The power of Ten

No, it has nothing to do with ten councillors. If you want people to come in to the city centre, you’ll have to give them a reason. There’s a theory in ‘placemaking’ that to make a place worth visiting there must be ten things to do in that place, and a destination needs ten places in it.

Brisbane Water Jetty; copyright Val Bridge

If we take the Central Coast as an example to this theory then Gosford is one of the ten places in the region. This in turn leads to ten places in the city to encourage people to visit. We already have a few but could we make them more accessible?

Here is an extract from the Projects for Public Spaces web site.

“Underlying all PPS’s work is the “Power of 10″ the idea that at least ten focal points are necessary to make a great place, with each of those areas offering ten things to do. Public spaces exhibiting the power of ten offers depth, meaning, and intuitive connections that create satisfying everyday experiences.”

Colleen Worthy-Jennings said that the Gosford city revitalisation team are using this theory. So how does Gosford stack up against this power of ten?

Can you make a list of ten things you’d like to do in Gosford? Who does your list appeal to, families, shoppers, singles, business visitors, day trippers, holidaymakers? No this is not a survey! Simply to see if you have a view.

Today many people eat their lunch in Kibble Park with friends and listen to music. Meet friends, eat lunch in the park, and listen to music, that’s three things.

If you were to list ten things Erina offers to attract visitors how does it compare to Gosford. We are not suggesting it compete with Erina Fair on a retail level, but we sure offer much in the way of potential.

For starters we could do with a purpose built civic centre, perhaps a cinema. We used to have a roller skating rink, kids and families loved that! The waterfront is our jewel and provided it is developed with thought it could be our own ‘darling harbour’. However, it must be for the people, not just for those who can afford some luxury apartment overlooking the Brisbane Water.

Newcastle has done it with their waterfront; Wollongong too, has developed with thought. Gosford on the other hand appears to be the poor cousin. Why?