Hobart Renewed

Hobart can be made much better – more attractive, better for those who want to walk, more alive, and with linked facilities.

Hobart has many natural values because of our geography and position between the River and Mountain, and with the sense of wilderness being so close by. Despite this unique beauty, over the years Hobart has gradually become less people-centered, more impersonal and less attractive.  

While Hobart, like most Australian cities, has gradually become dominated by the car, we have become increasingly unhealthy. Many of us need not only a change in diet, but more exercise if we are to avoid obesity, diabetes and short lives. This is the number one health issue that we face, both from a demographic perspective but also for the ongoing health of our city.

The Gehl plan for central Hobart helps address the need for a healthier environment in the most pleasant possible way – by making our city easier for people to walk, work and play in.

The Hobart City Council commissioned Gehl Architects of Denmark to report on how to improve the human quality of life in the city in 2009. Gehl architects have an excellent record in providing visions for many cities including Melbourne, Copenhagen and Wellington.

While there has been controversy over the provision of a network of cycleways into the city and the reintroduction of two-way streets, the Gehl plan includes many elements that are less well–known. They are all future aspects of our city that deserve support.

Some of these elements are:

• Tree lined streets. Gehl recommends that we should plant 2-300 more trees a year in the city area to soften streetscapes, provide shade, muffle noise and clean the air.
• Boulevards. Especially Davey and Macquarie streets should become tree-lined boulevards, with pocket parking, wider footpaths, better lighting and coherent street furniture.
• Ground floor interest. Many parts of the city can be upgraded to provide shop-front interest at ground floor level. This applies to Campbell St, for example, where there is potentially a lot of pedestrian traffic centering on the hospital, the Menzies Centre and TAFE.
• Awnings. Replace heavy and unsightly building awnings with light verandas.
• Linking and revitalising laneways. It is proposed to develop a strategy that links Hobart’s many now disconnected laneways and encourages enhanced and mixed use.
• Pedestrian friendly bus mall. This can be achieved by having a single-level surface in the bus mall, better waiting times information and ensuring that buses are in a pedestrian space rather than pedestrians being in a bus space.
• A greater concentration of students. The city needs to have much more housing suitable for students who bring life to any area. Linking the UTAS, CSIRO, Arts school, Menzies and TAFE campuses with cycleways can also help a lot.

We need to promote the plan and its benefits for all our futures.

Helen Burnet

Deputy Lord Mayor