While genuine concern for the homeless does exist, there is also a fear and paranoia amongst society. It was with some trepidation that the City of Sydney Council stepped forth with plans to renew two small urban parks frequented by homeless people – Walla Mulla Park and Bourke Street Park, on the fringe of Sydney’s CBD. Walla Mulla Park, commonly referred to as the ‘homeless man park’, is a fragment of public space left over from the demolition of terrace housing, due to the construction of an overhead railway line in the seventies. The park, dissected by the ominous viaduct, and neighboring a homeless men’s hostel, was reclaimed by a number of homeless people, some long-term residents and other transient dwellers. The site rapidly gained a reputation as a notorious location for drug and alcohol abuse and dealing, high levels of vandalism and general uncleanness far below acceptable community standards. This negative image changed the behavior of passers-by – instead of taking short-cuts through the site, people would detour to specifically avoid it.

　　The brief for Walla Mulla Park realistically acknowledged that the park would continue to retain its predominant usage by the homeless. It was a conundrum for the council, as they did not want to be seen by the wide public, as legitimizing and encouraging chronic homelessness by providing amenities. A balance had to be achieved – essentially, not designing the homeless out of the park, but rather designing the wider community into the park, thus encouraging a shared use and ownership of the site.

　　Our original concept for Walla Mulla Park, was based on an artificial topography evoking the idea of average sized rooms in the Australian suburban house. This idea, while appreciated by some, also terrified others-every ‘wall’ could hide behavior not condoned by society. With time, the paranoia of the public and council diluted many of our initial ideas, with public safety almost an obsession. It is difficult to even contemplate the number of regulations and constraints that exist, when designing such a public space.

　　Our final plan for Walla Mulla Park, attempted to retain a comfortable, human scale, with seating deliberately configured to create smaller pockets of space, within the larger park area. Design of seating, responded to an observation of the behaviour of residents in the park, as they tended to create small groups, gathering in different parts of the site. This is reflected by orienting seats around tables, but due to their width enabling people to sit the other way as well. The ‘boomerang’ like forms of the seating while catering for larger gatherings of people, also allow individuals to maintain their personal space. In addition, seating also had to reflect cleaning procedures, creating trafficable corridors for maintenance machinery.

　　As a predominantly hardscaped urban environment, the ground surface of Walla Mulla Park is characteristic to the space, with an interplay of new and recycled concrete pavers, and dividing concrete strips. The strips at times serve to mediate change of direction in paving, while also helping to direct run off of rain water and pressure cleaning, in the absence of any stormwater pits (which were eliminated for fear of hideout places for illicit drugs and utensils).

　　Areas of lawn under canopies of existing casuarina trees were provided, as well as new planting of clusters of mature Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana) and flowering climbers. While plants have not yet had a chance to mature, the trellis against the wall of the neighboring hostel, will gradually be transformed into a green wall, and cascading green roof to the new toilet block. At night, the requirement for intensive lighting emphasizes the toilet to such a degree, that it becomes a ‘lantern’ to the park, further highlighted by white ‘mosaic’ walls of tile fragments, to discourage graffiti. The toilet’s custom-design patterned doors are usually left ajar to facilitate surveillance.

　　In the few months that have passed since the opening of Walla Mulla Park in March 2011, there has been a perceptible difference in the social environment. The park no longer carries such an overwhelmingly foreboding stigma in the community – many people who would not have dared venture through the park previously, now enter and pass through quite freely. Although the homeless might largely occupy the park, and use it as a make-shift home for the night, there is an enhanced mixing of the community. Feedback from park residents has also been positive, one of the residents saying that the only thing missing was a barbecue. We accept that the renewal of a park such as Walla Mulla Park, does not combat the root of homelessness, or the bitter truths of drug and alcohol abuse. Yet we continue to believe that well designed and maintained shared urban spaces can reduce tension and increase tolerance and acceptance of less fortunate members of our society. Hopefully Walla Mulla Park, to some degree, will improve the lives of those who find themselves without house-keys, and at the same time increase community acceptance of a voiceless population.

　　Location: Woolloomooloo, Sydney

　　Client: City of Sydney Council

　　Landscape Architect: Terragram Pty Ltd

　　Architect: Chris Elliott Architects

　　Builder: Hansen Yuncken

　　Time Period: 2008-March 2011

　　Text : Terragram Pty Ltd

　　Translation: WANG Tian-yuan

　　Photo Credit : Terragram Pty Ltd