In Plain Sight: The Dynamic Mixed-Use Neighbourhood of Lower Bank Street
Aerial view of Bank St between Heron & Walkley
To the commuters who speed along it, Bank Street between Heron and Walkley Roads is a connecting strip to and from other places. Blink and you’ll notice only the car dealerships that anchor its south end.
Look around and another vision emerges:
— Quiet, mature tree-lined residential lanes lead off from every minor intersection.
— A worldly mix of restaurants and cafes, where franchises are outnumbered by high-quality family businesses.
— Complete services for a breadth of communities, tucked away in what are often architectural curiosities.
— Experimental enterprises attracted by more affordable rents.
We will move through the neighbourhood like the locals, avoiding the obvious paths, identifying what makes this a community, together analyzing its strengths and its challenges. In what ways should urban planners seek to influence the way development has occurred here naturally? What has worked and what hasn’t? And what does the city's official plan have to offer this neighbourhood?
