From close to 4,000 responses across two surveys, we heard that public spaces are absolutely vital to the community. We found that people’s love and appreciation for public spaces didn’t fade when the restrictions were eased, with 45% of people responding that they spent more time in public spaces than before COVID-19.
While our most recent survey took place between lockdowns, we saw once again during the recent lockdown how valued our public spaces are by the community.
This evidence is important to the delivery of the NSW Government Priority focused on walkable access to quality public spaces and growing our tree canopy. We encourage you to read through, absorb and share the findings.
Our research unearths seven insights:
1. Even as restrictions eased, people’s love for public spaces remained strong.
2. People want high-quality public space that’s easy to access.
3. People were walking and cycling more than before COVID-19.
4. More people felt less safe in public spaces, especially because of crowding.
5. More people discovered online services provided by public facilities during COVID-19.
6. People were socialising more in public spaces into the second year of the pandemic.
7. People’s use of local high streets has increased since the start of COVID-19.
For any questions, please contact the team at PublicSpace@planning.nsw.gov.au.
Yours sincerely,
Alex O’Mara
Group Deputy Secretary
Place, Design and Public Spaces
