Painting the town
Pink and blue triangles suddenly appeared on the road outside the Palmerston North Conference and Function Centre, part of an urban experiment.
The example of ‘‘placemaking’’ was an approved Palmerston North City Council project carried out by staff and a few volunteers who worked during the hours of darkness on Friday, when they were least likely to inconvenience road users.
Council planner and placemaking enthusiast Keegan Aplin-thane said the project was a test to see whether street mural art was an activity that could catch on in neighbourhoods.
Recently, public art around the city had come down from the walls and on to the streets at Raleigh St and Queen St, and the council was interested in adapting the techniques so anyone could have a go.
Aplin-thane said the patterns were simple, drawing colours from the conference centre building and the pink of the cherry blossom trees in George St.
The artwork lay flat, without any three-dimensional illusions that might cause motorists to swerve.
The paint had to be rough enough so cyclists and pedestrians would not slip, and durable, but also easy to clean off if it turned out to be an unpopular mistake.
The triangles had been placed to draw people from the centre into the George St cafe precinct, and in patterns following the way pedestrians already chose to cross the road.
Council staff would be watching reactions closely, including seeing whether it had the effect of slowing traffic.
‘‘If it goes well it’s something we could put in our toolbox for placemaking, giving options for neighbours to get together and do something to use in their streets,’’ Aplin-thane said.
On Saturday morning, pedestrian Martin Goodyer was enthusiastic about the new colourscape when he came across it.
‘‘I think it’s nice, and it matches well with the unusual bits of street art installed here. I like it. Over the years Palmerston North has brightened, and just become more vibrant in this area, and I really think it balances this whole area out.’’