Conference week!
Jensen PLUS were active last week in the conference scene, attending, presenting and sponsoring at Mainstreet SA’s annual get together in Port Pirie, and at the National Planning Congress in Perth.
As main street and town centre advocates we have supported Mainstreet SA’s conference for a number of years and were pleased to do so again. Visiting Port Pirie for the first time enabled a new audience to attend, including many from the mid-North and Upper Spencer Gulf regions, a great outcome.
Jere was happy to show delegates around the CBD revitalisation of Florence and Alexander Streets, designed by Jensen PLUS and Tonkin Consulting. The streets are shaping up well.
Sandy’s presentation to the Mainstreet SA conference was titled “Making Main Roads into Main Streets, the Next Frontier”. Using our Goodwood Road and Main North Road, Prospect projects as case studies, Sandy outlined how an investment attraction approach, as well as a design approach, is being used to address economic and placemaking challenges along main roads in South Australia.
Michael travelled to Perth for PIA’s major event of the year which was well attended and also showcased some of Perth’s newest public realm including Perth Stadium, Elizabeth Quay and Yagan Square. All three are bright and bold projects with no expense spared. They look to be well used (so far) and are definitely worth a look (and a read, see new Foreground article link here).
Michael delivered two conference sessions including “The Rise of the Not For Profit Developer”, a showcase of SA’s remarkable NFP development projects including U-City and Minda’s Redevelopment. The large audience was quite amazed by the scale and reach of these projects, which are quite unlike what many were used to.
Friday’s Main Street Motivator 90-minute workshop was packed out with 50 people who got to share and discuss what makes main streets lively, interesting and successful. We managed two workshop exercises including a placecheck and a rapid masterplan which was good work for the time available. Thanks to all those who attended and gave feedback.
The planning conference had a disruptor and A.I. flavour, profiling new technologies and techniques alongside more traditional planning methods. Michael also attended a bicycle urbanism workshop by Copenhagenize and thinks we are already using these cycle design methods in Australia, but just not stitching it all together…yet.
We see conferences as good places to listen and provoke thoughts. If you come away with a few ideas to try, and with a few new friends, claim success.
