A six-month experiment to bring more life to Haig Park begins in June, with new tracks, a play area and events planned.
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The ACT government has taken on a consortium led by the University of Canberra in its attempt to rejuvenate the often-avoided park.
The "Haig Park experiment", costing $1 million, will run for six months.
City Renewal Authority chief executive Malcolm Snow said successful initiatives could become a permanent fixture at the park.
"We want to change people's perception of this fantastic public asset and invite the Canberra community back in to enjoy this underutilised city park," Mr Snow said.
"The appointment of this consortium to start implementing some of the actions in the place plan is an exciting first step in making Haig Park more vibrant, attractive, safe and accessible."
The first stage of the "experiment" will overhaul infrastructure and include yet-to-be-defined small-scale public activities. They will be finalised in the coming week.
Stage two would see temporary infrastructure set up, including a pavilion, with nature play and running tracks planned.
As the weather warms up, larger events will be tested.
Mr Snow said the six-month experiment would determine what events bring more people to Haig Park.
"Testing changes through short-term and temporary interventions allows us to see what works before taking steps to implement more permanent changes," he said.
The university-led consortium includes members from the Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centre, landscape architect group Tait Network and event-management company Dionysus.
The experiment plan is the latest in a long line of attempts to revitalise the Haig Park area.
A series of 14 workshops was held at the park in 2016 that looked at how the space could be used, with activities such as mountain biking, clay painting and Lego building used.
A government plan for the area was announced last year to make it safer, with a proposal for play equipment, better lighting and footpaths.
Tenders for the plan were put out in November.