[COM] Rundle Mall Redevelopment | $30m

[stronic]

“I would suggest 90 per cent of the reason why people don’t shop in the city is because they have to pay to park there,” he said.

The Adelaide Central Market was tackling the issue, Mr Granger said, by introducing free car parking for the first hour, and the city council had recently kept its Gawler Place car park open until midnight rather than closing early so it could be used by those wanting to go out for dinner or entertainment.

The real problem is that people need to be less reluctant to catch public transport. That might mean that our city transport needs an improvement, but I'm not really sure what its a reflection of. I do know that to be practical, if you're going to travel to the city to work, play or shop, then it's always seemed more feasible to me to hop on a bus, train or tram. You don't need to worry about parking, you don't need to worry about how much you drink in order to safely drive home, and there are no time restrictions as per carparks. I guess it will take some time for people to realise or adjust to, but car dependency is a major problem for Australian cities - Adelaide is no exception.

[jk1237]

It just seems that Adelaide's car dependency is getting worse, while Bris, Syd, Melb and Perth is getting much better. There is just a huge proportion of suburban Adelaidean's that find it completely inconceivable that you can get anywhere other than in a car, and it has to be in a SUV. As someone that walks to work each day in the city, I am astounded at car drivers nowadays that can't even accept pedestrians who have right of way at corners and traffic lights. Its awful. Too many carparks

I do reckon that the Adelaide Oval has changed this perception for the better

[Ho Really]

“I would suggest 90 per cent of the reason why people don’t shop in the city is because they have to pay to park there,” he said.

The Adelaide Central Market was tackling the issue, Mr Granger said, by introducing free car parking for the first hour, and the city council had recently kept its Gawler Place car park open until midnight rather than closing early so it could be used by those wanting to go out for dinner or entertainment.

The real problem is that people need to be less reluctant to catch public transport. That might mean that our city transport needs an improvement, but I'm not really sure what its a reflection of. I do know that to be practical, if you're going to travel to the city to work, play or shop, then it's always seemed more feasible to me to hop on a bus, train or tram. You don't need to worry about parking, you don't need to worry about how much you drink in order to safely drive home, and there are no time restrictions as per carparks. I guess it will take some time for people to realise or adjust to, but car dependency is a major problem for Australian cities - Adelaide is no exception.

Fellas don't forget that (some) people do shopping in the city and don't like to take their purchases onto public transport preferring to stuff it into their car boots or back seats. So give them the benefit of the doubt.

Cheers

[SRW]

$7m upgrade to "tacky" Gawler Place tops priority list
Bension Siebert, InDaily, 18 April 2016

The Adelaide City Council has set multi-million dollar upgrades to Gawler Place above renovations to other Rundle Mall laneways as the soon-to-be-unveiled Kintore Avenue memorial walk ups the pressure to redevelop the "tacky" street.

InDaily understands that a $7 million redevelopment to Gawler Place has been given top priority by the council over upgrades to other laneways such as Charles Street.

Read more...

Long overdue, so I hope they push ahead with it!

IMO, the full length of Gawler Place should be redeveloped into a pedestrian-focused shared zone -- it should rank higher in the hierarchy of streets given the density of businesses and the crucial north-south connection.

[crawf]

Definitely long overdue.

With this upgrade and Dick Smith closing soon, it will be interesting to see what store will move in.

[rev]

$7m upgrade to "tacky" Gawler Place tops priority list
Bension Siebert, InDaily, 18 April 2016

The Adelaide City Council has set multi-million dollar upgrades to Gawler Place above renovations to other Rundle Mall laneways as the soon-to-be-unveiled Kintore Avenue memorial walk ups the pressure to redevelop the "tacky" street.

InDaily understands that a $7 million redevelopment to Gawler Place has been given top priority by the council over upgrades to other laneways such as Charles Street.

Read more...

Long overdue, so I hope they push ahead with it!

IMO, the full length of Gawler Place should be redeveloped into a pedestrian-focused shared zone -- it should rank higher in the hierarchy of streets given the density of businesses and the crucial north-south connection.

The direct bits that run off Rundle Mall should be an extension of the mall in part.
On the northern side up to Fischer place should be pedestrian only.
And on the southern side where that laneway is(not sure what it's called) where the medical center is should also be pedestrian only mall, and a more pedestrian focus up to Grenfell Street.
It would be good as well if there was a way to link the Mall directly through Twin Street to Hindmarsh Square.

[monotonehell]

Long overdue, so I hope they push ahead with it!

IMO, the full length of Gawler Place should be redeveloped into a pedestrian-focused shared zone -- it should rank higher in the hierarchy of streets given the density of businesses and the crucial north-south connection.

The direct bits that run off Rundle Mall should be an extension of the mall in part.
On the northern side up to Fischer place should be pedestrian only.
And on the southern side where that laneway is(not sure what it's called) where the medical center is should also be pedestrian only mall, and a more pedestrian focus up to Grenfell Street.
It would be good as well if there was a way to link the Mall directly through Twin Street to Hindmarsh Square.

Agree 200%. Gawler place is a trip-filled, metre-wide pedestrian nightmare interrupted with parking signs.

