Elliott Street - Tactical Urbanism Initiative (TUI)

The Elliott Street leaners were designed to support the local food and beverage businesses by enabling street dining. The food and beverage offer comprises both pop-up containers on the west side and permanent retail shops on the east. 

The standard street furniture in the area was prone to damage by vehicles and consequently removed, leaving little options for places to stop and eat or rest. 

While some of the permanent shops had started to put out their own tables and chairs, this was not an option for the container units as they have no space to store furniture overnight. The challenge for the design team was to come up a fixed furniture item that was robust and visible to manoeuvring vehicles.  

The team landed on a tall leaner solution with a bright red finish that could accommodate multiple people standing around it whilst being visible in vehicle mirrors (unlike some low-level seating). 

The suite of six leaners help to visually narrow the carriageway, encouraging vehicles to slow down as they move through the street. 

The leaners are made from a galvanised steel frame, surface mounted into the paving. They will be trialled onsite and monitored until the Te Waihorotiu CRL station opens, at which time their condition and use will be assessed, and a decision made to retain or remove them.