A previously quiet and somewhat derelict side street in Brunswick has been transformed into a new community hub. Better known as Wilson Avenue to locals, the new ‘Jewell of Brunswick’ site will partially take up the street that connects Jewell station to Sydney Road, replacing the concrete with a stretch of green, public seating and an urban bouldering wall as centerpiece.
City of Moreland place manager William Coogan describes the space as a chance to revive an area previously plagued by “littering, crime and anti-social behaviour”.
“One of the main reasons this project was initiated was to improve safety in the area,” Coogan explained. “The area was a prime location for urban renewal, so we did a trial run with the Better Block Brunswick street party in late 2013 to prove that if the are is more attractive for people to spend time in, it will create a safer environment and deter crime”.
The seeing the success of the first Better Block Brunswick trial, which saw Wilson Avenue transformed into a temporary hub for dance parties, yoga classes, an outdoor market and more, the Department of Justice’s Community Crime Prevention Program awarded the project a partial funding of $210,000, which paved the way towards planning for the more permanent community hub. A two-month trial of the community hub then followed, which allowed the City of Moreland to measure crime rates and gauge public response.