DOMAIN ROAD POP-UP PARK_

The Domain Road Pop-Up park was set up as a trial initiative to enhance the local area and bring residents, businesses and visitors together to eat, relax and enjoy local public spaces. Informed by community consultation, the design is roughly the size of five car spaces along a number of shop fronts on Domain Road. The Metro Tunnel Creative Program runs alongside the construction of the Metro Tunnel project, featuring creative initiatives, placemaking activities and events designed to enhance the liveability of places surrounding construction sites. The program seeks to work with stakeholders and the community to create pockets of respite, creativity and activation.  Following drop-in sessions with local businesses and online engagement with the local community, a decision was made to proceed with the implementation of the park which opened in December 2019. The park was operational from December 2019 – May 2020 and for four months during that period, ongoing engagement occurred to measure how people used and felt about the park. The park was regularly maintained by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program and managed during the COVID-19 requirements. The selection and procurement of plants was a collaboration with the curators of Royal Botanical Gardens to ensure the parklet was an extension of the local area rich botanical landscape. From consultation undertaken onsite in May 2020,  98% of residents who responded supported the park staying longer than five months. Of those surveyed online, 66% of respondents would like to see the park extended beyond the 5-month trial. Based on the consultation and feedback from the community, the project has remained on site as a permanent installation.

Images by Landmedia.