[COM] Rundle Mall Redevelopment | $30m

[pushbutton]

If they want Rundown Mall to be clearer with a welcoming sense of openness, why don't they just demolish it completely including all the shops and arcades. They could then have quite a good size area covered in dead grass, plonk the pigs and fountain and balls on it, and call it the central parklands. Or they could even make it a wetlands!

Adelaide would be the laughing stock of the rest of Australia, and incredibly boring, but what's new?

[mattblack]

If they want Rundown Mall to be clearer with a welcoming sense of openness, why don't they just demolish it completely including all the shops and arcades. They could then have quite a good size area covered in dead grass, plonk the pigs and fountain and balls on it, and call it the central parklands. Or they could even make it a wetlands!

Adelaide would be the laughing stock of the rest of Australia, and incredibly boring, but what's new?

Sounds just like you on this forum .

[ColdChameleon]

Oooh, cold water for that burn?

I know it is slightly off topic, but maybe a big factor to why rundle mall isn't up to expectation is because Adelaide only really has a small handful of streets? it's as if we're all trying to make a leading street out of something which would be among other busy streets in other cities. The rest of Adelaide isn't exactly welcoming, or worth going to, so young people see the city as Rundle Mall, and that's it. I'm 18, from the south. Why would I, along with many other people my age, spend an hour on the bus to get less shops than just down the road at Marion?

I don't want to sound like another "Adelaide's crap and boring and we should spend lots of money we don't have on making it a Melbourne Mk 2" commenter, just giving the opinion of pretty much every person I know of my age. I'm guessing everybody here have moved out of home, left uni with a full time job and all that...

There's so much that makes the place feel drab and dull, though. Boring 80s concrete buildings, small sidestreets with nothing on them, maybe if things like that were improved the overall mood would be lifted? What if there was art up high on the walls, instead of just grey everywhere? It would certainly be something fresh, and would probably do heaps more to improve the street than replacing the pavement or bins or stuff that nobody really cares about

[claybro]

The mall re-developement has become a very Adelaide arguement. In some ways you've got to feel for the council. Do nothing and the mall is branded as tired and run down. Do something and there is never ending critics. I dont see the mall as competing with suburban malls. It is a completely different demographic that goes there. Marion-hardto park, often over crowded and the copy of every mall everywhere. Rundel Mall is a detination for city workers (there are 100000 of them commuting in daily) the nearly 30000 CBD residents and also tourists. Who really cares if the suburbanites shop at Noarlunga/Marion West Lakes or where-ever. With increasing population the CBD including rundle Mall will pretty much survive in it's own right.

[ChillyPhilly]

You can never, ever please anyone. With any kind of development. It's about using the law and planning regulations to find the middle ground (e.g. why suburban developments must be 15% open space, etc.).

[Goya's Line]

What if there was art up high on the walls, instead of just grey everywhere? It would certainly be something fresh, and would probably do heaps more to improve the street than replacing the pavement or bins or stuff that nobody really cares about

There's a great example of this on Blythe St. (Mekong Thai) - mostly photographic work which is lit at night.

[Maximus]

Oooh, cold water for that burn?

I know it is slightly off topic, but maybe a big factor to why rundle mall isn't up to expectation is because Adelaide only really has a small handful of streets? it's as if we're all trying to make a leading street out of something which would be among other busy streets in other cities. The rest of Adelaide isn't exactly welcoming, or worth going to, so young people see the city as Rundle Mall, and that's it. I'm 18, from the south. Why would I, along with many other people my age, spend an hour on the bus to get less shops than just down the road at Marion?

I don't want to sound like another "Adelaide's crap and boring and we should spend lots of money we don't have on making it a Melbourne Mk 2" commenter, just giving the opinion of pretty much every person I know of my age. I'm guessing everybody here have moved out of home, left uni with a full time job and all that...

There's so much that makes the place feel drab and dull, though. Boring 80s concrete buildings, small sidestreets with nothing on them, maybe if things like that were improved the overall mood would be lifted? What if there was art up high on the walls, instead of just grey everywhere? It would certainly be something fresh, and would probably do heaps more to improve the street than replacing the pavement or bins or stuff that nobody really cares about

Welcome, CC. Interesting comments.

