24 Jul 2015

Urbis Sydney Design Associate Director Jennifer Calzini presented at the 15th International Cities Town Centres & Communities (ICTC) and 5th Mainstreet Australia Conference held at Wollongong on 21 – 24 July 2015.

As one of the biggest joint industry events of the year, the conference entitled People, Places & Partnerships – creating liveable & loveable places was attended by over 100 delegates across NSW. Participants were comprised of local government officers, urban designers, and other industry stakeholders interested in learning about Planning and Placemaking best practices.

With the theme ‘Sharing The Secrets to Success’, the conference aimed to showcase the latest global trends and case studies in the industry, focusing on the challenges and learnings along the way. Delegates came away with practical tools and solutions for successful mainstreets, towns and cities.

For the presentation, Jennifer outlined how Urbis applied the 7 key factors which support retail in a main street to their current revitalisation project of the Liverpool City Centre.

Design - 7 Principles - Wollongong Conference

The 7 key factors identified are:

  1. Connectivity
  2. Place programming
  3. Authenticity
  4. Food is a destination
  5. Tactical activation
  6. Daylight
  7. Green

Jennifer also shared the project’s primary objectives which were to provide a place that is connected and accessible to all and to enable the place to be activated 24/7 while still remaining safe and welcoming for the entire community to enjoy.

Design - Liverpool City Centre images Design - Liverpool City Centre 2 images

In order to achieve this, the team developed an overall design strategy to create a layered public domain framework. This strategy was embodied in a linear main street punctuated by a series of events in various size scales to encourage pedestrian movement from one end to the other.

Design - Liverpool City Centre Master plan 2

The Sydney Studio Design Director and the Project Director Mark Kuhne reports that the Liverpool City Centre Revitalisation project is still in progress and is expected to be completed by June 2016

For further information or specific enquiries about the Liverpool City Centre Revitalisation project, please contact Mark Kuhne.