Place making comes in all forms, but the way to find out whether place making is successful (or otherwise), is to take to the streets.
A project that was recently undertaken in the town of Claremont, in Perth WA involved focussing on the Bay View Terrace shopping precinct. A consultation took place over three days and people were interviewed to ascertain what improvements they’d like to see for the main street.
The interviewees were filmed on red lounges/bean bags on astro turf which created a lounge room atmosphere. The concept is called a ‘red lounge’ conversation and was taken from a Tasmanian project which used a similar method and won national awards.
A 20 minute DVD is now in circulation, being shown to Town of Claremont Council as part of their deliberation about the future of Bay View Terrace and as a leading example of ways to engage the community.
The concept also gives a voice to ordinary citizens and creates interest in the street, allowing researchers, planners and developers to find out what people really want out of their places.
The findings, short term wins and longer term recommendations from the Claremont case study will be presented as part of the Melbourne Place Making Series.