I agree -- there's no real reason that you would go to Rundle Mall rather than Marion. However, you're not really the 'target market' for the redevelopment. I don't entirely agree with Claybro... There are a whole lot of people in Adelaide who live roughly equidistant from Rundle Mall and a suburban mall, and it's about attracting them to go to the former, rather than the latter. Although, I do agree that with local CBD residents and the daily influx of workers, the Mall will probably survive in any case, irrespective of what's done with it. The redevelopment is also about attracting new residents to the CBD and making it more inviting in general -- that's the Council's job.

I do always find these 'drab', 'boring', 'grey', 'run-down', etc, comments interesting. To me, that's Melbourne. Perhaps I'm in the minority, and I also must admit that I haven't been to Bourke St Mall in a long time, but Melbourne has always felt grey and dull to me, whereas I associate Rundle Mall with busy-ness, colour and life (i.e. shoppers). I wonder where these comments come from... Can someone give me a good example of something in the Mall that is run-down?

[omada]

I'm sorry but what is wrong with the mall as it is?? Seems to be pretty busy to me. I'd say leave the mall as it is and spend the money on the laneways in the general area of the mall, that way, the mall itself benefits from increased utility and the money is actually improving our streetscape.

[monotonehell]

I'm sorry but what is wrong with the mall as it is?? Seems to be pretty busy to me. I'd say leave the mall as it is and spend the money on the laneways in the general area of the mall, that way, the mall itself benefits from increased utility and the money is actually improving our streetscape.

It is VERY busy. But once again the pavement is in a dreadful state, broken pavers, trip points. Also the whole thing is just looking tired and run down.

Interestingly the restaurant part of the Pulteney end entryway has moved out already. Going by the schedule, that end isn't due to be touched for two years. So now we have an empty and (already) vandalised building to greet people as they enter the Mall.

[Nathan]

Interestingly the restaurant part of the Pulteney end entryway has moved out already. Going by the schedule, that end isn't due to be touched for two years. So now we have an empty and (already) vandalised building to greet people as they enter the Mall.

Just walked past. Whilst the restaurant was closed, the cafe part was still open.

[[Shuz]]

Cross-posted from the Random Photos of Adelaide thread.

Isn't it interesting to note that the Rundle Mall of old (see pictures) has the trees, seating and the like to the sides and the fountain located off-centre... which is exactly what the new redevelopment is going back to. History repeats itself.

[crawf]

That looks harder to navigate than the current setup.

I'm sorry but what is wrong with the mall as it is?? Seems to be pretty busy to me. I'd say leave the mall as it is and spend the money on the laneways in the general area of the mall, that way, the mall itself benefits from increased utility and the money is actually improving our streetscape.

Rundle Mall is a very busy place and already a major attraction for the city, but the look of the place really lets it down. Rundle Mall should be Australia's premier mall or at least up there with Queen St Mall in Brisbane. Considering it's the longest mall in the country, lovely architecture, close to tourist attractions and a increasing better mix of retailers. All it needs is a major facelift to bring Rundle Mall back to it's former glory.

Once the mall is redeveloped, then the attention should to be focused on the laneways. Gawler Place in particular.

[Nathan]

Once the mall is redeveloped, then the attention should to be focused on the laneways. Gawler Place in particular.

Agreed. Given that the same length of North Tce is the "cultural precinct" there should be far better connections between it and the Mall. Right now, they might as well be on the other side of the city from each other.

[Reb-L]

OK, move the balls, fountain, pigs whatever but why cut down the trees? I'm sure the other stuff will be moved again in a couple of years but it'll be at least 15 years until we can get some useful shade again (I've never understood the argument that we have to cut down healthy trees to replant them with more later on). I don't care much about pavers and sightlines but I won't hang around in the mall too long on a sunny summer's day if there's no shade.

[Nort]

(I've never understood the argument that we have to cut down healthy trees to replant them with more later on).

In the long term , cutting down healthy mature trees on roads and paths to replace with new young ones can be a smart thing to do. It ensures that you will always have some mature trees along the strip, rather than waiting until they die and replacing most of them at that point.

That said, I agree that cutting down trees in Rundle Mall now to replace them all would be a negative.