Northcote High Street
[Back to Identity and Place]Darebin, VIC
Hemisphere Design has completed a study that establishes an over-arching identity for the future development of Northcote’s High Street. This is the first stage of the development of a Streetscape Masterplan for the Northcote Activity Centre, and the outcomes of the study will inform and guide key elements of the streetscape design.
The identity appreciation exercise has involved a rigorous site analysis to identify the quintessential Northcote characteristics that underpin the ‘sense of place’, as well as a community and trader consultation exercise to obtain ideas, opinions and issues important to the community. Both the findings of the visual assessment and the community feedback have been documented and considered during the development of an identity statement as well as a graphic identity that establishes a branding theme. This identity statement will be used to guide and inform the subsequent development of the streetscape masterplan.
The process of identity development considered the diverse eclectic, historical, cultural and environmental characteristics of Northcote and its community, as well as the physical form of the public realm. Recognising the application of this process in the development of an Urban Design Framework for Northcote, Hemisphere Design has been invited by the City of Darebin and Yarra Trams to prepare character assessments and future identity statements for Northcote High Street. These statements frame the opportunity for not only tram upgrade, but also the development of a comprehensive T.O.D. as part of Melbourne’s 2030 Vision.
At Hemisphere Design, we specialise in analysis exercises which determine the visual significance, cultural and character values of the contextual and specific landscape. Central to our design process is a creative approach and commitment to capture and respond to the ‘identity’ of the public realm, creating unique outcomes with a strong emphasis on artistic interpretation – not merely replicating a fashion usage of ‘somewhere else’. Hemisphere Design embrace the uniqueness of each project’s particular ‘sense of place’ to determine the character of the location, and use these tools to shape the potential future identity of the traditional main street.