1-7 APRIL 2017

DAYG L A D S T O N E C B D

REPORT: MAKEOVER 1

Look at what we made in just

7 days!

Copyright © 2017 David Engwicht

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www.7day.com.au

Background 4

The process 5

Outcomes 6

Photo Gallery 7

Recommendations 15

THE CONTENTS

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Gladstone CBD has been in decline for some time, due to the establishment of a number of regional shopping centres, and a downturn in the local economy. In order to survive, the CBD needs to reinvent itself as the “civic heart” of Gladstone and the surrounding regions – offering something the regional shopping centres can not compete with.

There are strong signs that there has been a “psychological retreat” from the CBD – from empty shops, retailer fatigue, lack of community emotional investment and a general lack of maintenance and care. Very striking is the fact that Council invested large sums of money in infrastructure, intended to bring life to the CBD, which has not been maintained in working order. This includes a water play area in Library Square, fairy lights in Library Square, colour change lighting in the roadway, lighting on the sculpture in front of the entertainment centre and a host of other lighting. Council is planning an upgrade of the streetscape, but currently (to our knowledge) this does not include fixing this infrastructure, which would be a very cheap investment in improving the overall presentation of the street.

A 7 Day Makeover not only attempts to physically make over a space, but to also reverse this psychological retreat and help people reclaim their town centre as the civic heart of their town - reclaiming the civic pride they once had.

Any community placemaking program has the following risk factors (based on 25 years experience):

• The community doesn’t understand the basic principles of placemaking, and invests in ineffective projects.

• The community can’t agree on the most important projects or on the design for a project and the process becomes bogged down in endless meetings.

• The town naysayers oppose what is proposed and nothing ends up happening.

Creative Communities developed the 7 Day Makeover to address these risk factors and to minimise the potential for projects to go off track.

BACKGROUND

Council invested heavily in creating a “Town Square” in front of the Entertainment Centre and Library, but the space was “over-designed” resulting in a fragmentation of what should have been an integrated place. The elements that were fracturing the space included:• bollards• fence in front of the garden• fence on the wall in front of Library Square• the bottom section of the wall in front of Library Square• the location of seats and bike racks• use of different colours in Library Square to Entertainment

Centre.

Council gave pre-approval to remove or redesign these elements.

A delightful space, at a very strategic location, without a single reason for people to linger and enjoy the space.

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THE PROCESS

• Council workshops• Create ‘What is

Allowed’ document• Info Night (public)• Media• Promotional events

PREPARATION

WEEKS

• Brochure• Facebook page• Event booking

system• Entry 7day.com.au

PROMO VISIT

LAUNCH

• Two day workshop• Project Teams

formed• Magic happens• Launch Party

MAKEOVER

EVALUATION REPORT

DAY 1: WORKSHOP – GOAL: IDENTIFY POTENTIAL PROJECTS

Create Draft Plans in small groups

Identify projects worth developing

Evaluate the Draft Plans

Walkabout: explore the possibilities

The process explained

LAUNCH PARTYWell done teams! CHEERS!

DAY 2: WORKSHOP – GOAL: DEVELOP ACTION PLANS

DAYS 3–7: IMPLEMENT – GOAL: MAKE MAGIC HAPPEN

Review 2: Do we park it or press GO?

Review 1: Park this project or hatch it?

Volunteers join a team & help plan

Each Project Team manages their own project, work hours and budget

Fine tune Project Plans

Produce Draft Project Plans

Presentation: Secret of Great Places

EVENING: VOLUNTEER BRIEFING – GOAL: EXPAND TEAMS

February 20 & 21

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PARTICIPATION• Over 70 people attended the Info Night.

• 23 people participated in the 2 day Workshop.

• 73 people participated in the Makeover.

THE WALK ABOUTOn the walk around town we identified key issues that impacted the vitality of Goondoon Street:

• The lack of integration of Library Square into the space outside the Entertainment Centre. The barriers included a row of bollards, excessive fencing, placement of street furniture, and a high wall between the two spaces.

• There were a number of platforms with shade structures in the Town Square area that were not being utilised to their potential.

• There is a vastly underutilised space outside Lightbox.

• Important infrastructure in this area has been allowed to deteriorate, reducing the potential attractiveness of the area. In particular, the water play area in Library Square and most of the lighting.

