A PAIR of “pocket parks” designed in conjunction with the community are among the latest proposed Spaces for People projects in Dundee.
Eliza Street and Craigie Street in Stobswell will be transformed into pedestrian and people-friendly spaces if the proposals are implemented.
Mark Flynn, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: “In densely populated areas like Stobswell with lots of tenements, it is important to help create a sense of community and one way of doing this is to use residential streets in a different way that hands them back over to people.
“Over the years our quiet residential streets have got busier and busier, but the pandemic has given us a chance to take stock and look at what is really important to people and the way they live in our communities.
“This creative and fun response, which has been supported by the work of the UNESCO City of Design Dundee team, gives the streets back to people of all ages and will go some way to improving the health and well-being of residents of Stobswell.”
The plans were developed through a collaborative co-design process to develop ideas with community representatives in a series of online workshops open to the public.
Stobswell Forum, local residents and traders were all involved with the process which was led by Service Design Academy.
Responding to calls for more greenery, bright colours and places to sit and meet safely, the designs feature seating and planters that provide two metre passing space for pedestrians. The planting has been picked to promote bio-diversity, taking account of the shady site.
As part of the project a visual identity for Stobswell has been developed by designer Louise Kirby which will be applied to the planters and the street. The colours also feature in repainting work at local shops.
As well as Louise the project team features another Dundee-based designer, Fiona Canavan, UNESCO City of Design Dundee and Old School Fabrications.
Residents living adjacent to the proposed parks are being invited to have their say by emailing contact@dundeecityofdesign.com
The £80,000 project is expected to be completed by the end of May.
Funded by Scottish Government and managed by Sustrans Scotland, Spaces for People is a temporary infrastructure programme in Scotland offering funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for permitted journeys and exercise, while physical distancing is in place during Covid-19 and as we transition out of lockdown.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
