[COM] Victoria Square Upgrade - $24m

[Matt]

Just on a side note, if this is all good to go and the ACC have budgeted for Stage 1, why is nothing happening until next year at the earliest?

[AdelaideAlive]

Just on a side note, if this is all good to go and the ACC have budgeted for Stage 1, why is nothing happening until next year at the earliest?

council has to vote on first aparently,and final drawings and renders and tenders need to be called,they are saying should start in jan 2013

[jk1237]

Am I the only one who just doesn't see the point in this? Yes, Victoria Square is important and should be upgraded to some extent, but this? Seems like a massive waste of money and major overkill to me.

In my view, projects like this that may shake off our rustbelt image, have more potential to economically benefit our city than the cost to build it. You need to spend money to make money, which is why all other cities and states have spent billions on urban renewal projects to give an image that this city is on the move. It attracts further private investment. To me Victoria Square has epitomised our city and state of South Australia for last 30 years - quite staid & bland & conservative but so much potential. This project is far from overkill, its long overdue

[mrblackrooster]

Am I the only one who just doesn't see the point in this? Yes, Victoria Square is important and should be upgraded to some extent, but this? Seems like a massive waste of money and major overkill to me.

In my view, projects like this that may shake off our rustbelt image, have more potential to economically benefit our city than the cost to build it. You need to spend money to make money, which is why all other cities and states have spent billions on urban renewal projects to give an image that this city is on the move. It attracts further private investment. To me Victoria Square has epitomised our city and state of South Australia for last 30 years - quite staid & bland & conservative but so much potential. This project is far from overkill, its long overdue

+1

[Matt]

Am I the only one who just doesn't see the point in this? Yes, Victoria Square is important and should be upgraded to some extent, but this? Seems like a massive waste of money and major overkill to me.

In my view, projects like this that may shake off our rustbelt image, have more potential to economically benefit our city than the cost to build it. You need to spend money to make money, which is why all other cities and states have spent billions on urban renewal projects to give an image that this city is on the move. It attracts further private investment. To me Victoria Square has epitomised our city and state of South Australia for last 30 years - quite staid & bland & conservative but so much potential. This project is far from overkill, its long overdue

+2

[Maximus]

Am I the only one who just doesn't see the point in this? Yes, Victoria Square is important and should be upgraded to some extent, but this? Seems like a massive waste of money and major overkill to me.

In my view, projects like this that may shake off our rustbelt image, have more potential to economically benefit our city than the cost to build it. You need to spend money to make money, which is why all other cities and states have spent billions on urban renewal projects to give an image that this city is on the move. It attracts further private investment. To me Victoria Square has epitomised our city and state of South Australia for last 30 years - quite staid & bland & conservative but so much potential. This project is far from overkill, its long overdue

+3

I'd see this upgrade as turning Vic Sq into something a bit like a smaller version of Hyde Park in Sydney. A beautiful green oasis of people relaxing and enjoying themselves, in the midst of an otherwise bustling and thriving city.

[Tyler_Durden]

Am I the only one who just doesn't see the point in this? Yes, Victoria Square is important and should be upgraded to some extent, but this? Seems like a massive waste of money and major overkill to me.

If the government is already committed to upgrading the riverbank and the council is upgrading Rundle Mall, why upgrade Victoria Square to such a large extent?

The vast majority of the places where people in the city will congregate are in the Northern end and Victoria Sq just seems to far away. It will most likely turn into a deserted and empty space for the vast majority of the year, much like it is now. Seems like a lot of money for what will most likely be minimal gain.

I agree with you. All it needs is a bit of landscaping. I'd be happy with it being mainly grass and some quality shade providing trees. Think Sydney's Hyde Park.

[SRW]

Am I the only one who just doesn't see the point in this? Yes, Victoria Square is important and should be upgraded to some extent, but this? Seems like a massive waste of money and major overkill to me.

In my view, projects like this that may shake off our rustbelt image, have more potential to economically benefit our city than the cost to build it. You need to spend money to make money, which is why all other cities and states have spent billions on urban renewal projects to give an image that this city is on the move. It attracts further private investment. To me Victoria Square has epitomised our city and state of South Australia for last 30 years - quite staid & bland & conservative but so much potential. This project is far from overkill, its long overdue

+Pile On.

This is one psychological blockage to confidence in development in our city that needs to be burst.

