) report to the future melbourne (people city) committee ... · 8.5. a lack of public spaces where...

Attachments: 1. Supporting Attachment 2. Skate Melbourne Plan 3. Community engagement phase one summary 1

Report to the Future Melbourne (People City) Committee Agenda item 6.6

Draft Skate Melbourne Plan 6 September 2016 Presenter: Graham Porteous, Acting Director City Communities

Purpose and background

1. The purpose of this report is to seek endorsement of the draft Skate Melbourne Plan (the Plan); and permission to engage with the community on the Plan (refer Attachment 2).

2. In December 2014 the Future Melbourne Committee resolved that management:

2.1. investigates alternative locations to accommodate skate boarding

2.2. develops a strategic skate framework involving consultation with relevant stakeholders including the Parks & Gardens Advisory Committee

2.3. identifies the feasibility, potential locations, costs and likely partners for an internationally renowned skate park for Melbourne that caters for street style skating, park skateboarding, inline skating and BMX.

3. The formulation of a strategic Skate Framework is a Year 3 Council Plan Action (1.2.3) for the 2015-16 year and specifies that: “Through community engagement, develop a framework to guide the provision, location and management of skating in the city.”

4. The City of Melbourne ‘Skatesafe’ Skating Management Plan 1998 was developed in response to increased skate activity in the City of Melbourne. The plan employed six major components to better manage skate activity in the city. These components included: provision of a venue, code of conduct, preferred routes and areas, education and awareness programs, physical measures and legislation through local law. The proposed Skate Melbourne Plan will replace the 1998 plan.

Key issues

5. The Plan provides a strategic vision, aims and three key actions to guide the provision, location and management of skating in the municipality for the coming decade.

6. To address challenges raised during the first phase of community engagement, a location assessment criteria has been developed and incorporated into the Plan. This helps determine which spaces are suitable or unsuitable for skating. Criteria includes: distance from residents, proximity to sensitive sites such as memorials, spatial need for a facility in that area and safety of the space.

7. The first phase of community engagement was undertaken in March 2016 and resulted in 505 responses to survey questions posed to help develop the draft Plan. A large number of respondents were individuals who participate in skate activity (77per cent). Refer Attachment 3 for a summary of responses. The costs for the proposed community engagement and staff resourcing to finalise the Plan are provided for in the current 2016-2017 budget.

8. The second phase of community engagement includes questions seeking feedback on the draft Plan from the community through the Participate Melbourne website. Engagement will also include at least one event and the use of social media to drive people to the survey. To encourage the general community (including residents and traders) as well as the skate community to contribute their feedback, a video, animation and summary of the Plan has been developed. There will also be targeted written and face to face engagement to residents groups and trading associations. This will ensure that we provide the opportunity for a broad spectrum of people in the municipality to give feedback.

9. An overview of the economic benefits and impacts of skating in the municipality will also be addressed.

Recommendation from management

10. That the Future Melbourne Committee:

10.1. endorses the draft Skate Melbourne Plan

10.2. approves the release of the Plan for community engagement in November and December 2016

10.3. notes that following the community engagement process a final Plan will be presented to council in early 2017.

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Supporting Attachment

Legal

1. Clause 2.3(a) and 2.4 of the Local Law provide:

2.3 A person must not:

a) Use or allow to be used a Toy vehicle so as to endanger, intimidate or unduly obstruct or hinder any other person or vehicle lawfully using or intending to use the same area; or

b) Ride a Toy vehicle in an area prescribed by the Council in accordance with Clause 2.4 or in breach of a prescription made by Council under Clause 2.5

2.4 The Council may prescribe a public place (other than a road or road related area) within the municipality for the purpose of this Clause 2.4 where it considers that the riding of Toy vehicles is reasonable likely to cause physical damage to infrastructure located within the area to be prescribed.

2. A skateboard is within the definition of a Toy vehicle.

3. The draft Plan includes proposed actions to review both the above Local Law and provide a submission to VicRoads regarding improvements to the Road Safety Road Rules 2009.

Finance

4. The costs for proposed community engagement and resourcing to finalise the Plan are provided for in the current budget.

5. The actions proposed within the Plan to be implemented over the next decade have carefully considered the financial implications to the City of Melbourne. Many actions are cost neutral and can be considered when capital projects are proposed, assets renewed or existing programs altered to improve management of skating. All actions are subject to council’s annual budget process.

Conflict of interest

6. No member of Council staff, or other person engaged under a contract, involved in advising on or preparing this report has declared a direct or indirect interest in relation to the matter of the report.

Stakeholder consultation

7. Phase One community engagement was undertaken in March. 505 responses were received via Participate Melbourne, pop ups in the central city and a face to face event. A large amount of respondents were individuals who participate in skate activity (77per cent). 90 per cent of non-skate respondents viewed skating positively (67 per cent) or were neutral (23 per cent).

8. The information provided by respondents helped to understand the challenges that skating in the city poses including:

8.1. Noise and disturbance such as skating near residential areas late into the night

8.2. Personal safety concerns, for example potential collisions and runaway boards

8.3. Damage of private and public property and amenity

8.4. Poor behaviour in public and public consumption of alcohol by some skate participants

8.5. A lack of public spaces where skaters are welcome to skate (routes and open spaces)

8.6. A lack of sheltered and night time skating options

8.7. The over use of skate stopping methods and exclusion of skaters from public space

Attachment 1Agenda item 6.6

Future Melbourne Committee 6 September 2016

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8.8. A lack of opportunity to participate in different styles of skating within the municipality

8.9. Negative public perception and harassment, such as the public thinking it’s a crime or vandalism.

9. Several opportunities were also highlighted to improve the provision, location and management of skate in the city including:

9.1. Increased tourism, events, and their associated economic benefits

9.2. Supporting the skate industry, skate careers and future Olympic skate athletes

9.3. Innovative, efficient and effective use of council resources

9.4. Multi-use spaces for greater safety, activity and performance

9.5. Improve social, physical and mental health, council relationships and civic-mindedness with youth and other disengaged demographics

10. Feedback from the Phase One community engagement has been collated and reviewed to assist the

development of the draft skate framework. This was posted on the Participate Melbourne site and provided to Phase One community engagement participants in August (Attachment 3).

11. Also as part of Phase One community engagement, an external advisory group was established. The group was selected through both expressions of interest and targeted invitations to ensure a diverse and representative group. The group was established to provide advice on concepts, ideas and designs. It met four times during the development of the framework.

12. The second phase of community engagement will encourage the general community (including residents and traders) and the skate community to contribute their feedback and will include:

12.1. questions seeking feedback on the draft Plan through the Participate Melbourne website

12.2. at least one event and the use of social media to drive people to the survey

12.3. a video, animation and visual summary of the Plan

12.4. targeted written and face to face engagement to residents groups and trading associations.

This will ensure that we provide the opportunity for a broad spectrum of people in the municipality to give feedback.

Relation to Council policy

13. Development of this draft plan was also guided by the City of Melbourne’s Active Melbourne Strategy, Open Space Strategy, Melbourne for All People, Beyond the Safe City Strategy and other relevant council documents.

Environmental sustainability

14. In developing this document, skating is recognised as a sustainable transport option and the Plan encourages this to continue. Proposed actions within the Plan advocate for clearer road rules to facilitate this transport option within the municipality.

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DRAFT SKATE MELBOURNE PLAN 2017–2027

CITY OF MELBOURNE


Future Melbourne Committee 6 September 2016

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CONTENTS

Executive summary ......................................................................................................... 3

About this plan ................................................................................................................ 5

Background ..................................................................................................................... 8

Opportunities ................................................................................................................. 16

Challenges .................................................................................................................... 19

Skate audit and gap analysis ...................................................................................... 210

Guiding principles ....................................................................................................... 243

Key actions ................................................................................................................. 298

1. Identify spaces suitable for skate activity ................................................... 298

2. Increase the provision, designation and integration of skate spaces ......... 310

3. Improve programming, communication and management ......................... 421

Summary of proposed actions .................................................................................... 454

Next Steps .................................................................................................................... 47

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Executive summary

Skating is a popular activity in the City of Melbourne, with hundreds of local and visiting skaters using the city’s skate parks and other public spaces each week.

The City of Melbourne recognises that skating is a legitimate physical activity that provides health, social and other benefits for many people. Young people (those under 25 years of age) make up more than two-thirds of the municipality’s resident population and skating is an activity that is particularly popular. Skating is also an accessible and inclusive activity with active participants from a range of demographics and backgrounds.

Skating has many benefits to the individual, general community and the city including:

Skating provides physical, mental and social benefits. It’s a fun, unstructured activity that promotes being active, creative and outdoors.

It’s a global industry and can be a legitimate career path for some, especially now that skating will become an Olympic sport in 2020.

Skating injects vibrancy, economic benefits, performance and culture into the city

It can make spaces safer by increasing natural surveillance at all hours of day and night.

Skate facilities can be less expensive to install and maintain than other recreational facilities (eg a sports oval or indoor facility) and infrastructure, and they have high volumes of use in small footprints.

Well-designed skate spaces and facilities attract high levels of use, activity, host major events and attract local, national and international visitors.

Skating is regarded as a sustainable transport method.

Street-style skateboarding is the most popular style in the municipality but all types of skating occur. BMX, scooters, in-line and quad skates can also use the same infrastructure and designated skate-able spaces as skateboarding.

The City of Melbourne currently has two dedicated skate parks which require replacement in the next five years. Neither facility caters to street style skateboarding. Across inner Melbourne municipalities there is also a lack in diversity of skate-able spaces in terms of size and the types of devices, styles and user groups that can use these spaces. There are currently no skate-able spaces that can cater for large or international events.

Like many other urban activities, there are perceived and real challenges associated with skating such as noise, damage to infrastructure and amenity and disruptive behaviour. However many capital cities have successfully integrated skate activity in a safe, inclusive and accessible way that has delivered positive benefits to the city, general community and individuals.

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Draft Skate Melbourne Plan

This draft Skate Melbourne Plan 2017-2027 sets out the vision for Melbourne to support a healthy and inclusive skate culture for all people. The City of Melbourne aims to implement this vision through holistic city planning, urban design, community service provision and communication. This will help us deliver iconic and innovative skate friendly spaces that activate the city and cater for our diverse city uses and users.

