When chatting to business owners, workers and the community of Freo, they always rejoice in sharing the many opportunities that can be uncovered in their city.

However, there is one issue that continually crops up… it is never easy to find a car park in Freo. And that’s where we come in.

In September this year, we were handed over the keys to the former Westgate Car Park at 8 Point St, Fremantle in the East end of the City.

With close proximity to Princess May park, the Port, Fremantle Train Station and Clancy’s Fish Pub, there are an abundance of people who would make good use of more car bays.

That’s why, in February 2023, the existing Point St Car Park (currently outdoor only on the corner of Adelaide St) will more than double in size with an additional 80 undercover car bays being opened up to the public, in the former Westgate Car Park building.

Through our conversations with the community, we identified that there were some concerns surrounding the safety of the existing car park, with it not having had any minor (or major) renovations done to it since it was last in operation nearly 10 years ago.

This prompted us to look into the research being done by YourGround in Victoria. YourGround, in collaboration with Monash University’s XYX Lab and CrowdSpot, produced a social research report into the safety perceptions of women and gender-diverse people. This research specifically focused on their experience in public open spaces that were used for recreation or exercising, including car parks.

This revolutionary work uses data and insights to produce actionable recommendations on how these spaces can be made accessible, inclusive and safe by a community that can feel highly vulnerable.

The outcome? A 151 page report detailing how design choices make a world of difference for women and gender-diverse people when engaging with public spaces.

So, what do these insights mean for our Point St car park?

• The demolition of existing walls to create clear exits, new sight lines and a feeling of openness
• Complete overhaul and implementation of high lux lighting
• Added signage that enables easy navigation
• A complete clean and detail, including painting; and
• Daily operation by the City of Fremantle and PayStay.

Car park works will commence late December and are expected to be completed by the end of January, with reopening planned by February 2023.

Want to learn more about gender-informed design?

Read or download the YourGround report: https://www.yourground.org/
Make a contribution to the Hypersext City project by XYX Lab: https://hypersextcity.com/