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The Smart Places Customer Charter, launched by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment in November, invites place designers and custodians to commit to six principles guiding the creation and upkeep of smart city projects. Organisations involved with designing, creating or managing public spaces can sign up to the Charter to demonstrate a commitment to prioritising people, country, sustainability and resilience when creating and maintaining smart places. The six principles have been shaped by direct community input and suggest that “smart places should be built for people and designed with people,” and aim “to harness the potential of new technologies to meet the needs of citizens.” The Charter’s principles are: Co-creating smart places: giving custodians and customers a genuine voice throughout the smart places’ life cycle. Respecting local character: …

Street Furniture Australia collaborated with Mobility Design Lab from Monash University to reimagine how urban bus stops and shelters could look, feel and work in the near future. The concept proposal was recently shortlisted for the Smarter Hobart Challenge, an international design competition launched by the City of Hobart in 2020. The competition called for “innovative and exciting ideas to help transform Hobart’s public transport services, and help make waiting for the bus reliable, safe, accessible and socially connective.” More than 120 entries were received from teams in Australia, the US, India, South America, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy and France. The concept by Monash University and Street Furniture Australia was one of five finalists. Bus travel can sometimes suffer from “a less optimal image” compared with other modes …

A new 400-page strategic handbook has been released by World Bank Group to help cities unlock ‘hidden value’ by working with public and private partners and communities to invest in the co-creation of human-centered, sustainable, economically vibrant and socially inclusive public spaces. Smart and sustainable strategies implemented across public-space asset life cycles yield returns on investment far exceeding monetary costs, the authors say, and enhance city livability, resilience, and competitiveness. According to the report, while globally about a third of a city’s land area is covered by public spaces, the potential of public-space assets to transform cities and improve urban life is often overlooked. “The resulting degradation of public spaces into congested, vehicle-dominated, and polluted places often becomes a liability, creating a downward spiral that drains public resources and exacerbates …

New experimental open-air smart hubs, created by Street Furniture Australia at our studio and factory in Western Sydney, have been officially launched by Georges River Council Mayor Kevin Greene on Thursday February 20, 2020. “ChillOUT Hubs aim to offer some relief in our densifying cities by providing opportunities to meet, work or rest, and spend more time outdoors,” says Street Furniture Australia Head of Innovation June Lee Boxsell. “Each hub packs a punch – integrating shade, seats and tables, charging stations, solar power, sensors, lighting, public WiFi, greenery, smart fountains and smart bins – a big feat combining tech, industrial design and placemaking,” she says. Three hubs are already installed in the Georges River Council region in south Sydney as part of a pilot study for the Australian Government’s Smart …

We’re pleased to share that the construction of our three ChillOUT Hubs is nearing completion, part of a pilot study for the Australian Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program. ChillOUT Hubs are smart, open-air community spaces. The prototype installations offer people a free, comfortable place to meet, work and play. They also enable asset managers to monitor utilities, visitation and the microclimate. For more information see our article What Is ChillOUT? The official launch will take place in February 2020. The collaborative team of Georges River Council, UNSW and Street Furniture Australia will also host a series of events including a Council Knowledge Exchange, industry hackathon and tours to site. Please register your interest with Tiffany Hoy at editor@streetfurniture.com  Here is an update from each site. A Streetscape – Belgrave …

Georges River Council’s partnership with UNSW and Street Furniture Australia has received a Highly Commended Award for Cross Sectoral Collaboration at the 2019 Smart City Awards by the Committee for Sydney. The awards celebrate projects and partnerships that address the fundamental challenges faced by cities, governments, industry and communities in Greater Sydney. The three partners were recognised for their collaboration on creating smart social spaces that improve the amenity and user experience of public open spaces, as well as helping to mitigate urban heat island effects at the micro level. The trio is one of the few teams to win both Round 1 and Round 2 grants from the Australian Government’s $50m Smart Cities and Suburbs Program. The Round 1 project, Smart Social Spaces, investigated how smart furniture can be …