The plan identifies challenges and opportunities that skating presents, assesses existing skate-able spaces in and around the municipality, the management of skating within the municipality and presents potential for new skate-able spaces, programs and initiatives supported by the City of Melbourne. Three key actions have been identified to achieve the vision and goals of this draft plan:

1. Identify spaces suitable for skate activity

2. Increase the provision, designation and integration of skate-able spaces

3. Improve programming, communication, legislation and management.

The key actions are then broken into sub-set actions for implementation (see summary of actions).

Feedback received regarding this draft Skate Melbourne Plan will be incorporated into a final Skate Melbourne Plan.

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About this plan

This draft Skate Melbourne Plan sets out the City of Melbourne’s approach to the provision, location and management of skating and related activities across the Melbourne municipality from 2017–2027.

The City of Melbourne’s vision is that this plan will support a healthy and inclusive skate culture. The City of Melbourne aims to do this through holistic city planning, urban design, community service provision and communication to develop a diversity of innovative skate spaces that benefit the city and enable and encourage skating to happen safely amongst the diversity and complexity of other capital city uses and users.

This draft Skate Melbourne Plan aims to:

Encourage safe, inclusive and multi-use public spaces for all city users

Promote and support a healthy and inclusive skate culture and community

Plan for and provide adequate and accessible spaces for diverse skating styles in the City of Melbourne.

Opportunities and challenges that skating presents for the municipality are identified and current skate-able spaces and gaps are assessed. Three key actions for achieving the vision of this plan and addressing key opportunities and challenges are proposed .

Development of this plan

This draft Skate Melbourne Plan builds on the City of Melbourne’s original ‘SKATESAFE’ Skating Management Plan (1998).

It is based on research, surveys, observations, analysis and community engagement feedback. This plan was developed in collaboration and with the assistance of the City of Melbourne’s Skate Melbourne Advisory Group and Street Skate Prototyping Working Group. These groups included professional to intermediate skaters, residents, police, security, design, university and youth representatives. There was a diversity of ages (ranging from early teens to late 50s) and genders. The Skate Melbourne Advisory Group collaborated with City of Melbourne in great detail on the key topics of this plan including:

locating suitable spaces the management of skate activity, especially around shared skate spaces the provision of skate spaces and their typologies.

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Above: Members of the Skate Advisory Group discussing elements of the Draft Plan

In order to better understand skating and skater demographics in the municipality, City of Melbourne conducted limited surveys and observations. Melbourne skaters were observed (324 skaters) and surveyed face-to-face (178 skaters) by YMCA and City of Melbourne in skate parks and public spaces that are popular for skaters in September 2015. The broader public and skaters were surveyed online and engaged in person in April and May 2016 for their ideas and opinions on skating in the municipality. There were over five hundred respondents, with half of the respondents aged under 25 years of age and over three-quarters being skaters.

For more information on Community Engagement see our Phase 1 Summary Report in the Supporting Documents section on the Participate Melbourne website.

Development of this draft plan was also guided by the City of Melbourne’s Active Melbourne Strategy, Open Space Strategy, Melbourne for All People, Beyond the Safe City Strategy and other relevant council documents.

Council plan

The Skate Melbourne Plan 2017–2027 is relevant to the goals of the Council Plan but in particular Goal One, A city for people:

Skate Melbourne Plan

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‘Melbourne will be accessible, inclusive, safe and engaging. Our streets, buildings and open spaces will be alive with activity. People of all ages and abilities will feel secure and empowered, freely participate in their community and lead healthy lives’ - City of Melbourne Council Plan 2013–2017

Feedback

The City of Melbourne is seeking feedback on this draft Skate Melbourne Plan. Feedback can be provided on the Participate Melbourne website. We will consider this feedback when developing the final Skate Melbourne Plan which is planned for completion in the first half of 2017.

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Background

Skating is a popular activity in the City of Melbourne, with hundreds of skaters and spectators visiting its skate parks and public spaces each week.

The City of Melbourne recognises skating as a legitimate recreational and sporting activity that is accessible and easy to participate in, and which contributes to the liveliness of the city while promoting healthy, active lifestyles for all people. Like other activities that attract people into the city and public spaces, skating generates economic activity and income. Skating is also a legitimate form of sustainable transport.

Like all recreational and transport-associated activities in a capital city, skating can be challenging to cater for appropriately when there are competing city uses and users. However, other cities around the world have successfully shown that with strategic thinking, strong communications, good design and investment, skating can be successfully integrated into the city in a safe, inclusive and intelligent way.

For more detailed background information on skating please see the Skate Melbourne Background Paper in the Document Library on Participate Melbourne.

Above: Rue Leon Cladel, Melun, Paris. This precedent provides for skate use in an underutilised street in the central city. Photo supplied by project architects Constructo Skatepark Architecture.

What is skating?

‘Skate activity’ or ’skating’ refers to any activity that utilises a small wheeled device (eg skateboard, scooter, in-line skates and more) to grind, slide or ride on different surfaces and elements. There are many different devices utilised to skate, which include but are not limited to skateboards, scooters, in-line skates, quad-skates, longboards and more. Other larger wheeled devices such as BMXs and mountain bikes can also utilise skate-able spaces.

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It’s important to recognise that each of these devices has their own spatial needs and cultures associated with them, ‘skate’ is a general term that encompasses all the above devices and is utilised for this plan’s purposes only. When utilising these devices, there are different styles of skating, the key four which are currently popular in Melbourne are street, park, transitional and longboarding (or cruising). For more information on these, please see the Skate Melbourne Background Paper in the Supporting Documents section of the website.

Street style skaters utilise public spaces such as plazas, forecourts, squares, streets and footpaths. Image source: Alex Waldmeyer

Park style skaters utilise dedicated skate parks and spaces designed for skating. Image source: Noel Forsyth

Transitional style skaters (also known as bowl or vert skating) utilise dedicated skate parks with transitional and bowl elements. Image source: Noel Forsyth

Longboarders utilise public spaces such as wide park paths, streets and footpaths. Image sources: Jesslyn Mooi and Rose Ng

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A growing global community

Skating is no longer an underground subculture. It is now recognised as a legitimate sport and recreational activity by many governing bodies and will make its debut as an Olympic sport in 2020, with both street and park styles included. Big name sports brands sponsor street skaters, the international skateboarding industry is lucrative and professional skaters are some of the highest paid athletes in the world. Skating is seen by a growing global community as a lifestyle and form of creativity and artistic expression. Street style skateboarding in particular is extremely popular within the city and around the world. Over ninety per cent of respondents to the survey (one quarter of these were non-skaters) conducted as part of the development of this plan saw skating as a positive activity. While young people aged under 25 years are the main skating demographic, skating has been popular since it started in the 1960s with some skaters now in their 50s and 60s. Participation in small wheeled activities like skateboarding and scooter riding is now one of the most popular activities of Victorian children (see below).

Victorian children (aged 5-14) participation in recreational, cultural and leisure activities.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012 **These activities are Olympic Sports

The legality, risks and impacts of skating Skating is legal Skating is seen by the Victorian Government as a legitimate recreational activity that should be supported for its positive benefits to individuals and municipalities (Sport and Recreation Victoria, 2001). While legal, some Commonwealth and State laws prohibit skating in public spaces and there are also specific road rules that skaters need to follow. . For more information on these please visit https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/

Sessioning in public space The City of Melbourne currently discourages sessioning (skating in one place for a time at length) in four public spaces across the city through the ‘Toy Vehicles’ section of the Activities Local Law 2009 (Lincoln Square in Carlton, the State Library in Swanston St, Burston Reserve in East Melbourne and Waterview Walk in Docklands). There are also policies that prohibit skating in particular parks and gardens across the city. However, these local laws in particular are difficult and

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resource intensive to enforce and not highly effective in discouraging skate activity in unsuitable locations. For more information on different management methods and their effectiveness of discouraging skate activity, please see the Skate Melbourne Background Paper. The below action proposes to review the local laws in 2019 to be less confusing and more inclusive and relevant. The proposed Location Assessment Criteria (see pages 28-29) will also help educate skaters and non-skaters where sessioning is suitable and not suitable. Through increased provision of skate friendly infrastructure into the future, the City of Melbourne aims to encourage skating in suitable shared spaces.

ACTION 3.1 - REVIEW AND AMEND SKATE RELATED LEGISLATION, POLICY AND PLANNING PROCESSES

The City of Melbourne will make the rules around skating in the city clearer and more relevant in the coming years. To do this we will:

Review ‘blanket’ no skating policies in parks, gardens and reserves, especially those with wide shared paths.

Integrate key priority areas for youth and skate opportunities into urban design and strategic planning process.

Review and amend (if appropriate) the Activities Local Law in 2019 to be simpler, more inclusive and relevant.

Advocate for simpler road rules by making submissions to VicRoads during the revision period of the Victorian Road Rules in 2019.

Like many physical activities, there are risks. Skaters generally accept the obvious risks of the activity itself. The majority of risks can be controlled by the skater through protective clothing, using quality equipment, undertaking training or coaching, skating in a safe and responsible manner, having regard to obstacles and one’s skill level and by skating with friends. Risks to other city users from skating include personal safety such as the risk of collision with a skater or runaway board. The City of Melbourne seeks to minimise risks where it reasonably can as is currently done with cycling and other active modes of transport. This includes thoughtful design of public spaces, engaging with the community and promoting respectful skating. Skaters do not generally intend to cause damage Skaters use city assets and spaces for their recreational activity, self-expression and form of creativity. Most assets and public spaces are not designed for this purpose and skaters can cause unintended damage.

Skaters can also add wax to surfaces, chip edging and leave different coloured marks which can have physical and aesthetic impacts on city assets as skaters grind and slide upon them. Not all types of materials are suitable for skating. Where skating is anticipated and found to be suitable, infrastructure can be designed to withstand the physical and aesthetic impacts from skating. The City of Melbourne is currently developing and trialling several approaches to more skate-able infrastructure, with positive results to date (for more information see page 31).

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Skating in Melbourne Skating is popular in the City of Melbourne because of its central location and access to public transport, its vibrant street culture, people-oriented design and its smooth bluestone and concrete surfaces.

Within the skate community, Melbourne is very popular skating destination and was recently featured in the July 2016 issue of Slam Skateboarding magazine as ’the best city for skateboarding in Australia’.

