Trial to make city livelier

City of Perth council last week agreed to trial short-term place activation measures for the street, which connects the two portions of the campus.

The trial during March and April will reduce traffic to one way only, allowing for green spaces including trees in planter bags, shade sails and sun loungers.

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said she hoped the initiative would encourage the 20,000 CIT students to stay in the city, bringing life to the area, making it safer.

‘Through the activation of Museum Street, a small, rather neglected thoroughfare at the centre of the campus, can flourish as the campus heart,’ she said.

‘Campus activation is the first step towards creating a place where students can have a campus location and we can encourage the development of cafes and kiosks.

‘Activity in Northbridge has tended to centre on the area west of William Street but with the positive changes in recent years to William Street and the Perth Cultural Centre this bit of Northbridge is now an exciting place to be.’

CIT managing director Neil Fernandes said the main goal of the activation was to create a campus feel.

‘This activation is part of Central’s ongoing desire to be an education institution for and of the city, not just one that is located in it,’ he said.

‘[It] is a natural extension of the wider City Link project that aims to reconnect the city centre with Northbridge.

‘We would like Perth City to embrace us as the largest learning institution in the City in a similar fashion to how Melbourne embraces RMIT,’ he added.

The three-week trial will see Francis Street temporarily close to allow direct pedestrian access from the Perth Cultural Centre into Museum Street.