain you will bump into a local from the area and have a chat. These events could be open, focused on Placemaking actions or have an over-arching theme such as a local book club, wine and food appreciation or trivia night.

Status: Medium Term (July - December)

5.

Rebrand & RefreshCreating a strong identity is intrinsic to developing a place that is a well loved destination. In particular it is vital that your brand conveys the niche you are filling. Are you a local convenience centre? A dining and night life destination? Both? The brand is where you can communicate this to a wider audience.

The development of an updated logo/signage design, either by commission or art competition will be a key element of repositioning Main Street and banners with the logo could be displayed on poles along the street. Building on this brand, develop a social media presence - a facebook page or similar is a cost effective way to advertise events and promote local traders. Status: Medium - Long Term

6.

13

Identity through ArtCurrently dotted along Main Street are a large number of vacant walls, which provide the perfect canvas for vibrant street art pieces. It would be great to have a focus on pieces that are painted by local Perth talent and reflect the history and culture of Main Street and the Osborne Park area. In order to develop a street art plan, suitable blank walls will need to be identified and the potential for painting discussed with the property owner.

Artists can then be attracted by commission or an expression of interest process.

Status: Medium - Long Term

7.

Streetscape improvementsStreetscape improvements are an ongoing opportunity for Main Street and in particular should focus on the presence of street trees, paving treatments and improving the experience for pedestrians (currently crossing points are limited and dangerous). Planting additional street trees, including feature trees such as Jacarandas or trees with a dense canopy would also create shade and improve the experience for pedestrians, particularly in the summer months.

Refresh shop front signage and building facades to improve the street experience. This can be achieved through new paint, awnings and attractive window displays that reflect the new Main Street brand. Workshop improvements with the Main Street group or commission a visual merchandising consultant to advise. Status: Medium - Long Term

8.

14

5 g r e a t t h i n g s

C o n v e n i e n t f o r a l l y o u r n e e d s

A n a u t h e n t i c m u l t i -c u l t u r a l o f f e r

G r e a t f o o d a n d c o f f e e

A b u z z i n g n i g h t l i f e & g r e a t e n t e r t a i n m e n t

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .

T h e f r i e n d l y c o m m u n i t y5 .

During the community and trader workshops, participants were asked to identify 5 great things that would be happening at Main Street, Osborne Park in the future. The implementation of place activation projects should focus on achieving the following five to aid in achieving the vision for Main Street.

15

S u c c e s s F a c t o r s

WHAT WILL MAKE MAIN STREET SUCCESSFUL?

- Co-operation and commitment

- Communication (open and transparent)

- A common and well articulated goal

- A project champion/vocal leader

- Partnership with Council

- Keep plans and projects simple and easy to achieve

- Act! Don’t be paralysed by inaction

At the end of each workshop, particiipants were asked to identify the core components that would ensure the success of this Place Activation Strategy. The following items were the key themes from this discussion:

16