Above: Slam Skateboarding is a popular Australian skateboarding magazine produced in Queensland; Image source: SLAM Skateboarding Magazine

The high proportion of young people who study, live in and visit the municipality is also a key factor in the popularity of skating in Melbourne. The resident and visitor population has grown substantially in the last 20 years as City of Melbourne policies have revitalised the central city and adjoining suburbs, attracting large numbers of young people for the lifestyle, employment and study opportunities. More than two-thirds of the municipality’s residents are aged below 35 years and the number of residents aged 5–34 years is projected to increase by more than 42,500 by 2030 (from 78,600 in 2014 to 121,200 in 2030; City of Melbourne, Daily Population Estimates and Forecasts, 2015).

Above: City of Melbourne’s current and future demographics

Observations (324 skaters) and a face-to-face survey (178 skaters) of skaters by the City of Melbourne and YMCA in the 2015 September school holidays in popular parks and public spaces for skating within the municipality found:

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

0 to 4 5 to 14 15 to24

25 to34

35 to44

45 to54

55 to64

65 to74

75 to84

85 andabove

2016 (Population)

2026 (Population)

2036 (Population)

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Sixty per cent of skaters observed and surveyed were aged 18 years and below, with 85 per cent below 25 years

Skateboards are the most popular type of device used for skating in Melbourne’s skate parks and in public spaces

Skateboarding in Melbourne is currently male-dominated with 90-95 per cent of those surveyed and observed being male

Nearly all skaters surveyed worked or studied

Street style locations are a drawcard for skaters in Melbourne with 80 per cent favouring street style spaces. This was re-enforced by online survey respondents being street style skaters and the high demand for street style spaces

Skating mostly occurs in leisure time, after hours and on weekends

Peak times for skating in the city are in the summer time and school holiday periods.

Of the skaters that responded to the City of Melbourne Skate Melbourne online skating survey in 2016, over 50 per cent visited the city weekly or daily. The municipality’s key skate-able space, Riverslide Skate Park, is its most popular dedicated skate parks with 100,000 skaters and spectators visiting each year. In peak times, Riverslide is regularly over capacity which can cause skaters to seek out other locations to skate which may not necessarily be safe or suitable for skating. Lincoln Square Plaza in Carlton, once an informal ‘street style’ location, was also popular for skaters. It had over 3500 square meters of smooth surface and urban design elements which were attractive to skaters and was considered an important community hub by the skate community. Whilst yearly visitation of Lincoln Square was not clearly understood, peak time observations highlighted that its usage was similar and sometimes higher than Riverslide.

Melbourne’s culture, liveability and amenity also attract national and international skaters, including some of the world’s leading skaters who promote Melbourne to a growing global skating community. These skaters can hold events and demonstrations in the skate-able spaces which attract large crowds.

Skatesafe Plan The original ‘SKATESAFE’ Skating Management Plan (1998) featured six major components to better manage skate activity in the city:

provision of a venue

code of conduct

preferred routes and areas

education and awareness programs (employment of Skate Ambassadors who provide peer to peer education and advocate for safe skating etiquette)

physical measures

legislation through local law.

The original Skating Management Plan was considered forward-thinking for the time and some of its elements exist today, notably Riverslide Skate Park (see image below) and the

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Skate Safe Ambassador Program. However, skating has since grown in popularity and the city has transformed. City demographics have changed as have the main styles of skating. The Skating Management Plan has not been reviewed in great detail nor have the existing facilities, programs or management methods.

Consultation around the redevelopment of Lincoln Square Plaza skating spot to make it unskate-able highlighted the need for a strategic plan for the future of skating in the municipality to better manage the opportunities and challenges.

Above: Riverslide Skate Park in Alexandra Gardens during a skate event

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Opportunities

A safe, vibrant, healthy and inclusive skate culture offers multiple benefits for individuals and also for the City of Melbourne.

Multi-use spaces for greater safety, activity and performance

Skate-able spaces can provide beneficial uses to the community. For example, Riverslide Skate Park is also an event space, with a café, skate shop and public toilets. It provides supervision and access to first-aid for all park users and the YMCA bases its management team for the venue at Riverslide. Riverslide also runs a number of coaching programs and lessons which are highly popular and encourage respectful skating, they regularly host school groups and enable access to an array of other youth development programs.

More people in public spaces increases natural surveillance and makes these spaces safer. Skating is a popular spectator sport and activity and many city users enjoy watching skaters. They enliven the city, and skating is seen as street entertainment, similar to busking or street art.

Skating spaces can cater to other recreational pursuits like free running or breakdancing. In some countries, skate facilities provide other functions such as storm water management (see example below), and increased tree cover and habitat. Spaces for skating can also be linked with other facilities and services such as dedicated transport lanes, performance and event spaces, community services and food venues.

Above: Rabalder Parken is a skate park in Roskilde, Denmark. The 40,000 m² park is integrated with a water management system which can transport and hold up to 23,000 cubic metres of water.

Improve social, physical and mental health, council relationships and civic-mindedness with youth and other disengaged demographics

Some may view the behaviour of individual members of the skate community as rude, offensive and unacceptable but this is an issue with behaviour, not the skating activity. It is important to separate these – poor behaviour happens in every sport and community group but the skate community tends to be more visible in central public spaces.

Besides the obvious physical benefits of skate activity and getting people outside and off screens, skating has proven itself as a great tool for engagement with disengaged and disenfranchised youth in particular. Skating promotes pro-social values of cooperation,

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self-expression, self-determination, communal spirit, freedom and creativity. It has also shown to improve mental health and social connectedness.

A local example that demonstrates this is the skateboarding program run by St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre in North Melbourne. Within the program, which has been running since 2013, teachers take groups to skate different skate-able spaces across Victoria. Since its inception, the program has exceeded its initial goal as an engagement tool and has transformed participants’ lives, some of which are experiencing poverty, domestic abuse, substance abuse and mental health issues. The teachers running this program highlighted that since participating in this program there has been a significant drop in crime rates, drug use, depression and disengagement in participants. It is having physical and mental health benefits and has increased participation at school, enabled self-determination and social and life skills. The teachers are convinced this is influenced by the pro-social values embedded in skateboarding culture and the activity itself.

Above: YMCA teaching young scooter riders’ safe skating etiquette at Riverslide Skate Park

Increased tourism, events, and economic benefits

Capital cities that support skating are highly popular amongst the worldwide skating community to share with their networks, visit and even move to. Popular street skating spaces (skate-able public spaces) attract high levels of usage and interest. Skating events, like many other events, can bring the city significant economic and tourism benefits, depending on their scale. Quality large-scale skate-able spaces attract events, a high amount of participants and spectators that can generate substantial economic benefits (Reference: Economic Impact of the 2010 X Games 16 on Los Angeles County, Roy Weinstein et al., 2010).

This is demonstrated by Victoria’s large scale skate park (3200m²) in Noble Park in the City of Dandenong. Built in 2014, the Noble Park Skate Park was designed in close partnership with experienced skaters. It is designed to host world-leading skate events and demonstrations that attract large numbers of participants and spectators, including national and international visitors. It is regarded by City of Dandenong as a huge success and a global benchmark as it attracts large numbers of diverse demographics, skill levels, styles and devices, visitors from near and far and has received great reception from the skate community and local community alike.

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Above: Melbourne bred pro-Street Skater Shane O’Neill skates at Neill Street Reserve, regarding it as an ‘amazing’ spot. The social media post reached over 109,000 viewers, received over 600 comments and was liked by 27,100 people globally.

Supporting the skate industry, skate careers and future skate athletes

In the City of Melbourne there are three skate specific stores (including Riverslide Skate Park’s) with many other stores catering for skate culture (sports and fashion oriented stores). The skate industry is diverse, resilient and lucrative with an estimated market value in Victoria of $50 million per annum in 2001 (Reference: The Skate Facility Guide, Sport and Recreation Victoria, 2001, pp.12). Many professional skaters are sponsored by brands and can earn a living wage, with some among the world’s highest paid athletes. For some, skating in itself can be a legitimate career path. Other creative skills and industries (e.g. photography, film, design, and fashion) are also often developed in skating as they are integrated and influenced by skate culture.

With both street and park style skateboarding set to make their debut in the 2020 Olympics, skate’s popularity will continue to grow. Melbourne has significant opportunity to support local skating talent by increasing the provision of spaces and programs for skaters to hone their skills and grow into professional athletes.

Innovative, efficient and effective use of council resources

Skate-able spaces do not require as much space as traditional facilities such as sports ovals. They can also attract higher rates of use in a smaller footprint.

Skate-able spaces are unlike many other recreational facilities. Sports ovals and courts have well-established designs, footprints and line markings. Skating is much more diverse. It occurs in designated skate parks, which can vary in size, styles catered to and materials used. Skating also occurs in public spaces, such as plazas, forecourts and streets, with many skaters also using their skateboards as a sustainable mode of transport. Quality Skate-able spaces are also unlike regular sports ovals and courts as they can be destinations for people from the state, country and the world.

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Skate-able spaces, especially street-style spaces are comparatively cheap and easy to incorporate into existing and future public spaces. Skate-able elements are more robust forms of street furniture and urban design which also improve public spaces for other city users. Simple council process changes and design iterations can enable a more strategic, accessible and inclusive skating approach across the city.

Note: The largest designated skate park in the world is the 7250m² Spring Skate Park in Houston, Texas.

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Challenges

There are challenges catering to the needs of the many competing users of the city, particularly as the population continues to grow and places more pressure on our public space to provide recreational and leisure activities.

Skaters consulted during the development of this draft Skate Melbourne Plan nominated key challenges for skating in the city as:

A lack of quality skate-able spaces, fit for the desired skate style and/or device

Negative public perception and harassment, public thinking skating is a crime, an act of vandalism and a nuisance activity

A lack of public spaces where skaters are welcome to skate (especially open spaces and preferred routes)

The over-use of skate deterrent methods and exclusion of skaters from public spaces.

A lack of sheltered and night-time skating options

A lack of opportunity to participate in different styles of skating within the municipality.

Challenges identified by non-skaters who live in or visit the city were:

Noise and disturbance, such as skating near residential areas late at night

Personal safety concerns, such as potential collisions and runaway boards

High levels of skating activity in public spaces and confusing lines of movement (for other users) by skaters through these spaces

Damage of private and public property and amenity

Other general public space issues were also highlighted such as poor behaviour, large congregations of people and consumption of alcohol in public.