[Spurdo]

It just seems that Adelaide's car dependency is getting worse, while Bris, Syd, Melb and Perth is getting much better. There is just a huge proportion of suburban Adelaidean's that find it completely inconceivable that you can get anywhere other than in a car, and it has to be in a SUV. As someone that walks to work each day in the city, I am astounded at car drivers nowadays that can't even accept pedestrians who have right of way at corners and traffic lights. Its awful. Too many carparks

I do reckon that the Adelaide Oval has changed this perception for the better

I wholeheartedly agree. Everytime I ride into town on my bike the Rundle mall area (pulteney street, gawler place, north terrace) is always full of dumb cagers fighting over who can get the best park. If I had a dollar for every time they came within a meter of me I would be a very rich man.

[Llessur2002]

Interesting article on the ABC this morning:

Adelaide's Rundle Mall celebrates 40 years since official unveiling



Adelaide's Rundle Mall is toasting 40 years as the city's shopping, social and cultural heart.

It was September 1, 1976, when Premier Don Dunstan officially unveiled Rundle Mall as one of the first pedestrian-only streets in Australia.

The 528-metre-long strip was packed with South Australians and lavishly christened when the old fountain was filled with champagne.

"It was a long time ago that people started to urge that we have a place in the city really for people and not for motorcars, where in fact the life of the city could find a heart," Mr Dunstan told the crowd.

"It wasn't just going to be a shopping place, but where people could come and stroll, meet one another, enjoy an open-air activity, and at the same time, of course, go and purchase what they wanted to.

"So the promise, 'meet you at the mall'... will become a common thing for Adelaide people."



Locals would eventually adopt the phrase "meet you at the Mall's Balls" — an affectionate reference to Bert Flugelmen's Spheres, an unparalleled landmark and piece of public art in the state.

Architect Ian Hannaford was tasked with designing the original Rundle Mall in the 1970s, which was no minor feat amid considerable controversy.

"It was an interesting time because there was a great amount of discord amongst the stakeholders — the key retailers had one view, the government had another view, the smaller retailers had a different view, and then there was taxi ranks and everything else," he said.

The project team travelled to Canada, Scotland and continental Europe seeking inspiration for the pedestrian thoroughfare.

"I went to some lengths to make it very human-scale, soft underfoot with a cobbled brick character in the paving, shady trees and plantings, and very comfortable seats," Mr Hannaford recalled.



"It was all designed so people would psychologically feel that they were being looked after, it was human-scale and they liked being there — that was the secret."

Over the years Rundle Mall has had several facelifts, the most recent completed last year, as well as big changes including the construction of the Myer Centre in 1991, the closure of John Martins in 1998 and the arrival of more international retailers.

Mr Hannaford would not be drawn on whether he liked the current design choices, saying it was a different era and motives had changed.

He said a lot of the smaller retailers and specialty stores had either relocated to the suburbs or disappeared entirely.

"Personally I find the seats uncomfortable, and it's not person-driven like I think it ought to be."

Rundle Mall's general manager Amanda Grocock said the street had an enduring emotional connection with most South Australians.

"I think we're heading into a really exciting chapter for Rundle Mall ... whether that be Adelaide City Council's significant investment in Gawler Place or the State Government's investment in the tram extension along North Terrace."

Today, the precinct boasts 700 retailers, 300 offices and 15 arcades and shopping centres.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-01/a ... atenews_sa

[timtam20292]

Happy 40th Birthday Rundle Mall

[metro]

Rundle Mall was so popular and so great for businesses that no other busy city streets have been turned into pedestrian malls in 40 years, not counting the few side streets like Leigh St, James Place.. A poor effort for the city was once at the forefront of pedestrian malls in Australia.

[Patrick_27]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is seriously disappointed with this year's Christmas decorating throughout the mall... This year we have 'Joy', 'Peace' and 'Merry' signs accompanied by a heap of real Christmas trees (that will likely die during the summer heat) which are decorated with loose ornaments the kind of stuff you'd expect on a household Christmas tree (not an outdoor Christmas display), and they've also strung flags along the catenary lighting wires... Unless they're yet to come along, the ornament lights that were hung from the catenary lighting wires last year don't seem to be making an appearance this year.

For once, I feel the Adelaide City Council need to follow the lead of places like London or New York. Set a standard for the individual arcades in terms of how they choose to decorate their facades; get the green tinsel theme going along the overhead wires, bring back the ornaments for the wires also and a giant tree in the middle of Gawler Place (similar to the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree). Just because we don't have a white Christmas in Australia doesn't mean we should wind down on the Christmas cheer.

[Nathan]

Eh, it looks pretty good to me this year. Lots of added greenery, and I like the criss crossing bunting hanging on and across the lighting.

[crawf]

Christmas is still a good 5 weeks away, perhaps there is still more to come?. E.g. lighting.

(where has this year gone!)

[SRW]

I like the bunting and buzz words (instagrammable installations are always a marketing win for such precincts), but I think the trees are a little cluttered/OTT and the oversized metal ornaments a little suburban. Kinda looks like they've tried to shoehorn some trendy ideas awkwardly into the Mall rather than create a bespoke decorative scheme.