The corner of Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street is one of Melbourne’s busiest intersections, so closing it over summer to make way for a Pop Up Park is no small feat. Working with the City of Melbourne, The Place Agency designed and delivered a pop up park which closed the road to vehicles, in order to make way for people. The goal of the project was to test and trial the scenario in order to determine whether a permanent road closure was feasible and supported by the public.
CLIENT: CITY OF MELBOURNE|
LOCATION: MELBOURNE|
CAPABILITIES: PLACEMAKING AND ACTIVATION
“This is a welcome addition to the city’s open space and it’s good news for nearby businesses. The new park can even be used for small scale events”
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, City of Melbourne
OUTCOME
Thanks to this pilot, the City of Melbourne were able to move ahead with the permanent closure of Elizabeth Street. Works have now begun to transform the roadway into a public plaza space.
108
Average number of hourly visitors to the pop up park
100,000
Estimated number of total visitors to the pop up park over the 4 month period
12 mins
The increase in average dwell time on Elizabeth Street
