Community engagement for the Reclaiming Public Space in FTG Project was undertaken throughout April 2022.
'Have Your Say' Online Engagement
A total of 65 people contributed to the survey with a majority visiting Ferntree Gully Village for work, dining and general shopping purposes.
Top three selections for what makes Ferntree Gully unique:
- Picturesque setting at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges
- Village feel, community connection
- Access to public transport
Top three priorities for most important roles of public art in Ferntree Gully Village:
- Promote pride in Ferntree Gully Village
- Help build and reinforce the Ferntree Gully Village identity
- Create safer public spaces
Top three themes chosen for Public Art activation:
The three public art opportunities people are interested in:
- Opportunities for local artists, makers and entrepreneurs
- Interactive educational opportunities for the community
- Hands on community art-making engagement
Top three styles of public art people would like to see:
- Murals
- Sculptures
- Lightboxes
Comments
“I see an opportunity here to create a village of interest and beauty for visitors and residents:to reduce the amount of incidental, opportunist graffiti that presently exist”
“It would be wonderful to see some life brought back to this community, I feel very unsafe at night…”
“I would love to see a mixture of permanent and changing art. I am a trader in the village and I would absolutely love the opportunity to engage an artist to immortalise the location with a unique artwork”
“I believe the face of the village will drastically change in the coming years and we have a great opportunity to be a part of that!”
“I think there is potential for FTG village to be a lovely place, but currently is marred by graffiti, rubbish and general untidiness in some areas”
Focus Group
Six community members and five Council Officers attended an online focus group and virtual tour of the Village on Wednesday 27 April 2022.
Discussions in the focus group noted that:
- Community members were very keen to support activities that reduce graffiti and vandalism, for example through engaging young people in the process of creating Public Art
- Murals by notable artists in Knox and the wider Eastern suburbs have been successful at deterring tagging
- Lighting elements such as light boxes and neon lighting will help to improve perceptions of safety at night in some of the darker areas
- Decals (adhesive stickers) are good for temporary activations, for example on windows or buildings. Further research is required to determine their longevity.
- There is a need to start with quick wins, that can be achieved within Council’s current budget. This means initially adding art to Council owned buildings
- Longer term changes will be determined by the Ferntree Gully Creative Placemaking Plan.
