Streets for People

• Project typeAdaptive urban design – trialling streetscape changes – building partnerships with the community
• Project value$1.27 million
• Completion Date31 May 2024

Public art opportunities

As part of the Streets for People project, council is opening up opportunities for local artists to showcase artwork celebrating Whanganui's unique identity.

Applications are now open for artists to submit ideas, with two distinct spaces available. Artists can contribute both new and existing artworks and propose ideas for both spaces.

The first space, along Guyton Street, will be known as ‘Glow Gallery’ – with one of three panels available in a light box for art with themes of social connection and/or Te Taiao (our natural environment).

The other space for creativity will be the ‘Fenciful Gallery’ on St Hill Street where A0 corflute boards will adorn the fenced area near the new public transport hub. For this space artists should convey themes relating to public transport and/or Te Taiao.

If you’re interested in submitting a proposal, download the site-specific brief document below for more details on artist fees and required formats. 

Glow Gallery (Guyton Street) brief(DOCX, 20KB)

Fenciful Gallery (St Hill Street) brief(DOCX, 2MB)

The deadline for submissions is Friday 26 April.

 

Project background

In September 2022, council secured $1.27M of central government funding through Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's 'Streets for People' programme for two town centre projects - streetscape improvements on central Guyton Street and a new public transport hub on lower St Hill Street.

Streets for People funding supports councils to work in partnership with their community to co-design streetscape projects that will:

• improve public transport connections
• enhance safety and convenience for pedestrians and cyclists
• make our streets more inviting, people-friendly spaces.

The infrastructure used for these projects will all be semi-permanent (so that elements can changed or removed). Depending on community feedback over the course of the trial, some of the elements could eventually become permanent.

Funding from Waka Kotahi will cover 90 percent of the project costs, with the council covering the remaining 10 percent (largely from our business-as-usual road maintenance budget).

 

 

Guyton Street – streetscape improvements

In 2023, Council held a series of community co-design workshops to discuss a range of streetscape improvements to make central Guyton Street safer and more vibrant and people-friendly. The recurring themes were that people wanted the street to be safer (especially for pedestrians and cyclists), more accessible, greener, and more vibrant – with community art reflecting Whanganui’s unique cultural identity.

Based on that feedback, the first phase of works on Guyton Street began in December 2023, with a focus on improving road safety. That work has now been completed, with changes to the road layout now in place including:

• a roundabout at the intersection Guyton and Wicksteed streets
• a range of traffic calming measures
• the introduction of ‘green stop boxes’ to improve safety for cyclists
• removing the three-lane system at the Victoria Ave intersection and returning to simpler two-lane system

The next phase of work, being carried out over March/April, is the installation of streetscape features, including:

• a new community greenspace at 94 Guyton Street
• street furniture (made from recycled or repurposed timber)
• a range of hardy, native plantings in planter boxes
• bike racks
• lightboxes displaying works by local artists
• heritage and art decals adorning window fronts of untenanted buildings.

The project is expected to be complete by May 2024. 

 

Lower St Hill Street – public transport hub

The lower St Hill Street project aims to support public transport use in Whanganui, tying in with Te Ngaru The Tide – the frequent bus route route launched in 2023 after a collaboration between Whanganui District Council and Horizons Regional Council.

Council has gathered community feedback and design input to inform the design of a new public transport hub next to the Trafalgar Square carpark. This area, adjacent to the Countdown supermarket, acts as the terminus for the high frequency bus route.

Our goal is to create a functional, visually attractive space where people can relax and take shelter while waiting for their connecting bus. The space will include:

• street furniture (made from recycled timber)
• bike racks
• a range of planter boxes with native plants
• artwork celebrating Whanganui, our environment and public transport.

The public transport hub is part of a broader move to make public transport easier to use and more accessible in our region – with Horizons having also recently secured a central government Transport Choices grant which will see up to 15 new bus shelters and real-time bus signage across the Whanganui network. 

For more information about the Streets for People programme, please email streetsforpeople@whanganui.govt.nz or visit the Streets for People page on the Waka Kotahi website. 

 

Contact details

Location

Guyton and St Hill Street, Whanganui 4500  View Map

Images