News & Discussion: Adelaide City Council

[SRW]

Adelaide plan puts people before cars
12 October 2012, ABC News Online

Photo: Hindmarsh Square. Report urges better use of Adelaide's five city squares (Adelaide City Council)

Wide-ranging pedestrian-friendly changes are being recommended for the Adelaide CBD by an international architect.

A report from Danish architect Professor Jan Gehl urges major streets be closed off during lunchtime trading, the public have access to the Government House gardens and that a public bath be built on the River Torrens.

Adelaide Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood says the design strategy focuses on getting more pedestrians into Adelaide's city centre and making better use of the city's five squares.

"By doing that we'll actually capture more people by them actually wanting to be in these really nice places," he said.

"There's talk about how we want to increase the amenity of outdoor dining , a strong push on squares - making the squares a wonderful place [and] calming traffic.

"People only want to spend time in highly-attractive, beautiful, pleasant environments and South Australia will be judged as a community on the attractiveness of its CBD and its ability to entertain, inspire and its values and its aspirations for the future."

It is a decade since a report Public Spaces and Public Life suggested extending the tram line from Victoria Square to Adelaide Railway Station, a project now completed, and giving more priority to pedestrians over cars in the city.

Mr Yarwood says this follow-up study examined issues including how much green space the five squares in the CBD provide.

"Victoria Square is 49 per cent roadway, Hurtle Square is 54 per cent, while Whitmore Square for example is 84 per cent landscape and they're the sort of cities that people like to spend time in, nice places to spend your time," he said.

The Lord Mayor says pedestrian numbers in parts of the city have been rising, but the council has needed to contend with more cars and buses using the city as well.

"It's a smart move to have cars, public transport, walking and cycling in a way that provides for a high amenity. Another fascinating fact - you spend 33 per cent of your time waiting on a traffic light [to change] when you walk on King William Street," he said.

SA Planning Minister John Rau has welcomed the report as important for the debate on Adelaide's future direction.

But he said Adelaide would need to get bigger and more congested before the public was likely to embrace measures such as the report's suggestion that city car parks be progressively closed.

"We in Adelaide are still people who are committed to our cars and the city's going to have to get a lot bigger and a lot more congested before we're placed in a position where we actually have to decide to change the city that radically," he said.

"I just don't think as a community that's something we have an appetite for at the moment."


Photo: What Carrington Street might look like (Adelaide City Council)

Deputy Lord Mayor David Plumridge says frustration is growing among city residents about a lack of State Government consultation on development.

He says projects including the $200 million New Mayfield residential and commercial development in the city's south-west have been announced without consultation.

Mr Plumridge says he welcomes development to boost the city's population, but residents must be involved in the planning.

"The Government will ignore these people at their peril in my opinion - it's not difficult, it's a matter of sitting down with the communities, talking through your plans, getting their input and then producing a genuinely agreed consultative plan," he said.

"There's a real push by the community to win back their communities, to fight back and have genuine input into what's proposed to be done in the city.

"The council and the State Government and the community want better outcomes but we're only going to achieve that if we work together."

[Nathan]

The entire report (as well as the previous one from 2002) can be read hear: http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/coun ... blic-life/

It's very meaty and detailed (162 pages), so I've only skimmed through it so far, but there's a lot of sound recommendations.

[SRW]

Also, News.com.au websites are covering the story and have lifted more renders out of the report:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/da ... 6493966095

[Adamo]

Well Adelaide always has a plan, but what about the resources to execute such "ideas"?

[Waewick]

agreed

one day, it would be great if Adelaide made a plan that it could actually afford to implement and was broken down to small achievable parts so that people could see the progress, rather than unrealistic big bold and unaffordable plans.

[Nathan]

On a related note, the Collaborative City exhibition was opening tonight at Tuxedo Cat. It's basically a showcase of the work the Integrated Design Commission and 5000+ have done over the past year. There are a lot of things there about what could be done in Adelaide covering all areas of the city, parklands and surrounding suburbs. Some of it we've seen before (such as the Life on the Edge study on West Tce and the western parklands), but quite a bit new. The opening was completely sold out, and the mood was very positive.