• The lawn areas at the top of the hill was a totally underutilised area, devoid of any linger nodes.

• The old garden beds in front of the parking lot next to Westpac detracted from the lawn areas opposite.

PROJECTSThe quality of work was generally exceptionally high, some of it built to last for a century.

The following was delivered:

• Creation of linger nodes in the grassed areas outside Westpac and the Commonwealth Bank. These featured large buoys (which can be used as seating or play), stepping posts for children, a move-the-blocks-spiral and a thong-a-phone.

• Two large grassed wave seats, and 15 painted cube seats.

• Painting of the curbs, down to the Council building.

• Mounding of the gardens in front of the Westpac car park, covering in artificial turf, and installation of one large buoy and one ship steering wheel.

• Graphic posters on rubbish bins and telephone booth.

• Removal of bollards outside Library Square along with sections of fence around the garden.

• Laying of concrete slab where Christmas

tree goes to make it easier to erect . . Grassing of this slab to create a multi-use area that enhances the Town Square.

• Removal of fencing and a section of the wall that acted as a barrier between Library Square and the larger Town Square.

• Turning the top of this wall into a seat.

• Moving seats down into Library Square to give a feeling of a theatre in the round setting.

• Painting of the walls in Library Square in colours that connect it visually to the Entertainment Centre.

• Building and grassing of a large deck that connects the Town Square to Library Square and that can be accessed from either space, acting as a bridge between the two.

• Creation of a Fairy/Story Garden outside the Library.

• Purchase of colourful seating that can be used in Library Square or in the space outside Lightbox.

FINANCES• The budget was originally $5000. We had an anonymous

donation of $10,000 along with the offer of $8000 from Council if we provided seating in Library Square and in the grassed area outside Westpac Bank, making a total potential budget of $23,000

• A total of $17,647.98 was spent. In addition Council will pay internally for a roll and a half of grass and outdoor wi-fi router. With these additional costs, it is estimated that we will have come in under budget.

PROCESSGenerally speaking the process achieved exactly what we set out to achieve:

• The tight time-frame of seven days meant people were in action mode and didn’t get bogged down in endless talk and planning.

• The short time-frame did not give the naysayers time to organise.

• The final design that emerged from the process was better than anyone could have planned in advance.

• Participants stayed agile.

• Surprisingly there was very little conflict over the design.

• The process built a strong sense of community amongst participants.

• Participants developed a much stronger emotional attachment to the town centre.

OUTCOMES

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Over 70 people attend the Info Night

Window display promoting makeover

The Workshop

Exploring the possibilities

Project White Boards

Coordination Point

PHOTO GALLERY

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Integration of Library Square

Before: Library Square cut off from main square by bollards, fences and furniture

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Christmas Tree Corner

The furniture can be moved for the Christmas tree

The garden was not integrated into the square

Story Book Garden

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Westpac, Commonwealth Corner

An under utilised space with no linger nodes

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Building a sense of community

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RECOMMENDATIONS1. That in the planned upgrade of Goondoon Street, that top

priority be given to fixing existing infrastructure that is currently not working. This includes the water play area in Library Square, fairy lights in Library Square, colour change lighting in the roadway, lighting on the sculpture in front of the Entertainment Centre, festoon lighting outside the Library and a host of other lighting. This will greatly enhance the street for minimum investment - delivering a greater bang for buck.

2. That the festoon lighting, turned on for Christmas and Easter, be turned on for 365 days of the year. This greatly enhances the attractiveness of the CBD for both visitors and locals all year round.

3. That Council develop a community-driven Place Making strategy which may include the following elements:

• Recurrent funding.

• A staff person, or outside consultant, with responsibility for implementing the program.

• Training program for Council staff, community leaders and community organisations (such as service clubs) in the art of delivering a 7 Day Makeover. This training to be provided by Creative Communities International.

• That these individuals and groups be given responsibility for delivering future makeovers in Gladstone and the surrounding district, using the systems developed by Creative Communities.

4. That the time between the Info Night and the makeover be reduced to 4 weeks.

5. That Council employ Creative Communities to run a Till Boosters program with the retailers in Gladstone CBD. This program demonstrates how retailers can create a more prosperous shopping precinct by engaging more creatively with the footpath. This program may coincide with the next makeover in the CBD or with the training event.

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