Dickens Street Activation

Project

Balaclava, in the City of Port Phillip, has slowly evolved from its working class roots into a vibrant inner city suburb. It’s one of the most densely populated parts of the city, with open space at an absolute premium.

A no-through road, with magnificent trees but far too many under-utilised car parks, Dickens Street was earmarked for transformation into a versatile community space under the council’s Places for People public space strategy.

Design

The Dickens Street makeover is essentially a placemaking activation, designed to empower local residents to actively shape and reinvent their public space.

City of Port Phillip’s vision for the Dickens Street activation included vibrant road-painting, large planter boxes, a basketball hoop and plenty of bicycle parking.

To both complement and enhance the colour-rich design, the council worked closely with Urbania to source the perfect portable street furniture.

Equipment

Sustainability is paramount for the City of Port Phillip, so Urbania recommended the installation of pieces from the colourful Caribou Star range by Durbanis.

Made of recycled polyethylene plastic from packaging waste, Caribou’s uniqueness lies not just in its eye catching organic design, but also in its commitment to the environment.

Because Caribou is made from 100% recycled materials, the seating can be recycled all over again when it comes to the end of its life.

One of the other great things about the Caribou range, which makes it so popular for placemaking and pop-ups, is the ease with which is can be installed and removed. Although they can be attached with brackets, the pieces are generally filled with water or sand to secure them in place.