Listening to Adelaide talk back radio and reading letters to the editor pages, it’s clear that many people have passionate views about this city in which they live, work and play.

Adelaide City Council tapped into these thoughts by asking people for their views about how they see the future of Adelaide.

Council embraced new technology and developed an innovative project, Picture Adelaide, which asked the community what they love about Adelaide, what they would like to see improved, and what they would like to see created. The concept was as original as it was simple – to encourage all South Australians to get involved in creating their city.

The campaign was launched in April by Adelaide Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood and raconteur Julian Schiller with a ‘Polaroid event’. Setting up under the Gawler Place canopy in Rundle Mall, the Picture Adelaide crew encouraged passers-by to write their opinions on a placard and have their photo taken with it, which was then pasted onto a canvas.

Initially a bit of persuasion was needed to gather participants, but the enthusiasm of the Picture Adelaide team soon had people joining in. Similar events were held over the next few days in North Adelaide and at Adelaide’s much-loved Central Market.

“We want people to be part of creating the kind of city they want to live in and spend time in. Picture Adelaide is a fresh way to have your say,” Yarwood said.

“Adelaide is a fantastic place but there are ideas that will make it even better, and contribute to a strong vision for the future.”

How does it work?

Ideas can be submitted via the website, and an iPhone App was added to the mix a few months into the campaign. Available free from the App Store, users can photograph anything they love, would like to improve or create, add their comments and upload it to a city map.

Contributions have also been submitted via postcards placed at the Adelaide City Council customer centre, libraries, community centres, UParks, the Aquatic Centre and Golf Course, as well as in hundreds of cafés, restaurants and a variety of other places in the city.

Disposable cameras were given to schools and community groups to take photos and submit their thoughts, providing an easy way for traditionally hard-to-reach groups to participate.

“By using a combination of a website, an iPhone App, Twitter and Facebook, plus more conventional methods like postcards, letters, posters and advertisements, we were able to reach a broad crosssection of the community,” Yarwood said.

Between April and June, more than 1,000 people contributed around 3,000 ideas. The majority came from people aged between 20 and 39. This was quite a coup, as this age group is renowned for being difficult to engage with local government.

Picture Adelaide has also received industry recognition, winning the ‘Experiential and Brand Experiences’ category at the Australian Marketing Institute’s South Australian Awards for Excellence this year.

The ideas

Six main themes have emerged from the campaign, focusing on city character and life, getting around, living in the city, looking after the environment, business, education and technology.

While most of the proposals centred around improvement, many expressed what people love about Adelaide. There were also suggestions about what could be created, with thoughts ranging from the quirky to the practical.

City life and style

The character of the city - what it looks like, development, heritage, parks and gardens – inspired comments such as “the Park Lands are an underutilised asset”, “I love all the open spaces surrounding the city”, “develop the Riverbank,” and “blend Adelaide’s heritage with new, well-designed buildings”.

David Chick, Adelaide City Council’s City Design Manager said, “People love Adelaide’s beauty, size, accessibility, liveability, friendliness, Park Lands and heritage. But they also want to see more vibrancy and activity, a lively Riverbank, more activity in Rundle Mall, greater activity and diversity in the Park Lands, and more attractive and people focussed streets.”

What the city looks like, arts, events, dining and entertainment were other prevalent topics of discussion.

One contributor described an ideal Adelaide as having “places to discover that stimulate and excite, places that are irregular, interesting, unusual, controversial, art in unexpected places”.

“The sense of community here is something people really appreciate and that came through strongly in the results,” Chick said.

“They also love the fantastic dining scene but want to see more of the smaller bars and cafes in laneways, rooftops and spilling out onto footpaths generally. We’ve certainly got the climate for this, so it’s something we are actively encouraging and pursuing.”

Council recently gave the go ahead to a new ‘City Activation’ program which allows experimental projects such as pop-up cafes and cultural events as well as pedestrian plazas to be trialled around the CBD. Ideas submitted as part of the Picture Adelaide consultation will be used as a starting point.

The program will run for six months from October 2011 and Council has set aside funding to help projects get underway. The aim is simple – to deliver projects quickly, economically and in collaboration with businesses, property owners and other community partners.

The first-round may also include art fairs, community gardens, temporary food vendors in the Park Lands, more public art installations. One of the proposals is for free performances in Victoria Square with busker concerts on Friday nights and classical recitals by the State Opera Company of South Australia.

The model is based on a similar trial undertaken by New York City Council. The most prominent example there has been the closure of parts of Broadway to traffic in favour of outdoor dining areas. Wider footpaths and dedicated cycling lanes have also been activated.

“Projects will need to bring vibrancy and activity while being flexible, safe and simple to install. Pedestrian-friendly spaces attract more street life and in-turn, draw more customers,” Yarwood said.

“We won’t know until we give it a go - if something doesn’t work, we can move on and try something else.”

An artistic city

Adelaide has a beloved and burgeoning street art scene and Picture Adelaide respondents said they wanted to see more of it. Artistic control has been handed to local street artists at several city sites already and international artist ABOVE mentored some local artists who put their skills to work on the Morphett Street Bridge in the city’s West End.

