25 August 2017

Voting now open for micro park to help rejuvenate Garema Place

| Ian Bushnell
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The Grounds of Garema design is one of six shortlisted as a possible micro park in the city.

The community can now vote for a new pop-up recreational space that may include an amphitheatre or grassed platforms to help reinvigorate Garema Place, with a jury shortlisting six designs after a public competition.

Last month the ACT Government launched the competition calling for the public to submit proposals for a transportable micro-park, defined as a compact, human-scale, intimate place that supports multiple activities such as reading, eating, sitting and socialising.

The six shortlisted design ideas are:

  • The Grounds of Garema, which includes a micro amphitheatre, community piano, picnic tables and umbrellas;
  • Hakanasa – a grove of sculptural wattle trees as a Canberra celebration of spring in the Japanese tradition (Hanami);
  • Springtime Dreamtime – brightly illuminated blue trees, fun flower chairs that rotate and tilt, strings of lights strung between trees and brightly painted pavers;
  • Green Square – based on modularised planting beds set at varying levels and incorporating seating options for individual and small group use;
  • Angles – featuring elevated grass platforms and a timber ‘wave’ deck; and
  • Round – featuring grassed platforms and a small performance space.
Design graphic

A public vote is now open until 6 September to select one of the shortlisted designs.

Minister for Transport and City Services Meegan Fitzharris said 14 submissions were received from individuals, families and local landscape designers.

“The jury had a tough decision to make, but they have shortlisted the submissions received to six and it is now up to you to decide the winner,” Ms Fitzharris said.

She said the most popular design would be developed and constructed by a landscape architect, in consultation with the person or group who made the submission.

Construction of the micro park was expected to commence in November, in time for summer and the school holidays.

Transport Canberra and City Services would install the winning design in Garema Place for two months and it then may be moved to other locations in the city.

The designs can be viewed along with descriptions at www.yoursay.act.gov.au where people can vote online, or a hard copy entry form can be obtained at Civic Library. TCCS staff will be in Garema Place on Friday 1 September between 2.30pm and 4.30pm to collect community votes.

What do you think of the selected designs? Will they make Garema Place a more attractive place? What else needs to happen there?

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Tried leaving my preference and was not able to complete my submission. Can we have a Canberra Gardens by the Lake? Too much to ask??

Here is another whacky “regeneration” idea from Austria. It would be perfect for our “me too” government. https://www.dezeen.com/2010/11/24/ready-steady-go-by-sandra-janser-and-elisabeth-koller/

Wattle pollen is too heavy to fly around in the air.

Garema Place should be renamed Lennon-McCartney Place inspired by the lyrics to their song Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds:

Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she’s gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high……….

Is there a non-fussy option? These sorts of options will get shabby and p@##ed-on-by-drunks. How about a solid high quality paving upgrade and good versatile classic benches?

A lot of people blame wattles for their hayfever but it’s more likely to be grasses: http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2015-09-23/dont-blame-the-wattle/6791396

Some of these designs are well-intentioned but doomed to fail. If there are grassy areas in Garema Place they will rapidly be trampled to death and become areas of dirt.

wildturkeycanoe said :

Definitely not the wattle trees, you eliminate patronage from all the hay fever sufferers and them who are allergic to bees.

They aren’t the real thing though, are they? The whole impression is a rainbow without the bow.

wildturkeycanoe5:40 am 28 Aug 17

Definitely not the wattle trees, you eliminate patronage from all the hay fever sufferers and them who are allergic to bees.

I’ll vote for whichever one has public stocks and a crate of rotten fruit. The chuggers and the food kitchen volunteers (that toss their food scraps to the birds – hence the bird droppings all over every surface) all need to be dealt with.

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