Bec and I headed down to Jetty Road, Glenelg for dinner the other night. We were amazed at the life of the place, even on a weekday evening.
So, dining alfresco watching the area come alive, we tried to work suss out what was giving Glenelg the vitality that city streets don’t have.
Here are three things we noticed:
All the shops were open.
Even on a weekday evening. And with open shops, there is foot traffic. It seems every year on the Easter long weekend there is a story on the news about Glenelg being open and alive, and Rundle Mall being closed and dead.
It is light and bright.
Strong lighting along the street, and the surrounding open areas gave the place an air of freshness and safety.
There is a focus on footpath dining.
It’s one thing to have people enjoying themselves inside a venue, but the minute you promote outside dining you transfer the energy to the whole suburb. Adelaide’s alfresco dining along Rundle and Gouger street is usually no more than a table on the footpath.
I absolutely intend to put a focus on bringing to life our dining precincts after dark by promoting longer shopping hours, better lighting and some consideration to the street and footpath design of the precincts.