Key challenges for the City of Melbourne that relate to skating include:

Communicating when and where skating is encouraged and discouraged

Discouraging skate in unsuitable spaces

Damage to public infrastructure and amenity

Limited highly suitable locations for skate activity within the municipality

Other capital city challenges also impact on skating opportunities such as;

– growing density with limited open space

– growing residential and youth and young people population in the City of Melbourne.

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Skate audit and gap analysis

No standard rule exists for how many skate-able spaces or programs a municipality should provide to adequately cater for and support the activity.

As part of the research for this draft plan, the number and type of skate locations in the municipality were compared with other metropolitan municipalities, as well as against other sports and recreational facilities.

The municipality has less skate-able spaces compared with other sports and recreational facilities and compared with other metropolitan municipalities. While the City of Melbourne is recognised as a top skating location and has higher participation rates than more traditional recreational activities, it and other inner municipalities, lack a large scale skate-able space that can host international events and significant provision of skate-able spaces in general.

**These facilities can share the same spatial footprint.

Data source: City of Melbourne GIS Data

There are two dedicated skate parks in the municipality: a skate park and BMX dirt track in JJ Holland Reserve in Kensington and Riverslide Skate Park in the central city’s Alexandra Gardens, Both were constructed around 2000. These assets have recently been assessed to determine when they would need to be renewed and they are considered to be in poor condition. This means they should be replaced in the next five years.

The municipality has no small to medium spaces that explicitly support street style skating, although some recent public spaces in the city have been designed to withstand the impacts of skate (see example of Neill Street Reserve on page 35).

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Inner city skate-able spaces provision

Other Melbourne municipalities provide more skate-able spaces than the City of Melbourne and are planning to add to these spaces. The table below shows the City of Maribyrnong has three existing skate parks and is planning to have a total of 10 skate-able spaces (five medium to large skate parks and youth plazas and five small skate-able public spaces) across the municipality in future.

The City of Melbourne has only a small number of supported skate-able spaces in the municipality. There is also a lack of space specifically designed for young people and their activities in general, particularly given the young demographic across the municipality.

For more information on what the City of Melbourne proposes in terms of increased provision, please see the Key Action on page 31.

Above: Inner city provision map

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Skate space size and role

S = extra small and small / local M = medium / precinct L = large / municipal XL = extra large / capital city / regional Skate styles catered for in space

T = transitional P = park S = street

Inner Melbourne council

Skate strategy / plan

Existing skate facilities

Total skate-able spaces to have in the future

Comments

Maribyrnong City Council

3 10 5 medium to large skate parks and youth plazas.

5 small skate-able public spaces.

City of Melbourne 2 To be determined

Moonee Valley City Council

4 8

City of Port Phillip 3 4 St Kilda’s Skate Park was highly contentious due to proximity to residents but is now highly valued by the community and council.

Hobsons Bay City Council

5 N/A No information found on future provision

Moreland City Council

3 4 Limited information on future provision

City of Yarra 2 N/A No information found on future provision

City of Stonnington 2 N/A No information found on future provision

International city council

City of New York, USA

19 23 Skate is included in city plan

City of Portland, USA

7 19 Most relatable to Melbourne

City of Vancouver, CAN

9 17

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Guiding principles

The nominated key challenges highlighted have helped to develop the following guiding principles for improving the location, provision and management of skating in the city.

Ensure key skate-able spaces are safe, inclusive and accessible spaces by day and night

The City of Melbourne has a duty of care to all of its users. For this reason, we aim to provide skate-able spaces that are safe, inclusive and accessible for all demographics and users, in line with the Beyond the Safe City Strategy. The more included and safe people feel in the city and in public spaces, the more ownership and pride they have and more likely they are to take responsibility in taking care of these spaces. The more unsafe and exclusive a space, including travelling to and from these spaces, the more unappealing it is to wider audiences. It is important spaces feel safe for people of all ages, genders and backgrounds.

The below diagram shows how we can measure inclusion by the amount of user groups and activities the space caters for, the site’s safety and centrality and accessibility, especially to public transport and services.

For more information on how the City of Melbourne aims to make public spaces and the city in general safer, please see Beyond the Safe City Strategy 2014-17 on the City of Melbourne website.

Above: A table highlighting two key ways in which the City of Melbourne can measure the inclusivity of skate spaces, the level of inclusion with general public and the distance a skate space is to other activity, services and public transport.

Cater for and include diverse styles, devices, experience levels, ages, uses and genders Council needs to ensure that the diverse needs of different skaters are provided for across a range of skate-able spaces. The City of Melbourne acknowledges that there are a diverse range of skating styles, devices, skill levels and demographics that cannot always be provided for in one space. For example, the diagram below provides a guide for how much space is needed for a beginner to advanced skater to perform a trick.

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ACTION 3.2 – ENCOURAGE AND PROMOTE GENDER EQUITY AND INCLUSIVITY IN MELBOURNE SKATING CULTURE. THE CITY OF MELBOURNE WILL DO THIS THROUGH PROGRAMS, THE DESIGN OF FUTURE SKATE SPACES AND THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS.

Photography / Art by Liam Merrigan-Turner

Consider integrating skate during the strategic planning process, especially in key priority areas

Skating is highly popular in the City of Melbourne for its centrality, accessibility and global interest but at present is not catered for as well as other surrounding municipalities. The City of Melbourne will be looking for opportunities to incorporate new high quality skate and youth spaces in key priority areas. Key priority areas are those that are within one or many of the following areas:

A significant gap area for youth or skate oriented provisions

Close proximity to key activity centres, services and/or community hubs

Close proximity to public transport and/or active transport routes

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A municipal growth area such as North Melbourne, Arden-Macaulay, Docklands, Southbank and Fishermans Bend

An area that has significant recreational provision.

ACTION 2.1 - ENSURE A DIVERSE RANGE OF SKATE DEVICES, STYLES AND SPACES ARE CATERED FOR ACROSS THE MUNICIPALITY AND THAT SKATE IS ADEQUATELY CATERED FOR IN KEY PRIORITY AREAS.

Assess, review and amend current council processes and procedures that relate to skating within council as a whole.

Seek opportunities to integrate into already existing programs, events, policies and developments. Build capacity, effectiveness and roles of existing programs and resources.

Incorporate sustainable design practices, methodologies and materials

Leading innovation in skate-able design can include environmental benefits such as water management, storage and an increase in biodiversity and ecology. Sustainable building methods and materials can also be incorporated.

Skate spaces provide low risk opportunities to trial emerging sustainable and carbon neutral building materials and fabrication techniques. This has potential to encourage more use of these materials and techniques in the future development of City of Melbourne’s hard surface landscapes and assets and further promote Melbourne as a leader in innovative and environmental design practices.

The City of Melbourne also aims to apply sustainability principles to future skate programs and events.

Sustainable design practices in skate spaces

Above: Ed Benedict Skate Plaza in Portland, Oregon USA is one of 19 skate–able spaces to be rolled out for City of Portland’s Skatepark System Plan developed in 2008. This skate plaza was designed collaboratively with local skaters and artists. Besides providing an aesthetically pleasing skate-able space, the final design also enhanced biodiversity, ecology and storm water management in the area. Photos by Brooke Geery.

It’s important to include the skate community in the design process to ensure final design is fit for the end user.

Through consultation, it has become apparent that skate-able spaces can quickly become out dated or not fit for the desired end users, as the smallest details can significantly impact a skater’s experience. Therefore skate-able spaces require more strategic thinking,

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design and insight from contemporary and experienced skaters. For all significant future projects the City of Melbourne aim to include experienced skate community representatives for the desired end users (skateboarding, BMX, in-line and scooter communities will have different insights and requirements) in the process of new skate spaces to guide what these spaces should incorporate and how they should be designed.

Consider and integrate important spatial characteristics for skaters where appropriate

Surveys conducted by the City of Melbourne have aimed to capture as much detail as possible to gather insight into what elements and characteristics skaters find important in great skate-able spaces. These details will go on to inform the planning of future skate spaces. Some important spatial characteristics and desires identified by skaters were:

smooth hard surfaces and strong materials used for skate-able elements

safe, well-lit and accessible night time skating spaces

space to hang out, relax, be social and be around the broader public

shaded spaces

aesthetically appealing, unique and interesting spaces

clear open spaces, with clear lines of sight and passive surveillance

sheltered spaces for year round and all weather condition skating opportunities (something that City of Melbourne does not currently have)

indoor skating facilities, this was particularly important for female skaters and skaters participating in speed-skating or roller derby.

Consider coupling skate-able spaces with complementary activities

Some types of activities that can complement skate activity and spaces include:

noisy activities such as basketball, breakdancing, volleyball and live music

performance-based activities such as dancing, music, theatre and busking

heavily physical-based activities such as free running (or parkour), rock climbing (or bouldering) and personal training

creative-based activities such as public art, street art, DIY or workshop spaces, creatively designed spaces such as interactive spaces, or lighting and projector installations.

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Take influence from skate culture to be more innovative, creative and bold

Skating is surrounded by innovative, creative and bold sub-cultures and approaches. Skate culture is not only about skating but also photography, film, art, fashion, lifestyle, philosophy and more. As skating is a part of Melbourne’s culture, the City of Melbourne endeavours to take influence from it.

Some examples may be to:

Be creative with the design of spaces, skate infrastructure, programmes and communication techniques

Take advantage of underutilised areas for skate-able spaces, events and programming

Enable the community to build their own skate elements with other experienced building professionals (DIY), this can build ownership, professional development skills and relationships

Where integration and internal funding is not possible, consider alternative funding and community led opportunities e.g. public private partnerships, grants or crowd funding.

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Key actions

The City of Melbourne has identified three key actions for achieving the vision and aims of this draft Skate Melbourne Plan while also addressing the key challenges.

1. Identify spaces suitable for skate activity.

2. Increase the provision, designation and integration of skate-able spaces.

3. Improve programming, communication, legislation and management.

1. Identify spaces suitable for skate activity

Locating suitable locations in a capital city with limited public space and increasing population and density is complex. In order to locate and assess suitable locations for skate activity, many councils and strategic planners develop an assessment criterion. This can help identify areas that are accessible, safe and inclusive whilst minimising potential conflict.

ACTION 1.1 - THE CITY OF MELBOURNE WILL UTILISE THE LOCATION ASSESSMENT CRITERIA IN CONJUNCTION WITH COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC MAPPING SYSTEMS TO LOCATE KEY OPPORTUNITY AND GAP AREAS IN THE MUNICIPALITY.

