The City Renewal Authority calls out for great ideas to improve the Canberra CBD

Tony Trobe speaks to City Renewal Authority chief executive officer, Malcolm Snow, about the City Precinct Renewal Program.

TT: The City Renewal Authority has put the callout for great ideas to improve the city precinct. What are you trying to find out?

MS: What we already know from our review of public consultation over the past decade-and-a-half is that aspirations for the city centre are quite consistent. We looked at 23 different studies and identified six recurring themes in people’s responses. In short, they wanted Canberra to be more connected, active, sustainable, creative and progressive, with a greater sense of community.

We understand the high-level vision for the city precinct and have set key goals, but now we really want practical ideas and actions the authority can consider in formulating its Precinct Renewal Program.

We aren’t going to create a new planning document. What we will have at the end of this process is a co-ordinated program of initiatives for the authority to deliver within the City Renewal Precinct, which includes the city centre, West Basin, Braddon, Northbourne Avenue and Dickson.

TT: What is the Precinct Renewal Program and what sort of ideas are you looking for?

MS: The Precinct Renewal Program will guide the City Renewal Authority’s work in the coming years. It will have a 2030 horizon, so while we are thinking about the big picture it is important we have a clear schedule of actions to progress over the next four years.

Because we are a “doing” agency we want people to suggest actual projects, initiatives and renewal-related actions. Proposals should be practical enough that, if implemented, they would help us renew the city precinct consistent with the community’s responses.

These could be specific public spaces to transform, improved connections to different parts of the precinct or suggestions on how we can improve our car, cycling and pedestrian networks to help people move around more easily. Or new projects people think are important for the city as it grows, such as new urban parks, sports and arts facilities, or other social infrastructure that would improve the experience in the city.

People might also have great ideas for how we can activate the precinct, such as new events to attract visitors, or interventions to encourage them to stay longer and come back more often.

TT: So how can people get their ideas to you and what are you going to do with them?

MS: An online consultation is open through the ACT government’s YourSay portal until June 8. This allows people to make new suggestions and also to comment on other posts. From this we hope to get a lot of great ideas that we can then take on to the next stage of consultation, which is a workshop with business, industry, government and community representatives in mid-June.

I encourage all Canberrans with an interest in making our city precinct a more lively and attractive place to visit yoursay.act.gov.au/precinct-renewal-program to share their ideas or to comment on ideas that we have already received.

TT: How will the City Renewal Authority decide which suggestions it includes in its program?

MS: We won’t be able to act on every suggestion received through this process. Some might be impractical or not possible to implement at this early stage. Others might be too expensive or not actually deliver any real benefit to the people who use the area.

That’s really the point in this process, to invite suggestions and discuss these with a wide range of stakeholders to identify the best combination to put into action.

At the end of the consultation process, we will release a summary of the suggestions that have been made but that will really be just the starting point for us.

The best ideas from our consultation, along with technical and financial considerations, will be considered in finalising our Precinct Renewal Program.

• Tony Trobe is director of TT Architecture, which specialises in the design of sustainable residential architecture. Is there a planning or design issue in Canberra you would like to discuss? Email tonytrobe@ttarchitecture.com.au