Elizabeth Street Could Be Turned Into a Rainforest Canal with This Radical New Proposal

Elizabeth Street could be on the verge of a fairly drastic (and particularly green) facelift. Taking cues from cities like Seoul and Fukuko, Japan, a globally-renowned urban planner has put forward a radical new proposal to transform the Melbourne's Elizabeth Street thoroughfare into a leafy tropical canal.

Speaking to The Age, Gilbert Rochecouste, founder and managing director of Village Well, said he'd like to rip up the old bitumen and replace it with "a walkable green oasis full of quirky shop and spontaneous day and night experiences."

Elizabeth Street already has a waterway, although you wouldn't know just by strolling down the sidewalk. Although confined by storm drains, William’s Creek runs straight down Elizabeth Street to empty into the Yarra. It's the reason that the street is prone to flash flooding during periods of heavy rain — as we saw in 2010.

Although it may sound like a bold idea for Elizabeth Street, Rochecouste has a tried and true history when it comes to revitalising urban spaces, having previously helped breathe new life into Melbourne’s dilapidated laneways. This also isn’t the first time Rochecouste has floated the idea for the Elizabeth Street waterway, having previously spoken about it back in 2009. Rochecouste’s new plan would be to expose the creek, lining its banks with trees and local foliage. "Footpaths would become shared spaces that bleed into the creek with activation supported by the myriad of restaurants and cafes,” he explained. “The footpaths/piazza would also become and ancillary events space to happenings throughout the CBD."

This GIF gives you a pretty dramatic idea of what to expect:

The plan would mirror similar projects in cities around the world. Cheonggyecheon, an 11km redevelopment in downtown Seoul, has proven enormously popular with tourists and locals alike, while urban canals have also been proposed in places like Berlin, Rotterdam and Suqian City, China.

Unfortunately, one man who seems less keen on the idea is Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle. “There's no doubt it's useful to have some radical ideas thrown up from time-to-time [but] this one's just a bridge too far,” he told Fairfax radio.

Via The Age.