The criteria will promote better integration of skating and can also be utilised for locating other activities with similar characteristics and spatial needs (eg basketball). This was developed by building on the skate location criteria of other councils, independent skate park designers, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) principles, with our skate advisory groups and relevant work areas across City of Melbourne.

A more detailed version of this criterion, highlighting all 130+ criteria is in our Supporting Documents section on the Participate Melbourne website.

LOCATION ASSESSMENT CRITERION

Land ownership, management, use and key stakeholders

o Land managers are tolerant/welcoming of skate activity

o Land use does not conflict with skate activity

o Key stakeholders are not significantly impacted by skate activity

Site safety, inclusiveness and accessibility

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o Close proximity to public transport hubs

o Ability to incorporate CPTED principles

o Proximity to other activity areas

o Highly visible with open lines of sight

o Well-lit at all times of the day and night

o Feels safe for all ages and genders, this includes safety when traveling to and from the proposed venue

Proximity to complementary activities, demographics and uses

o Food and services

o Other loud activities

o Other active uses and recreational facilities

o Other youth uses or key demographic areas

o For temporary spaces in particular, utilising pre-existing smooth hard surfaced areas is a substantial opportunity

Avoids close proximity to conflicting land use, materials or activities

o Residential buildings (75m buffer)

o Culturally significant sites (e.g. memorials, burial sites, etc.)

o Direct interaction with glass facades

o Direct interaction with key thoroughfares (pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle)

Potential to provide a new opportunity in key priority areas

o Located in a provision gap area (based on existing skate and youth oriented spaces)

o Located in a growth, or future growth area

o Connects to other skate, youth or recreational spaces

o Provides a new use in an otherwise underutilised space

o Increases overall accessibility to skate-able spaces

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expensive and are sometimes applied without investigating whether skating may cause issues in the location or not.

Applying the proposed Location Assessment Criteria will enable the City of Melbourne to identify spaces where skating is suitable for implementing more innovative and inclusive ‘skate-able’ asset protection methods. These can enhance skaters and general public’s experience alike and withstand the wear and tear from regular skate activity.

For more information on skate management methods, and their effectiveness, please see the Skate Melbourne Background Paper on the Participate Melbourne website.

Skating styles and skate-able space typologies

There are three major types of skate-able spaces considered in this plan: dedicated, multi-use and shared. Shared spaces in central and accessible spaces are seen as more inclusive than dedicated facilities in less visible locations.

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Scale of skate spaces

In addition to style and type of skate spaces, another important factor is the size of the space. Small to medium sized spaces generally cater for street style skating, and medium to large scale spaces can cater for a broad range of styles. Generally, street style elements are simpler (eg benches or ledges) and therefore cheaper to implement than those with transitional design features (eg concrete bowls and ramps). The table below provides a guide to size and costs associated with skate spaces.

Shared spaces – street skating spaces and plazas

Shared spaces provide for street-style skaters and long boarders and are more socially inclusive than traditional skate facilities which typically utilise fencing and highly risk-adverse environments specifically designed for skating. Shared spaces are more attractive to skaters 15 years and older and encourage more social interaction with other city users and demographics. They are typically plazas, forecourts, squares and wide streets or paths and are not specifically designed for skating, which makes them more interesting and creative spaces for skaters to interpret (see example of The Konsthall Square in Malmö below). Shared spaces can be cost effective, as skate-able infrastructure can be integrated into general public spaces within existing budgets of capital works projects.

The City of Melbourne uses skate-deterrent methods more than most cities worldwide. This has left many street skaters with little spaces to hone their skills, film and promote themselves for sponsorship. It has also caused over-skating in key locations across the city encouraging people to skate in unsuitable spaces.

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Encourage more multi-use facilities

These spaces are influenced by contemporary skate parks as they are starting to blend in more youth and unstructured types of activities, which has resulted in modern designers starting to call these spaces ‘youth hubs’ or ‘multi-purpose recreational facilities’. This typology is considered as multi-use in this draft plan as they are still dedicated areas for specified activities. As with shared skate-able spaces, skating can be integrated into these spaces cost effectively, by making some areas and or assets skate-able.

Above: Neill Street Reserve is a multi-use open space designed by the City of Melbourne. The space above has steel coping incorporated into the seating for the multi-purpose court in order to withstand and allow for skating activity that may happen.

ACTION 2.3 - THE CITY OF MELBOURNE WILL ENCOURAGE THE INTEGRATION OF SKATE-ABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES INTO THE URBAN DESIGN AND PLANNING OF NEW AND UPCOMING KEY RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, MASTER PLANS AND CAPITAL WORKS PROJECTS.

Skating in shared spaces and multi-use facilities

The City of Melbourne supports skating activity but not when it places other users at risk in the space. Shared skate spaces will aim to clarify in the space itself where skating is encouraged through materials used, the design of the space itself and where necessary, signage and/or mapping.

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Above: Skatepark Rennes, in Arsenal, designed by Constructo Skate Park Architecture. Concrete is coloured orange to highlight to pedestrians and skaters that this is a key route for pedestrians and they have priority in this area.

Through extensive community engagement the following key tools and approaches have been found to support successful shared skate spaces:

Location Assessment Criteria to identify and educate skaters and non-skaters on suitable and non-suitable locations and spaces for skating

Strategic and considered design of public spaces that include skate-able infrastructure where suitable

Signage and website information to clearly identify where and when skating is allowed in a multi-use or shared space. This will help minimise potential collisions, risks and complaints. It will also promote and educate the general public that skate activity is a legitimate activity supported and encouraged by the City of Melbourne in suitable locations (see image of Portland’s skate route signage below)

Better access to information on skating locations via the City of Melbourne website, social media and other platforms

More planned and managed programs and events that encourage sharing and responsible skating in the City of Melbourne.

Portland’s (USA) Skate Route signage highlights safe skate routes and that skate is a supported in the city.

City of Melbourne’s surface insets provide an unobtrusive indication of the desired and legitimate uses in a space and enable on the ground conflict resolution.

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Common challenges with skating in a capital city

Challenges addressed through strategic urban design and planning

Preferred times of use

Street skating can be a loud activity, so to reduce conflict and disturbance to other city users and residents this draft plan recommends that preferred times of use are allocated to particular skating locations in the municipality. This will highlight to skaters when skating is welcomed in the area and open up more opportunities for skating in the city. This was an idea developed in consultation around Lincoln Square Plaza, where residents and skaters collectively proposed trialling signage indicating appropriate times for skating and a code of conduct in the space to better manage noise issues, however this trial has not occurred to date.

Twenty-four hour city

City of Melbourne’s Beyond the Safe City Strategy 2014-17 ensures that issues associated with the 24 hour city are firmly embedded in the core business of the City of Melbourne.

As the city stays awake longer, there is a need to make policy and operational decisions that manage the competing demands of the groups who utilise the city including visitors, workers and residents.

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ACTIONS 2.4 - LOCATE AND DESIGNATE A SUITABLE 24 HOUR SKATE-ABLE SPACE AND SEEK POTENTIAL FOR OFF-PEAK NIGHT SKATE SPACES.

Melbourne’s central city is a 24 hour mixed use zone. Services and suitable skate spaces must consider safety and accessibility by day and by night.

Apply Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to all skate-able spaces. This approach is to include assessments of the environment at night.

Suitably locate and provide at least one night time accessible skate-able space within the city.

Develop night (or off-peak) skate spaces which enable some public spaces which are underutilised at night time to encourage skate activity in this timeframe only.

Preferred routes and areas

Skating is a sustainable transport method and street skaters also enjoy the journey of the city. Street skating is a more ephemeral style of skating and is a series of encounters across the city rather than staying in one space for extended periods of time.

The City of Melbourne once had preferred routes mapped through the city and there is opportunity to re-visit this and identify key suitable and safe skate routes and areas in the municipality and then promote these to the skating and general community.

The Skate Melbourne Advisory Group highlighted that placing skate-able elements along less populated routes throughout the city could attract skaters to utilise less congested and safer routes throughout the city.

ACTIONS 2.5 - DEVELOP A MAP OF PREFERRED ROUTES AND AREAS AND PROVIDE A SERIES OF SKATE-ABLE ELEMENTS ON THESE ROUTES FOR SKATERS TO USE IN THE CITY OF MELBOURNE.

Dedicated skate parks

Dedicated skate parks provide a safe space that meets the needs of diverse skate styles and skate devices. Dedicated spaces are important and more attractive for beginners and younger skaters (below 15 years of age) to learn in a safe environment and provide a location for major events. Many are family-oriented spaces and can provide key community services for the surrounding area, not just the skate park. A good example of this is the St Kilda Skate Park in Marina Reserve. The development of the skate park took a number of years due to resident concerns around the impacts on their views and the attraction of youth culture and potential anti-social behaviour. It was a highly contentious project, however is now regarded as a successful project. Once constructed, the same residents that raised concerns about the park now utilise it and enjoy the activity the skate park brings to the community. Port Phillip Council consider it incredibly successful as it provides significant social, mental and physical benefits for the community and tourism,

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economic, safety and public space benefits for the area. Council have recently allowed the park to be used for events, as the significant economic and community benefits alike have been made apparent to the community and the council.

Above: An international event being held at St. Kilda Skate Park. Photo: Noel Forsyth The below actions outline the existing skate parks that require upgrades and identify a third skate-able space required in the future.

ACTION 2.6 – UPGRADE EXISTING FACILITIES

Upgrade and investigate expanding Riverslide Skate Park into a high quality skate and youth hub

Riverslide was originally built as a temporary skate park. It is reaching the end of its expected design life and has had to cope with increasingly heavy use. This skate park is proposed to be upgraded into a permanent skate and youth-oriented space, catering for predominant skating styles (street, park and transitional). Riverslide will incorporate elements to cater and support beginners through to professional skaters and cater for skating events. The redesign will better integrate the skate park into its surrounding area to make the whole of Alexandra Gardens safer and provide for and encourage other city users to engage with the space and activity.

Upgrade JJ Hollands Skate Park

JJ Holland Skate Park in Kensington will be upgraded to better provide for street, park and transitional skaters from surrounding precincts. It will be designed to better integrate with its surrounding environment.