‘Topham Wall’, a car park wall, is a designated ‘street art gallery’ site where artists can paint freely, use different techniques and, importantly, do not need to seek approval. People often stop on their way to or from work to gaze at the ever-changing and evolving colourful, and sometimes confronting, artworks that appear.

“Street art adds colour, life and vibrancy to spaces. It gives people a chance to make important social and environmental statements or just add decorative vitality and humour to dull places,” Yarwood said.

“Public art is a great opportunity to provoke public discussion, connect communities and generate questions and ideas about Adelaide’s future.”

Council continues to encourage artists to create dynamic, living streets through funding projects, providing spaces for art production and giving advice and support to artists to commission new works of art.

“Some street art that uses public space also allows artists, who may otherwise feel disenfranchised, to reach a broader audience. In the urban landscape some of this is seen as an open access art form,” Yarwood said.

Getting around

Transport attracted numerous mentions and provoked some heated responses. Public transport and creating a bicycle and pedestrian friendly city were among the top Picture Adelaide themes.

More bike lanes, a city with less emphasis on car use and free parking for electric vehicles were all suggested. The trams are well-loved and city users want to see more of them going to all corners of the city.

Lowering speed limits has also been put forward and the Lord Mayor agrees.

“Trialling lower speed limits in pedestrian-orientated areas like our dining precincts in Rundle and Gouger Streets would help calm traffic and make the areas a nicer place to socialise,” Yarwood said.

“Many other Australian cities are trialling lower speed limits and I believe it would make city living and working much more enjoyable and safer.”

Council’s Bicycle Action Plan aims to deliver more on-road bike lanes, off-road paths, racks and lockers to make commuting on two wheels easier and safer.

The City Bike scheme provides bikes free to riders from various points throughout the CBD. They are popular with tourists seeking to explore as well as workers looking for a bit of lunch time exercise.

The review of the Integrated Movement Strategy, Moving Adelaide, supports the vision of Council and the State government (relating to residential, workforce and visitor growth) by improving accessibility, the pedestrian environment and urban amenity. Walking, cycling and public transport will be given greater priority as critical elements in an integrated strategy.

Somewhere to live

People are keen to live in the heart of Adelaide – where a diverse mix of residents creates eclectic vibrancy – but Picture Adelaide shows the lack of affordable housing prevents many from doing so.

Hindmarsh Property Pty Ltd were recently appointed to partner with Council to deliver an affordable housing project on Sturt Street in the south west corner of the City. The development will revitalise an underutilised site and create a mixed use area.

Safe and attractive pedestrian links and a piazza will be incorporated into the design.

Of the 179 apartments, 72 will provide affordable housing options, with 52 affordable sale opportunities including 20 apartments to be retained by Council and rented out through the National Rental Affordability Scheme.

“This project will increase the residential population, housing choice and social mix, and make it possible for more people to enjoy city life,” said Mike Philippou, Residential Growth Program Manager.

“Few people appreciate Council is also a developer and facilitator of affordable housing options – we are keen to see a diversity of housing in the city and we’re investing signifi cantly in this type of development. Increasing the number and blend of people living in Adelaide’s centre will generate activity and vitality.”

This project will contribute toward a more environmentally sustainable pattern of development, reducing the need for travel and making the best use of public transport.

A green city

As the world seems to get more complicated and technology intrudes more into our down time, many of us are embracing activities that slow us down and give us time to ‘smell the roses’.

With celebrities like television’s self-sufficiency guru Hugh Fernley- Whittingstall and Gourmet Farmer Matthew Evans promoting the eating of seasonal, fresh produce, a surge of interest is developing in community gardens.

Picture Adelaide contributors are keen to see community gardens in the Park Lands, on roof tops and in pots along roadways. A ‘city farm’ was seen by one person as a way of enhancing Adelaide’s reputation as a culinary capital, as were cooking classes and food education activities established alongside food-producing gardens.

Adrian Stokes, Council’s Sustainable City Program Manager said, “Part of Council’s long-term vision for Adelaide is that it is a sustainable, green city.”

“The community appears to share that vision, with calls for Adelaide to become a world-renowned sustainable city. Proposals to help achieve this include restoring habitats and using only native plants in parks and gardens, and improving recycling throughout the city. Growing green walls was also a recommendation that would not only cool the buildings and the streets, but would also look good,” Stokes said.

Where to now?

The results of Picture Adelaide, together with other information on trends, challenges and opportunities, will be used to inform the development of the City of Adelaide Strategic Plan 2012 -2016 and other significant planning documents.

The results have been used to seek more specific feedback on trams, laneways and bike lanes through the Picture Adelaide website.

Council will be continuing the conversation and moving to the next stage of planning for the city’s future.

‘Your Say Adelaide’ is a new initiative that enables people to provide online feedback for the wide range of projects and activities that will ultimately inform and influence the decisions made by Council.

New online tools include online forums which allow people to discuss and share their views with the Adelaide community and with Council. There are also quick polls, online surveys and social sharing providing an easy way to contribute ideas and thoughts.

Picture Adelaide is only the start of an ongoing conversation with those who use and visit the city and the start of an exciting time in Adelaide’s development.