UCOL Student Works to Revitalise Broadway


Kim Ross Is Not Trying to ‘Fix’ Broadway Ave.

Rather, the UCOL Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging (BAVI) student is putting her all into encouraging and inspiring Broadway users to revitalise their space themselves.

For her final year major project, Kim has spent the first half of this year researching Broadway Avenue, its current and potential users, and future possibilities. By October she will present some sort of visual product that represents the community’s needs.

Kim is majoring in design and specialising in design thinking, which she says is about taking a creative thinking approach to solving problems. “Phase one of this project has been about engaging with Broadway’s current users and phase two will be about working with them to create ideas for the area.

The outcome could be anything from something physically implemented on Broadway, to a visual proposal to put to the Council.” 

Throughout the research phase of the project Kim has been working with Geoff Wilkinson from the Palmerston North City Council (PNCC), as well as conducting interviews with Broadway users, making observations, and generally interacting with the community about their desires and needs.

The project has been titled Our Space Our Place and it complements PNCC’s ‘Placemaking’ initiative which enables residents, retailers and businesses to use local knowledge to express and implement a vision of how they want their residential streets, retail precincts, and neighbourhood centres to develop.

“The creative communities DIY toolbox that went out to groups involved in the Placemaking initiative sparked this project. One of the goals is to get a group from Broadway placemaking” Kim says.

UCOL’s Head of School Photography, Arts and Design, Rachel Hoskin says Kim’s project is an example of how students can contribute to their communities throughout their learning. “Kim has done a fantastic job of using her initiative to pursue collaboration.”

Kim will hold a community-based workshop on August 10 with the support of Downtown Shopping Centre, to create ideas for Broadway around the four themes of human-centred spaces, culture, safety and diversity. Anyone who is interested in attending the workshop can contact Kim on ourspaceourplace@gmail.com or via the project’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/OurSpaceBroadway.

“The end result of my own project is unknown at this stage; it’s all dependent on what the community wants. What I do know is that, for me, this project has become much bigger than just an assignment.”

ENDS

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