Client
City of Adelaide
Overview
Parks + GardensTransport
Collaborators
City Collective
GTA
MLEI
Lucid
RLB
Disciplines
Landscape Architecture
Media
Location
North Adelaide, SA
Date
2020
Imagery
Sweet Lime Photo
The project represents an innovative way for new green spaces to be funded and delivered serving the shared needs of a growing population in an infill setting where open space is limited.
The project is a key Parkland site between North Adelaide and Prospect and involved significant engagement to navigate the politics of the site, the technical constraints of the roadway, protected biodiversity, and existing tree layers.
The project brief called for the creation of a community activity hub and boulevard treatment along Prospect Road to support the recreation and open space needs of the existing and growing communities for the City of Adelaide and the City of Prospect.
Strategically, the Adelaide Park Lands Management Strategy 2015-2025 (APLMS) set a vision for the future of the Park Lands. The Northern Activity Hub is one of the Strategy’s big moves adopted by the City of Adelaide and State Government.
“Northern Activity Hub Big Move: Improve the facilities in the park adjacent to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre to create a large activity hub.”
The project presented a great opportunity for Tract to respond to the brief and other key Government Strategies including Healthy By Design SA and the Streets for People Compendium, in particular the link and place theory that assisted in early analysis of opportunities relative to the link and place matrix.
In partnership with the City of Adelaide, we led a playful multistage community engagement process to achieve consensus across competing objectives, allowing the team to confidently undertake the concept design and engage with the community before commencing detailed design.
Significant internal stakeholder engagement and management occurred in partnership with the City of Adelaide to navigate the politics of the Parkland site with Government and the technical constraints of the existing roadway, Kaurna input and review, protected biodiversity areas and significant existing tree layers.
Design workshops and community open days were held over several months with a Your Say online platform established and managed by the City of Adelaide to capture community responses. Tract prepared visualisations displayed as part of the engagement sessions.
In partnership with our subconsultants we sought to balance the technical spatial requirements, engineering, and services requirements, along with native vegetation protection and enhancement requirements within a tight budget.
A key design parameter of the project was to protect and enhance native endemic vegetation. This informed the location of new picnic and sporting facilities and influenced the planting palette with a strong focus on increasing biodiversity.
The project sought to encourage active living by providing a safe and connected hub for walkers and cyclists that is inclusive for all and enhances the quality of life for surrounding communities. Pardipardinyilla has become a recreational destination in its own right. It is well utilised by people for active and passive recreation every day and evening.
The new streetscape has increased shade and canopy cover for pedestrians and cyclists and is contributing to increasing the percentage of canopy cover across Adelaide.
Lighting upgrades, including feature up-lighting to some of the significant Sugar Gums help to increase the amenity and safety of the park at night. The lighting upgrade extended to the sports courts allowing the park to be used at night, helping to activate the space well into the evening.