The vast majority of the places where people in the city will congregate are in the Northern end and Victoria Sq just seems to far away. It will most likely turn into a deserted and empty space for the vast majority of the year, much like it is now. Seems like a lot of money for what will most likely be minimal gain.

Apart from the upswing in civic confidence that this project will bring, there is also the potential to unlock investment in the area. You might not have noticed, but our CBD is creeping southwards. The amount of development in the vicinity of the Square is booming and there's more proposed -- think of all the projects on Flinders, Franklin, Waymouth, Angas and Grote. This influx alone warrants an upgrade to the open space that is the Square and that upgrade ought to be attractive enough to further advance adjacent development as well as provide the city with an attraction in its very heart. I reckon the proposed plans will achieve this.

[SRW]

I'm liking moving the fountain. In the fly through it looks like its elevated too?... sort of looms over the rest of the square.

If a recall correctly, the mosaic garden slopes to the south in a similar (although more gentle) way to the event lawn in the northern half. The fountain itself should be be on the ground plane.



The more I think about, these plans remind me a little of the Tuileries Garden, albeit Australianised and on a smaller scale. Any flâneurs for some promenading?

[omada]

Can I please clarify, so traffic is still open on the Hilton side of the square and Grote Street will still flow through, but traffic will no longer flow on the SA Water side of the square? The render supplied shows the square reconnected with no Grote Street, which is obviously incorrect, as there's no way the ACC will close that off. (Wish they would!)

[SRW]

Can I please clarify, so traffic is still open on the Hilton side of the square and Grote Street will still flow through, but traffic will no longer flow on the SA Water side of the square? The render supplied shows the square reconnected with no Grote Street, which is obviously incorrect, as there's no way the ACC will close that off. (Wish they would!)

Traffic will still flow around all sides and through the Square. The difference is that the Square will no longer be diamond-shaped and the number of road lanes will be reduced. The crossing from Grote-Wakefield will be paved and also reduced in width. This PDF contains the aerial view of the master plan to get the complete picture: http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/comm ... n_2012.pdf

[Hooligan]

Can I please clarify, so traffic is still open on the Hilton side of the square and Grote Street will still flow through, but traffic will no longer flow on the SA Water side of the square? The render supplied shows the square reconnected with no Grote Street, which is obviously incorrect, as there's no way the ACC will close that off. (Wish they would!)

Traffic will still flow around all sides and through the Square. The difference is that the Square will no longer be diamond-shaped and the number of road lanes will be reduced. The crossing from Grote-Wakefield will be paved and also reduced in width. This PDF contains the aerial view of the master plan to get the complete picture: http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/comm ... n_2012.pdf

So ummm it's going to be a big roundabout?

[omada]

by Hooligan » Thu May 10, 2012 6:19 pm

SRW wrote:

omada wrote:Can I please clarify, so traffic is still open on the Hilton side of the square and Grote Street will still flow through, but traffic will no longer flow on the SA Water side of the square? The render supplied shows the square reconnected with no Grote Street, which is obviously incorrect, as there's no way the ACC will close that off. (Wish they would!)


Traffic will still flow around all sides and through the Square. The difference is that the Square will no longer be diamond-shaped and the number of road lanes will be reduced. The crossing from Grote-Wakefield will be paved and also reduced in width. This PDF contains the aerial view of the master plan to get the complete picture: http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/comm ... n_2012.pdf

Ok so nothing is changing, brilliant. Traffic still rules in Adelaide. Yay. Three cheers for the visionaries at the ACC.

[Wayno]

yep, traffic all around but hopefully with various traffic calming techniques - slower speed limit, different road colour, different texture to give an audible queue to drivers...

[dsriggs]

by Hooligan » Thu May 10, 2012 6:19 pm

SRW wrote:

omada wrote:Can I please clarify, so traffic is still open on the Hilton side of the square and Grote Street will still flow through, but traffic will no longer flow on the SA Water side of the square? The render supplied shows the square reconnected with no Grote Street, which is obviously incorrect, as there's no way the ACC will close that off. (Wish they would!)


Traffic will still flow around all sides and through the Square. The difference is that the Square will no longer be diamond-shaped and the number of road lanes will be reduced. The crossing from Grote-Wakefield will be paved and also reduced in width. This PDF contains the aerial view of the master plan to get the complete picture: http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/comm ... n_2012.pdf

Ok so nothing is changing, brilliant. Traffic still rules in Adelaide. Yay. Three cheers for the visionaries at the ACC.

I would have thought that reduced lanes around the square would encourage less cars to use it