Winter Street Malvern Melbourne

The Challenge

POMO was engaged by the City of Stonnington to design and build an upgrade for a small pocket park wedged between a toy library, a childcare centre, and across the street from the local Coles supermarket.

Before the intervention, the park featured little more than two lonely benches. Local workers would sit on the ground to eat lunch, teenagers would gather after school with no real space to use, and children from the neighbouring facilities would pass through without anything catering to them.

A solution was required that allowed people to sit while having their breaks, meet after school, or pass through with young kids—one that was practical, engaging, and deliverable on a small budget.

The Response

POMO and the council undertook a placemaking design process, engaging with stakeholders and analysing local community profiles and user needs. The goal was to create a space that was:

● Functional for a diverse range of users
● Visually engaging and inviting
● Sustainable and cost-effective
● Adaptable for future use

Through this process, a place-driven, community-minded response was developed. The final design introduced seating, shade, and interactive elements, making the park a destination rather than just a pass-through space. The use of colour and a nighttime lighting experience encouraged longer stays and broader usage beyond daylight hours.

The Method

The project followed a collaborative, data-driven approach:

● Stakeholder engagement – Workshops with council teams, businesses, and community representatives shaped the design
● User group analysis – Public space studies helped identify key needs for different demographics
● Sustainable design – Materials were salvaged and repurposed, including plantation pine timber
● Technology-driven evaluation – POMO LAB developed a custom people counter to track park usage in real time
● Local collaboration – Melbourne-based contractors were engaged for the build and installation

The Place Strategy

The strategy focused on delivering a space that was not just an upgrade, but an evolving, responsive place:

● Activation through programming – Events like yoga, children’s activities, and fitness sessions brought the space to life
● Encouraging dwell time – Additional seating and greenery made the park a comfortable, usable space for more people
● Business and community engagement – Local businesses benefited from increased foot traffic, while community groups used the space for activities
● Lighting and safety – A nighttime lighting experience made the park feel safer and extended its use into the evening

Outcome and Results

● Visitation skyrocketed – From an estimated 120 visits per month to over 2,500, representing a 1983% increase
● Sustained community use – Originally planned as a temporary activation, the park remains in place two years later due to its success
● Economic impact – Increased visitation boosted local business activity, with surveys showing an average spend of $20.84 per visitor
● Positive feedback – 94% of surveyed visitors said they would return to the park
● Data-backed long-term planning – Insights from the project are shaping future investments, with additional trees and child-friendly features already being introduced

By combining placemaking principles with real-world data, POMO and the City of Stonnington delivered a highly successful public space transformation—one that continues to shape how the community interacts with and values the park.

Thanks to City of Stonnington for place measurement data and for use of images from Children’s Day.

Sustainability Outcomes

Social Sustainability Outcomes

• Fosters a More Cohesive and Inclusive Community: The project was specifically designed to cater to a diverse range of users, including local workers, teenagers, and young children. By providing a safe and welcoming space with seating, shade, and activities for different groups, it encourages interaction between various community demographics who might not otherwise connect, strengthening social bonds.
• Enhances Public Safety and Extends Community Life: The inclusion of a nighttime lighting experience is a key feature that addresses safety concerns. This makes the park usable after dark, effectively extending the public life of the area and providing a safe thoroughfare and evening destination for residents.
• Promotes Active and Healthy Lifestyles: The strategy of “programming” the space with activities like yoga, children’s events, and fitness sessions directly encourages residents to be more active. It transforms a passive park into a hub for community well-being, contributing to positive public health outcomes.
• Builds Community Capacity and Ownership: The engagement process, which involved workshops with local businesses and community representatives, ensures the design reflects local needs and aspirations. This co-design approach fosters a strong sense of community ownership and pride in the final space, making it more likely to be cared for and activated by locals in the long term.

Environmental Sustainability Outcomes

• Promotes a Circular Economy through Material Reuse: A clear environmental benefit is the use of salvaged and repurposed plantation pine timber. This approach reduces the demand for virgin materials, which in turn saves energy, reduces carbon emissions from processing and transportation, and diverts usable materials from ending up in landfill.
• Improves Urban Microclimate and Biodiversity: The addition of greenery and the plan to introduce more trees in the future will have a positive environmental impact. Trees help cool the urban environment, reduce the “heat island” effect, improve air quality, and can provide a small but valuable habitat for local birds and insects, contributing to urban biodiversity.
• Data-Informed Sustainable Development: The project serves as a pilot or “test case,” gathering data on how the community uses the space. This information will inform future, larger-scale investments, ensuring that subsequent developments are more resource-efficient and better aligned with genuine community needs, preventing wasteful expenditure on underused facilities.