John Rau spoke as his position of Deputy Premier and Minister for Urban Development, Planning & the City of Adelaide. He was genuinely enthusiastic about what the IDC has done and it's implications on the future of Adelaide. Both the government and the city council are committed to actual seeing a lot of things implemented (not just talk), and he intends to further review the 30yr plan in light of a lot of the studies and recommendations put forward by the IDC and 5000+. He stated that it needs to be a lot more ambitious than it is currently. In relation to the surrounding councils - "watch this space".

I highly recommend everyone go in and have a look. It's open for the next 2 weeks.
http://5000plus.net.au/blogs/5000plus/a ... exhibition

[bva]

have a read of the ACC integrated management strategy - that is part of the implementation strategy

[[Shuz]]

On a related note, the Collaborative City exhibition was opening tonight at Tuxedo Cat. It's basically a showcase of the work the Integrated Design Commission and 5000+ have done over the past year. There are a lot of things there about what could be done in Adelaide covering all areas of the city, parklands and surrounding suburbs. Some of it we've seen before (such as the Life on the Edge study on West Tce and the western parklands), but quite a bit new. The opening was completely sold out, and the mood was very positive.

John Rau spoke as his position of Deputy Premier and Minister for Urban Development, Planning & the City of Adelaide. He was genuinely enthusiastic about what the IDC has done and it's Timplications on the future of Adelaide. Both the government and the city council are committed to actual seeing a lot of things implemented (not just talk), and he intends to further review the 30yr plan in light of a lot of the studies and recommendations put forward by the IDC and 5000+. He stated that it needs to be a lot more ambitious than it is currently. In relation to the surrounding councils - "watch this space".

I highly recommend everyone go in and have a look. It's open for the next 2 weeks.
http://5000plus.net.au/blogs/5000plus/a ... exhibition

Thanks for the summary, Nathan.

I was at the Collaborative City Exhibition also, and was very impressed with the time and effort that 5000+ have gone into their work over the last 18 months. I was involved In a couple of the forums - Moving City and Vibrant City, which were held a few months ago, so I already got a bit of an insight into the work that they were doing then, and was glad to see how it has all pieced together. I even spotted 3 of my 'ideas/comments' around the place!

It is definetly worth a look, and I strongly encourage and recommend that as many people as possible in Adelaide check it out.

[david]

Notes from Cllr David Plumridge - Issue No 84

- Decisions of Council Meeting 9 October.
- Gehl Study released.

Notes from Councillor Issue 84.pdf

(163.14 KiB) Downloaded 173 times

Cllr David Plumridge
Deputy Lord Mayor

[dsriggs]

Any chance of one of these for Adelaide?

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/sydney- ... d514506464

[david]

Notes from Cllr David Plumridge - Issue No 85

- Decisions of Council Meeting 23 October.

Notes from Councillor Issue 85.pdf

(131.16 KiB) Downloaded 160 times

Cllr David Plumridge
Deputy Lord Mayor

[david]

Notes from Councillor David Plumridge - Issue 86

Report on decisions made at the Council Meeting held on 13 December 2012

Notes from Councillor Issue 86.pdf

(132.62 KiB) Downloaded 141 times

Councillor David Plumridge AM
Deputy Lord Mayor
Adelaide City Council

[Wayno]

Thanks David, this is interesting:

4.2 Council agreed to the closure of George St (Hindley St to North Tce) to allow for the exclusion of all vehicles.

Is the exclusion of all vehicles permanent? What plans does the ACC have for the street?

[Ben]

Is this the street that has been closed for a few months? There are big trees in bit boxes all the way down. This is part of the UNI SA strategy to make it more pedestrian friendly.

I personally think it's a great idea and would welcome this on a couple more streets in the area including Liverpool street.

[david]

Ben is right.

The closure is permanent and is part of the development of the Uni SA campus development.

We are also about to start work on making this section of Hindley St into a traffic-calmed shared zone with widened footpaths, new landscaping and street furniture. This will make a more unified public place linking the growing parts of the campus on either side of Hindley Street.

This is a Council project in partnership with the State Government and UniSA

David