Meet our urban design expert

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Meet our urban design expert

[Title: Level Crossing Removal Project]

[Vision: Level Crossing Removal Project: Caulfield to Dandenong Urban design]

Kevin Begg

My name's Kevin Begg and I'm an urban designer working with the Level Crossing Removal Authority.

[Vision: Map showing elevated rail line areas]

This design is an elevated rail model where the train is literally lifted up off the ground.

[Kevin Begg speaking - artist's impression of community uses beneath rail line]

There's a station that's elevated, and the space underneath is used for plazas, parks, bus interchange, community facilities, car parking, playgrounds, pedestrian and cycling paths, mature trees planted along the rail corridor.

[Kevin Begg speaking]

So, it's really a fantastic asset for the community.

[Vision: Map showing open space areas along corridor]

And, it's really connecting the communities whereas previously they were disconnected by the rail line.

[Kevin Begg speaking]

There are certainly some really good and some fairly ordinary precedents and examples of elevated rail in Melbourne and around the world.

[Vision: Kevin Begg working and speaking]

Certainly in the past sometimes they were quite low and dark spaces underneath and not so welcoming.

[Vision: Map - artist's impression of beneath rail line]

With this new format and with the new design approach, we're trying to elevate the rail and potentially separate it with a gap so that you can get light and air and rain coming down. You can have planting and landscape underneath.

[Kevin Begg speaking]

And, make it a really safe and welcoming environment.

[Vision: Community discussion meeting]

Community consultation played a huge part in designing the project.

[Kevin Begg speaking]

A design team spent the better part of 2015 developing up the design ideas. And, these design ideas were based directly upon input from the community.

[Vision: Community consultation]

We gathered that input using Social Pinpoint, which is a website to register comments. And, a large number of community engagement sessions.

[Vision: Community engagement session]

The community has been involved all along the design process.

[Kevin Begg speaking]

I think all up we got about 1,500 comments from the community.

[Vision: Community engagement session]

And, we'd certainly like to continue that through initiatives such as Your Suburb Your Say.

[Vision: Keyboard]

Your Suburb Your Say is an online portal.

[Kevin Begg speaking]

And, interactive community sessions where we answer questions, we take on board concerns.

[Vision: How We'll Make This Happen and photos]

The design will be further developed, finessed, and we'll certainly be considering input from local communities to inform that design.

[Vision: Kevin Begg speaking]

Sort of starting to understand what would best benefit the community through input by the community.

[Level Crossing Removal Project - Victoria State Government]

[Speaker: Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne]