December 14, 2023

Burwood Night Time Economy Strategy and Discussion Paper

GOAL

Burwood Council commissioned JOC Consulting to prepare three strategic documents to help diversify and propel Burwood’s night-time economy and investment into the future. As an inner-city area experiencing large-scale urban renewal and benefiting from significant public infrastructure investment, Council’s goal was understand how the Burwood City Centre can transition into a vibrant, safe and equitable centre after dark.

SOLUTION

A combination of desktop research, place auditing, and community and stakeholder engagement was undertaken to understand how Council can enable a vibrant night-time economy, encourage future investment, and reflect a community voice at the heart of its implementation strategy. This included:

Lighting audit based on CPTED principles to identify safety concerns.
Journey mapping of residents and visitors to the city centre to understand their barriers to staying out later and desired outcomes for the night time economy.
Unpacking the drivers of change that are influencing movement and spending patterns within the city centre during the day and night.
Detailed demographic analysis to understand trends and changes to local retail demand.
Development of personas that explored how different community groups want to use spaces at night.
Geoscraping of businesses to identify business activity clustering, trends of business and drop-off times during the evening.
Comparative analysis of the city centre to other prominent late night destinations both nationally and internationally.
Comprehensive community engagement with over 400 participants and 40 businesses contributing to meaningful conversations about Burwood’s late night potential.

OUTCOME

The Burwood Economic Development Discussion Paper helped inform the After Dark Strategy. Together, these documents provide a long-term vision and a cohesive roadmap for Burwood after dark, focusing on a diverse range of cultural activities, events, and entertainment. The implementation of a vibrant, diverse, and safe night-time economy, and broader investment opportunities will continue to be supported the strategies. The Future Investment Prospectus remains underway as we continue to work with Council to finalise this document in early 2024.

Click here to download the Burwood After Dark Strategy.