ACTION 2.7 - LOCATE AND DEVELOP AN EXTRA-LARGE SKATE-ABLE SPACE With ongoing growth, demand and with skateboarding becoming an Olympic sport, the City of Melbourne has identified that a new dedicated skate facility that can host large events will be required in the future. This should be integrated into a key priority area.

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Skate-able spaces network

Whilst important for some skating styles, dedicated skate parks will not solve the needs of all skaters. Through community engagement it is clear there is demand for a range of skate infrastructure, and it’s important to re-iterate that styles of skating are diverse and skaters themselves enjoy a diversity of experiences.

An indicative network of different types of spaces spread across the municipality to increase accessibility and provision of skate-able spaces for all precincts is identified below, the City of Melbourne will aim to integrate these into key priority areas in the municipality. For now, these types of spaces are not specific so that further investigation and community engagement on the feasibility of these spaces can be undertaken. Key priority areas highlight potential for larger skate-able spaces to be located; priority areas are based on existing or developing projects, master plans and growth areas.

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3. Improve programming, communication and management

Programming

Whilst the provision of skate-able spaces are important in order to support skating, programming, events, community services, outreach and awareness campaigns are also key in ensuring that Melbourne’s skate culture continues to grow and foster positive benefits for the individual, the community and the city.

Through Action 3.4, the City of Melbourne will promote and support the legitimacy of skating through information online, advocacy, events, and programs at its designated skate-able spaces and public spaces in partnership with the skate community and industry.

Improve and increase services, programs and initiatives

The City of Melbourne aims to improve and increase services, programs and initiatives, with partners where appropriate and with a key focus on education, awareness, community outreach and developing tolerance and respectful relationships between all city users.

ACTION 3.3 - ENHANCE THE SKATE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

The City of Melbourne plans to continue the Skate Ambassador Program, build on its already existing community outreach programs and build skate park contractors’ capacity to facilitate more programs within central Melbourne’s events and public spaces on behalf of City of Melbourne.

Temporary skate spaces can be programmed to provide new opportunities for skaters. Temporary spaces for peak periods in skating during the year can help relieve popular skate spaces so they do not become overcrowded or problematic. Temporary spaces can include but are not limited to:

event spaces

development and construction sites

road and path closures

privately managed land.

Skate can be integrated into existing hard surfaced areas and with a 24 hour city spaces that change their use from day to night or peak and off peak times can also provide new opportunities.

ACTION 3.3 - TRIAL TEMPORARY SKATE EVENTS

Investigate a program to partner with the skate industry to trial temporary skate spaces in events and underutilised public spaces, especially for peak periods in skate activity.

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Communication and awareness

Communication around the legitimacy of skating in the city and where it is and isn’t encouraged is important for all city users and stakeholders to understand. Through community engagement it was highlighted that information on skating was hard to find and the general public do not understand the City of Melbourne’s position regarding skating. For the Skate Melbourne Advisory Group, clarity around this was considered a high priority.

The City of Malmö council is a good example of communication around skating in the city. Their website called Skate Malmö highlights different skate spaces and parks where skating is encouraged, skate events and programs running in the city and it also promotes other attractions in the city (eg food venues, galleries, cafes, etc.) which encourages economic benefits.

Above: Screenshot of http://skatemalmo.se/ front page

ACTION 3.4 - THE CITY OF MELBOURNE WILL STRENGTHEN ITS COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE SKATE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC AROUND SKATE ACTIVITY.

1. A visible online presence that draws together information on skating in the city and caters to the skate community, including:

1.1. A succinct and clear set of guidelines and statements on skating in the City of Melbourne.

1.2. Clear indication of where skating is and isn’t encouraged in the City of Melbourne.

2. Awareness campaigns directed at educating and building mutual respect between skaters, businesses and general public.

On-going resources and management of the Skate Melbourne Plan

Without dedicated resources to facilitate and review the original ‘SKATESAFE’ Skating Management Plan 1998, many of the elements of this plan were not fully implemented.

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ACTION 3.5 - DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE SKATE COMMUNITY, INDUSTRY AND OTHER LAND MANAGERS IN THE MUNICIPALITY TO SEEK OPPORTUNITIES AND ENSURE THEY ARE INCLUDED IN FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SKATE PLAN.

To provide more skate-able spaces in the city, where suitable, the City of Melbourne aim to build relationships and potential partnerships with other significant land managers and owners in the city. Universities, businesses and state government can potentially encourage and provide skate-able spaces along with the City of Melbourne. The City of Melbourne aim to continue to build positive relationships with the skate community and key industry groups.

Working with the skating community and other city users to develop this draft plan has promoted understanding and respect and by continuing to build on these relationships the City of Melbourne will continue to help address any future concerns or issues that arise.

ACTION 3.6 - ENSURE ADEQUATE AND ONGOING RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED

This is required to ensure skate and youth requirements are integrated as Melbourne continues to develop. It’s important that internally, council has appropriate resources within a suitable work area to build strong relationships and address ongoing challenges and developments in skate. This is important to ensure the implementation of this plan is well managed, cohesive and able take advantage of future opportunities. This is subject to annual budget processes.

ACTION 3.7 - INTERNAL REVIEW OF PROGRESS ON ACTION PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION EVERY FIVE YEARS WITH PROGRESS COMMUNICATED TO THE COMMUNITY.

This will result in contemporary, progressive, and high quality support and management from the City of Melbourne in terms of implementation of the plan.

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Summary of proposed actions

Throughout this document actions have been outlined, below is a summary of these. All actions are subject to annual budget process.

# Key actions Timeframe

1 Identify spaces suitable for skate activity

1.1 Utilise Location Assessment Criteria in conjunction with council’s strategic mapping systems to locate key opportunity and gap areas in the municipality.

Within 3 years

2 Increase the provision, designation and integration of suitable skate spaces

2.1 Ensure a diverse range of skate devices, styles and spaces are catered for across the municipality and that skate is adequately catered for in key priority areas.

Ongoing

2.2 Continue the Street Skate Prototyping Project as an ongoing program and co-design process.

Over next 3 years

2.3 In suitable spaces, integrate skate-able elements into urban design and planning, especially a larger urban plaza and in networks between skate-able spaces.

Over next 10 years

2.4 Suitably locate and designate a 24 hour skate-able space and seek potential for off-peak night skate spaces.

Within 3 years

2.5 Develop a living map of preferred routes and areas and provide a series of skate-able elements on these routes for skaters to use in the City of Melbourne.

Within 3 years

2.6 Upgrade existing skate parks in Alexandra Gardens and JJ Holland Park. Within 3 years

2.7 Locate and develop an extra-large skate-able space. Within 5 years

3 Improve programming, communication and management

3.1 Local law, parks policy, strategic planning and road rule review and amendments.

Within 3 years

3.2 Encourage and promote equity, inclusivity and acceptance of Melbourne skating culture.

Ongoing

3.3 Increase, enhance and better enable skate services, programs, events and initiatives internally and with partners.

Ongoing

3.4 Strengthen web presence, communications, awareness and advocacy on skating in the City of Melbourne internally, externally and with partners.

Within 3 years

3.5 Develop and build relationships with the skate community and industry and other land managers in the municipality to seek opportunities to collaborate and ensure they are included in future development of the skate plan.

Ongoing

3.6 Ensure adequate and ongoing resources are allocated to guide, manage and implement this plan.

Ongoing

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3.7 Internal review of progress on action plan and implementation and pulse check with skate community and skate park managers.

Every 5 years

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Next Steps

Information captured through this second phase of community engagement will inform the development of the final Skate Melbourne Plan for council to endorse and implementation to begin in 2017.

Visit http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/skate for more information

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Skate Melbourne Framework

Community engagement phase one summary March to April 2016

Disclaimer

This report is provided for information and it does not purport to be complete. While care has been taken to ensure the content in the report is accurate, we cannot guarantee it is without flaw of any kind. There may be errors and omissions or it may not be wholly appropriate for your particular purposes. In addition, the publication is a snapshot in time based on historic information which is liable to change. The City of Melbourne accepts no responsibility and disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information contained in this report.


Future Melbourne Committee

6 September 2016

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Executive summary

Project background The City of Melbourne is creating a strategic framework that will guide the management, provision and location of skate activity in the future development of the municipality. The City of Melbourne ‘Skatesafe’ Skating Management Plan 1998 was developed in response to increased skate activity in the City of Melbourne. The plan employed six major components to better manage skate activity in the city. These components included: provision of a venue, code of conduct, preferred routes and areas, education and awareness programs, physical measures and legislation through local law. The plan was considered a success and forward thinking for its time, with some elements of the plan still existing today. However, since the plan’s inception skating has grown in popularity, the city has transformed, demographics have changed and styles of skating have evolved. To date, the plan has not been reviewed in great detail, nor have the existing facilities, programmes and management methods. In late 2014, consultation around the popular street skating location Lincoln Square Plaza highlighted that a strategic plan needs to be developed for the future of skating in the City of Melbourne. Additional face-to-face surveys have also been conducted, including surveys with skaters to better understand demographics and their desired spaces and needs in the city. This research was conducted by YMCA and City of Melbourne in July 2015 and a summary of findings can be found in the appendix.

Community engagement Community engagement on the City of Melbourne Skate Framework occurred from Monday 21 March to Monday 18 April 2016. The key goal of this round of engagement was to enable a diverse range of people who use open space to provide input that guides the development of the City of Melbourne’s Skate Framework. Furthermore, there was opportunity to better understand the skate community itself and how the broader general public feels we can better manage, provide for and locate skate activity in the City of Melbourne. Melbourne City Council was directed by the Council’s Parks and Gardens Advisory Committee and the Council Project Steering Committee to incorporate existing research conducted by the City of Melbourne into the engagement process, especially in the areas of key challenges and complaints, skating participation rates, benefits, popularity and other current trends in skating locally and internationally. The community was invited to share their ideas by:

Completing a survey which was available online at Participate Melbourne. Attending three face-to-face pop-up engagement sessions in different locations within the central city. Discussing their ideas in-person at a workshop held on Sunday 3 April. Becoming involved in the Skate Melbourne Advisory Group. This group would then help to formulate

the draft Skate Framework, after the initial phase of engagement. This report amalgamates feedback from all of the above engagement methods, including feedback from the Skate Melbourne Advisory Group and the survey summary report compiled by consultants Micromex. Micromex were engaged to assist with quantifying and analysing the data compiled from the online survey only and the full report is available in the appendix section of this document. Overview In total, 505 online surveys were received along with various other contributions through the workshop, pop-ups and skate advisory group meetings. The survey also collected demographic data about respondents. Responses were received from people aged under 15 to over 60 years, with almost 50 per cent of respondents aged 25 and under. Over 80 per cent of respondents were male and a large majority (77 per cent) of respondents were individuals who participate in skate activity. Social media was the most effective method utilised to reach the skate community and direct them to the survey. More information on social media responses and feedback can be found in the appendix. Micromex’s qualitative analysis of open ended comments determined that of 505 respondents, 11 were classified as having an anti-skate stance, 27 were neutral and 467 were pro-skate (including 389 skaters). Almost 40 per cent of respondents stated they were residents of the City of Melbourne when their postcodes highlighted otherwise. This is thought to be caused by a general misunderstanding that the City of Melbourne’s municipal boundaries are not the same as the greater Melbourne area. Key concerns for respondents were:

Noise and disturbance such as skating near residential areas late into the night. Personal safety concerns, for example potential collisions and runaway boards.

