Design and delivering a co-design process for the Russell Street streetscape upgrade and generate support for delivery.
Situation Explained
The upgrade of Russell Street was a high priority streetscape project for Toowoomba Regional Council. Council’s aim was to reconnect Russell Street to its immediate surrounds and to help Russell Street to realise its place in Council’s vision for the City Centre.
The streetscape upgrade project explored opportunities to reconnect Russell Street to the existing laneway network, and link Russell Street to other redevelopment projects. The objective of the project was to create an attractive, vibrant and well-connected urban environment that highlights the historical architectural features, integrates public art and boosts amenity and accessibility.
To inform the development of the streetscape upgrade, engagement activities provided opportunities for community members and stakeholders to share their aspirations for Russell Street and provide input to help shape the final design outcomes. This process aimed to build ownership of the Russell Street streetscape upgrade and generate enthusiasm for its implementation.
Our Approach
LPC was engaged to design and facilitate the community and stakeholder engagement process. During this process, we delivered the following engagement activities:
- a pop-up Open Day on Russell Street
- three Stakeholder and Art Reference Group meetings
- an art Workshop
- an online survey
- a community display on Russell Street.
The pop-up Open Day provided an opportunity for interested stakeholders and community members to drop in and talk to the project team about the streetscape upgrade. Visitors were also encouraged to respond to the survey, available both hard copy and online.
The three Stakeholder and Art Reference Group (SARG) meetings provided Russell Street stakeholders with an opportunity to have informal and detailed discussions about the streetscape project at various stages.
The feedback and insights gathered from the conversations had during the engagement activities directly influenced the development of the Russell Street streetscape redesign.
Results
Each engagement activity gathered input that directly informed the development of the Russell Street streetscape upgrade, and assisted in generating community support for the project.
The upgraded Russell Street opened in May 2023.
“Council’s goal was to give the community an active role in the design process to deliver a design that reflected the current and future needs of the community and Council.
“We felt that a co-design approach with the local community was the best way to ensure positive, long-term change for Russell Street.” – TRC Infrastructure Committee Portfolio Chair Cr Carol Taylor