Woden residents and workers, get ready for some much-needed activation of the town square.
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Pop-up food vans, table tennis facilities, outdoor offices, lush turf complete with sun lounges... The list goes on.
The draft vision for an ACT government initiative to add life to the square was unveiled on Sunday by city services minister Chris Steel.
The temporary revamp of Woden's concrete jungle will be in place for six months, from February 2019.
The idea builds on the Backyard Experiment undertaken in Garema Place in 2016, where colourful furniture and lighting was implemented for eight days. During that time, the area doubled in foot traffic and attracted more families, couples and social groups by up to 780 per cent, a report by facilitators Street Furniture Australia found.
The hope for Woden is to increase visitors by 200 per cent, and have more people stay in the area for longer.
"Activating the central town square is a key next step in the Woden town centre's regeneration and supporting the further development of high quality public spaces in our town centres," Mr Steel said.
He said community views on the proposed design and possible events to be held in the pop-up park space are being sought. Five hubs of activity have been slated in the vision, including a work hub, green dining space, community square, social lounge and time out space.
"Key features of these hubs include a stage for community performances, outdoor offices, smart benches with phone and laptop charging, flexible table settings next to areas set aside for pop up food and drink vendors, turf areas with sun loungers and an outdoor table tennis facility for a bit of fun," Mr Steel said.
He hoped the area would encourage people to spend time there, rather just passing through, by improving the vibe, creating attractions of interest and shelter from the elements.
The design was informed by a "discovery phase", where feedback was sought from the community on what could be done to improve the area. A report found that most people use the area as a thoroughfare, because it is uninviting, basic, "soulless", windy and with too many smokers. Some said it felt unsafe.
The report can be found the Your Say website. Mr Steel encouraged those looking to host events or activities in the space from February to July 2019 to follow the link to the Your Say website to register interest.