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Damage of private and public property and amenity. Unclear lines of movement by skaters. And other public space issues (not only related to skate) including;

o Poor behaviour in public and public consumption of alcohol by some skate participants.

o Overcrowding of public space by one user group (in this case, skaters). Key unifying themes for respondents included:

The sense of community and diverse demographics. Social inclusion for all city users in public space is important. Dedicated skate areas are necessary. Signage and/or information is required about areas/times that skating is allowed. Access to street-scapes is important. Melbourne is seen as a great city for skating. For some this goes beyond just skate-able assets and also

includes the beauty, atmosphere and culture of the city. Self-expression/creativity/adventure derived from skating.

For skate participants, additional questions were asked to gain insights into their skating requirements. The key unifying themes were:

A lack of quality spatial provisions, fit for the desired end users. They seek a variety of surfaces/obstacles/challenges/spaces. A lack of public spaces where skaters are welcome to skate (routes and open spaces) A lack of sheltered and night time skating options. The over use of skate stopping methods and exclusion of skaters from public space. A lack of opportunity to participate in different styles of skating within the municipality. Negative public perception and harassment, such as the public thinking it’s a crime or

vandalism.

What we asked There were a series of questions on the survey, focusing around the key themes of location, provision and managing skating in public spaces. Through our pop-ups we asked the general public’s perception of skating and their thoughts around the activity. We anticipated engaging with a lot of skaters and through the workshop and the survey, we provided more detailed questions around what types of facilities they would like to see into the future and the characteristics they enjoyed in favourite spaces that already exist. The survey itself is in the appendix of this document.

How it was communicated Community engagement was promoted by the City of Melbourne through a range of mediums to reach as many residents, workers, students and visitors as possible. This included:

The City of Melbourne website directed visitors to the Participate Melbourne page. Postcards and posters were placed at multiple City of Melbourne venues including libraries, and

community hubs and around the central city to encourage people to fill in the survey. Through central city pop-ups information panels on the framework were displayed and prompted

questions for visitors to engage with. Social media posts on City of Melbourne Facebook and Twitter accounts. Emails were sent to key stakeholders and resident groups. Corporate ads and the Melbourne Magazine. Well known skaters were encouraged to share the Participate Melbourne page within the skating

community.

Constraints Over 75 per cent of survey respondents were skaters which meant the overall data was skewed toward a skater’s perspective. Whilst this was a large proportion, due to high response rates, there were still 116 respondents who were not skaters. Lincoln Square Plaza’s modifications to deter skate activity were happening at the same time of the engagement period. This proved a substantial constraint in engaging with the skate community itself. Due to the contention of the topic, council officers were unable to engage at popular and known skate spots, such as Lincoln Square. The heightened media coverage around Lincoln Square’s upcoming modifications meant that many responses to the framework via social media posts were oriented toward Lincoln Square’s modifications which were mostly negative. Some common responses indicated the community felt that the Council appeared disingenuous with its engagement around the framework and were sending the community mixed messages about council’s stance around skate activity.

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Key desires Looking to the future at a strategic/framework level, both the survey respondents and the Skate Advisory Group highlighted that there is a desire for ‘integration’ of skating into the city and the ‘inclusion’ of the skate community in the process. The key unifying themes were: Key desires

Description

An increase in provision of a mix of facility scales and types, especially dedicated and clearly identifiable skate-friendly areas which enable multiple users to interact with skating. “As key contributors to the culture of Melbourne, it is important they are not marginalised or excluded from the use of a public space.” – non-skater male 50-59 “Skate spaces should be dedicated spaces and/or at designated times.” – non-skater female 60-69

Enhanced skate facilities - better designs, renovations, seating, lighting, indoor/undercover areas.

These spaces should be clearly indicated for skaters and non-skaters alike.

The space caters for a diverse range of demographics and skill levels.

Mixed and shared use facilities/spaces were highlighted as an effective typology to enable this.

Non-skaters tend to be concerned with skaters in public spaces, with some feeling they are not allowed in these spaces, whilst skaters feel they are. Further clarity around where skating is encouraged is required.

Strategically locating and designing suitable and safe spaces for skating to take place, avoiding conflict with other uses and users. “The noise, the risk of collision… is not conducive to a pleasant public space.” – non-skater female 70-79 “Safety is obviously a great concern. Generally I have noticed that skaters are very aware and very considerate of other members of the public. I am sure that clever design features can allow for skating to occur amidst busy places.” – non-skater 50-59

Many of the challenges raised by non-skaters related to: Issues around noise near residential areas. Skate activity taking place in dangerous locations where

people are trying to walk through or utilise a space for other activities.

Damage to infrastructure that is not seen as designed for skating activity.

Congregation of too many skaters and not feeling able to use the space.

The Skate Advisory Group also highlighted that these concerns need to considered in any future space that may encourage skating.

A safe and inclusive environment for all (particularly for female skaters).

This was important for all respondents as well as the safety of other city users.

Central city, accessible locations and ‘Street style’ spaces were important. Large plazas were a key desire as they act as a community hub; they should have communal spatial qualities such as the room and ability to socialise with the broader public. “I love watching people using public spaces for all sorts of reasons, I want our cities to be welcoming and safe spaces for people of all ages and cultures and skating is a part of that.” - non-skater female 60-69

Central and accessible locations were important for skaters, as the city is seen as a meeting point. This was especially important for youth skaters who need public transport to get around.

Spaces for all ages, city users and abilities. Street skating style in particular has a high demand and

participation rate. Public plazas can also act as community hubs for these skaters.

Suitably found public areas where skaters can be free to skate without the use of stoppers/capped ledges, or being asked to move on by residents, security or police.

Spaces to sit, socialise and spectate are integral for medium to larger scale spaces.

Spaces that have multiple uses and activities were highlighted as a key desire for non-skaters and skaters alike. “The variety of activity that brings together people of different ages and interests is most important and helps to bond the community at large.” – non-skater female 80+

Multi-use recreational spaces like Neill Street Reserve and other precedents were highlighted multiple times as great spaces for all users.

These spaces are seen as hubs of activity which are safe and offer an array of services to the community. They promote social and communal spaces and enable people to engage in physical activity.

Having skate-able spaces near other complementary activities that are also loud (e.g. basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc.) and active (e.g. rock climbing walls, free running, personal training, etc.) and that require hard surfaces would be ideal.

It is important that the City of Melbourne cater for a diverse range of skate styles, devices and users.

There are many different styles and devices used in skating and all need to be adequately catered for. This also applies to different skill levels, ages and demographics.

It’s important that spaces cater for non-skating city users to spectate and interact with skating also.

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Summary

The survey incorporated a specific section where skaters were asked to respond to additional questions. Over 80 per cent of skate respondents were skateboarders that participate in street style skating. Most skateboard respondents were very experienced with over 70 per cent skating for more than five years.

The main drivers for skating in the City of Melbourne is the sense of community, belonging, a good mix of spots, the great surfaces, the central location and the aesthetic and atmosphere of the city.

The main issues with skating in the city are the negative perceptions from other city users and being harassed by security. City of Melbourne has been said to be one of the most skate-stopped cities in the world, with a lack of quality and diverse spaces being allowed to be skated.

Questions

Description

Key devices used

The majority of respondents use skateboards as their preferred device.

Key styles participated in

Many of the respondents participate in multiple styles of skating, with the main three being; street style skating (88 per cent) which takes place in public spaces, park (46 per cent) and transitional (32 per cent) which take place in dedicated skate parks and facilities.

Experience levels of skaters

Many of the respondents were heavily experienced in skating with over 70 per cent having over five years of skating experience.

Frequency of skating in City of Melbourne

Many skaters frequently visit the City of Melbourne to skate with over sixty per cent visiting the municipality a few times a week or daily. Only 11 per cent skated in the City of Melbourne rarely or never.

What’s enjoyable about skating in City of Melbourne

The main drivers of enjoyment include ‘sense of belonging/community’, ‘good mix of skate areas/proximity of skate areas’, and the ‘atmosphere/beauty of Melbourne’. The comments suggest that for some skaters, there is a connection with Melbourne that goes beyond the simple availability of skate-worthy assets.

What’s not enjoyable about skating in the City of Melbourne

Skaters don’t enjoy being harassed by security and negativity from others for being skaters. They also don’t enjoy the ‘skate stoppers/caps’ designed to stop skating. A lack of physical assets and spaces where they’re allowed to skate (including the re-design of Lincoln Square Plaza) were also key themes.

Important characteristics of skate spaces

The central city location and being close to food and services were important, along with a space to hang out’, which supports the earlier key points on the appeal of feeling a part of a community and having a space to be around others.

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Despite the small numbers, some detailed focus areas, challenges and opportunities came out of the workshop.

All skaters in attendance associated themselves with park and street skating styles. The small numbers enabled a more detailed and open conversation based session, which allowed the

process to be more inclusive and engaging. Key findings:

Educate the public: it’s a sport, a lifestyle, an art form – it’s unstructured. Improve the general public’s understanding and perception of the activity and community.

o Instead of skate stopping, enable it by designing skate ability into new spaces (considering skate in new projects is important).

