DATE:
2013 – 2014
LOCATION:
Oxford Street, VIC
CLIENT:
Woollahra Municipal Council
Oxford Street has undergone significant change in the past decade, from being touted as Australia’s leading fashion destination, to a street experiencing high vacancy rates and poor local and tourist visitation.
The ‘Activate Oxford St’ project was born as a result of the Paddington Business Partnership calling upon Council to help revitalise the street.
Woollahra Municipal Council engaged Village Well to work with traders and property owners to develop a new vision and series short term and longer term place activation ideas to assist in the renewal of a vibrant and successful village.
Village Well facilitated a series of vision and ideas workshops with local traders, property owners and key strategic stakeholders including the City of Sydney, State Government representatives, Paddington Historic Society, and representatives from Sydney Buses, SCG and Centennial Parklands.
Engagement with the broader community included surveys as well as a discussion forum on the ‘Activate Oxford St’ facebook page managed by Council.
Traders and property owners were inspired to bring their ideas, hearts and hands to the workshops to help turn their street into something amazing.
Village Well developed a Placemaking Roadmap to improve local and visitor experience, retail performance and general perceptions of the street. Village Well also prepared a series of creative marketing material for the project including a project brand and logo, website information, specialty invitations and graphic foils for the street.
Woollahra Municpal Council and key stakeholders, in particular Oxford Street traders and property owners, can now ‘sing from the same songsheet’.
The Activate Oxford St project gained political support from local Councillors, as well as the NSW Independent Representative for Sydney, Alex Greenwich.The project has also received extensive media coverage including articles in a number of newspapers and a Channel 10 news bulletin which has assisted in raising awareness of the project.
