Council to ‘funk up’ Malop St with ‘tactical urbanism’

A “FUNKY pop-up urban space” will add colour to Geelong’s Malop St, City Hall has announced.
The temporary Malop Street Lab would feature “improvised street furniture” and plants to encourage al fresco dining between Moorabool and Yarra Sts, the City said.
Mayor Darryn Lyons was excited about the changes, known as “tactical urbanism”.
“We’re seeing this around the globe. There’s been a worldwide movement in temporary changes to spaces, including in New York, London, San Francisco, Rio De Janeiro and Berlin.
“I think it’s a fantastic way to liven up the street and create a fun and inviting vibe where people want to sit down, catch up with friends or have a bite to eat.
“It will commence in October and remain in place into the new year in order to take advantage of the summer months and busy events period.”
Council’s central Geelong portfolio-holder, Michelle Heagney, said the project would serve as a test run for council’s City in a Park project.
“City in a Park aims to add a green spine to our city centre and create more interesting and engaging spaces in central Geelong. The Malop Street Lab allows us to test this out and see how the community responds.
“The project consultant, CoDesign studio, will be in the area next week chatting with shoppers moving through the space about why they visit this space, where they are going and how long they stay for to gauge behaviours which will inform the design of the temporary installation.”