Getting the right location for skating is important. DIY skate parks – a sense of ownership is a great way to build in acceptance and use of the space into

the future. Map of where and when people can skate would help people understand where to skate. Melbourne can be seen as a leader in skating culture and provision. Share the process with other councils and advocate for inclusion. Putting other complementary activities and having multiple activities and uses in and around a skate

space will make the space more interesting and well utilised. This will also seemingly make the spaces seem less like skate specific, which is what street skaters want.

Skate parks were seen as important for beginners and families, however they are sometimes seen as a day care where parents just drop their kids off. This is not attractive to teens and young adults in these peak times as it can be dangerous for professionals and beginners alike.

Street skate plazas were seen as important for the skateboarding community – it’s a very different type of skate space as it doesn’t look like a skate park. There are also no unattended small children, nor are there scooters or bikes. These spaces also allow filming and photos. Lincoln Square was popular because it was accessible, had space to hang out, it was in a public space which was aesthetically pleasing, a very visible space by other city users and the elements catered to beginner, intermediate and experienced skaters. The amalgamation of all of these factors allow for skaters to skate safely and connect with their community.

Feedback on the workshop and engagement process included:

The word ‘framework’ isn’t very clear and is hard to understand right away. A lot of the skaters found out about the project through various means, however it wasn’t easily found if

you were not in the street skating scene. No Facebook event or Instagram presence made it difficult to share with everyone. Difficult to engage with skaters without a clear indication of the overall plan. Suggestions to improve

engagement include: o Involvement of role models. o Rather than sitting around a room talking, something interesting and tangible to do such as a

demonstration, game of SKATE, a competition or a DIY building workshop. o Make sure it works with a lot of people - time and place are important. Docklands was a bit

difficult to get to and not central. Important to be at or close to where people skate already. Case studies were a good tool to help explain but need Australian ones so that it’s local and relatable

such as St Kilda, Geelong and Reservoir.

Social media

Social media was an effective method of reaching the skate community on the topic. It was also helpful for the general public and youth demographics. The Facebook posts had over 800 reactions, 120 comments and 60 shares collectively. The framework was also shared on Facebook and Instagram by popular skate culture magazines and websites. However, as highlighted in the constraints section, there was heightened media awareness due to Lincoln Square Plaza’s modifications, which may have impacted on the Skate Melbourne framework’s response rate, messaging and the types of responses received.

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DM 9865848 12/18

Next steps Information captured through the first phase of community engagement will inform the development of the draft framework which will then be shared with the public for consultation by the end of 2016. Visit http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/skate for more information.

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DM 9865848 13/18

APPENDIX Appendix item one - Summary of community engagement phase one Method Number of interactions Comments Participate Melbourne site 3605 sessions

505 contributions 18 applications for advisory group 59 people downloaded the skate framework background paper

89% skate participant respondents. 92% positive response toward skate. 83% of skate respondents utilise skateboards. 66% of skate respondents participate in street

style skateboarding. 3 x central city face-to-face pop-ups

100 interactions (approximate) promoted skate framework with general city users passing by

Located in central city public spaces during peak hours of usage.

No cases of heavily opposed attitudes toward skate activity.

1 x workshop 8 participants Feedback on low attendance rates was highlighted as: o Lack of awareness of framework and

workshop itself. o Poor location and timing. o Unsure of what a ‘framework’ is. o Unsure of what they would be doing in

the workshop. Low numbers allowed for more detailed

conversation and involvement. 3 x boosted Facebook posts 800 reactions

120 comments 60 shares

Some comments were negatively geared around the modifications being made to Lincoln Square Plaza.

Other major parties sharing the Participate survey

2 x Facebook shares from major skateboarding social media sites with 350 reactions 2 x Instagram shares from major skateboarding social media sites with 300+ interactions Plus more shared posts from many individuals

Some prolific skate magazines and skaters took it upon themselves to share the framework consultation.

Other skate community groups from Brisbane and Sydney both shared the Participate survey. The Sydney Skateboarding Association stated: “it’s not hard to see why Melbourne is considered Australia’s cultural hub”.

Major news articles on Lincoln Square’s modifications to discourage skate activity.

Major news articles from The Age, The Herald Sun and ABC. All of these contained different perspectives on the topic.

This had a significant impact on the community engagement process both negatively and positively.

Negatives: o Skate community felt council’s process

was disingenuous. o May have deterred some skaters from

participating. o Other community members felt youth in

general were being negatively represented and impacted.

o Limited face-to-face engagement opportunities.

Positives: o Highlighted the topic of skating in the

municipality. o May have caused more skaters to

provide feedback.

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DM 9865848 14/18

Appendix Item 2 Skate Framework Survey Form I am answering this survey as... Required

□ Someone who participates in skate activity (includes BMX, scooters, inline etc) □ Someone with a relationship to skate (work in the industry, family member etc) □ Someone who is currently impacted by skate □ A non-skater □ Other: _______________________________________________________________________

Choose four of the following types of public spaces that you think are most suitable for skate activity

□ Parks and reserves □ Forecourts, plazas and squares □ Streets and laneways □ Temporary spaces i.e. event spaces □ Indoor locations □ Dedicated skate spaces i.e. skate parks

What elements do you enjoy most about those public spaces? Are there any other areas of the municipality that you think could be suitable for skate activity? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Some of the public spaces listed above can be spaces shared with pedestrians, businesses, vehicles and other uses or activities in the same place, at the same time. How can we improve the way these spaces are shared and managed? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Using past research and case studies we have identified some key principles that may guide the future of skate in the City of Melbourne. Choose which ones you think are important.

□ Connect activities such as skate, with other complementary activities and uses (e.g. other active, youth and socially oriented uses or other loud activities)

□ Include the skate community in the process (e.g. foster an ongoing partnership, include in design and build process)

□ Integrate skate spaces innovatively into suitable, accessible and safe public spaces.

□ Explore private, commercial and not-for-profit partnerships to assist in the development of spaces and services that

support the skate community Please explain your answers. Is there anything we've missed? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the one thing you would do to improve skating in Melbourne? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any further comments to make about skate in the City of Melbourne? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Age Group

□ Under 10 □ 10-14 □ 15-17 □ 18-24 □ 25-29 □ 30-39 □ 40-49 □ 50-59 □ 60-69 □ 70-79 □ 80 or over

Gender identity

□ Female □ Male

□ Indeterminate/Intersex/Undisclosed What is your connection to the City of Melbourne?

□ I’m a resident of the City of □ I work in the City of Melbourne □ I own / operate a business in the City of

Melbourne □ I study in the City of Melbourne □ I visit the City of Melbourne □ None of above, I’m just interested in this subject

Residential postcode: _ _ _ _ How would you like to be updated? For this project only New projects and monthly newsletter

SKATE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

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DM 9865848 15/18

I ride/use...

□ A skateboard □ A longboard □ A scooter □ A BMX □ A mountain bike □ Inline skates □ Other: ________________________________________________________________________

My favourite styles of skate/BMX/inline are:

□ Transitional □ Street □ Park □ Downhill skating □ Transport only □ Other: ________________________________________________________________________

How many years have you been skating for

□ Less than one year □ Less than 4 years □ 5-10 years □ More than 10 years

How often do you skate within the City of Melbourne?

□ Daily □ A few times a week □ A few times a month □ Rarely □ Never

What do you enjoy about skating in the City of Melbourne? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What do you not enjoy about skating in the City of Melbourne? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What characteristics do you think are important in a skate space

□ Central city location □ Close to food and services □ Being around other people □ Proximity to other skate locations □ Feeling safe □ Space to hang out □ Other: _______________________________________________________________________

Which of the following spaces and facilities do you think would best support the skate community

□ Designated skate parks with a mixture of transitional, street and park obstacles □ Transitional skate parks (bowls, ramps etc) □ Small to medium skate spots supported by Council □ Street skate zones or trails □ Street plazas □ Sheltered spaces for year round skating □ Downhill or slalom courses □ Indoor facilities □ Temporary skate spaces □ Multi-purpose use facilities □ Other: ________________________________________________________________________

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Other surveys conducted in the past – July School Holidays 2015 (YMCA and City of Melbourne)

Leading up to and also during the peak time of the July School holidays 2015 City of Melbourne in partnership with YMCA conducted limited on street surveys of street skaters and park skaters’ alike. These surveys were formulated by the City of Melbourne Skate Framework Working Group and YMCA. They were conducted during daylight hours, on site and face-to-face by the YMCA Skate Ambassadors and compiled by City of Melbourne.

Skateboarding surveys formulated and conducted by YMCA Skate Ambassadors and City of Melbourne

Date and occasion Frequency Location Data acquired Number of respondents

30/05/2015 – 01/07/2015

Weekends Lincoln Square Post code and age only 146

21/06/2015

Go Skateboarding Day One day Riverslide Skate Park

Detailed survey / questionnaire

37

02/07/2015 – 11/07/2015

School Holidays

Daily Popular skate spots and parks

Detailed survey / questionnaire

141

TOTAL 324

The total (324) data results show that:

59% were under the age of 18

27% were aged between 18 and 25 and

14% were older than 25 years

12% were City of Melbourne residents

50% lived in inner Melbourne suburbs

19% lived in greater Melbourne

16% were from rural areas. A more detailed survey to find out more about the skating community was undertaken (178 responses). This survey showed: 96% of interviewees were male

31% were employed, 24% worked and studied, 39% were full time students, and 6% neither worked nor studied.

Occupations included; Youth Workers, Web Developers, Aircraft Mechanics, Graphic Designers, Architects, Chefs, Landscapers, Teachers, IT workers, Retail, Carpenters, Hospitality and more.

81% of the most favoured spaces to skate were informal “street” rather than skate park locations (see Figure 8)

70% skateboarded on weekends and during school holidays, with 30% skated during business hours.

In the second survey additional questions were asked about the motivation to skate. From 141 responses: 37% said skateboarding was their only form of physical activity and/or hobby.

The primary reasons for skating were: enjoyment (88%), social interaction and community (65%), stress relief / mental health benefits (55%)

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DM 9865848 18/18

Figure 7: A break down of the main themes when responding to “What does Skateboarding mean to you?”

Figure 8: A break down of the favoured skate spots for 178 of respondents

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Everything / Life passion - Means a lot to themOutlet / Mental health / Wellbeing

Social / Community aspectFun

FreedomMisc. (Self accomplishment, individuality)

Lincoln Square

60%

IMAX7%

State Library9%

Docklands Plaza3%

Riverslide7%

Docklands in general

3%

Other / N/A11%

FAVOURED SPACES TO SKATE

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