After hundreds of years, the City and Northbridge are connected again. The area that was once a network of swamplands, used as a meeting place, has changed drastically over the years. More recently nothing more than a network of bus and train connections, the Perth City Link has now transformed into a vibrant precinct, housing the Perth Busport and linking Yagan Square and the Telethon Avenue dining area.
At the time of the Perth Busport’s opening, much of the City Link was still heavily under construction. Publik were engaged to deliver a temporary laneway that would safely guide pedestrians from the newly opened Busport into the City and Northbridge.
In the initial design process, a core form was created that appears throughout the space and forms the basis of City Walk’s brand. The final graphical shape evolved from the way people would move through, and use the space. This base shape formed the background for the custom wayfinding system, featuring colours that represent different areas that the City Walk leads to. As a secondary brand element, a ‘connect me’ graphic was developed, influenced by movement that emphasises the direction the visitor is heading.
Retail activation, public art and refreshing green spaces also inhabit the City Walk. Local Whadjuk artist Sharyn Egan provided rope weaving art pieces that flow in and out of the City Walk, and perforated screens based on artwork by local Whadjuk artist, Richard Walley, form windows from the City Walk into the changing area around it. Cut pieces of timber adorning the walls form shapes of the lakes that made up the large swamp that inhabited the area before it was a city.
