Belmore Park Observation Study
City of Sydney, NSW
Belmore Park is an important historical inner-city park and critical connector to Central Station.
CRED Consulting was engaged by the City of Sydney (the City) to deliver an observation study to inform the park’s renewal as part of the broader Haymarket and Chinatown Revitalisation Strategy.
The study set out to:
- Quantify how many people move through the park, and the paths they use.
- Understand where and how people stay, gather and spend time
- Compare weekday and weekend patterns across demographics and behaviours.
- Generate evidence to inform future design decisions.
The study provides a clear, real-world picture of how the park functions, capturing movement, activity and behaviour across the day and night. These insights are helping shape a renewal that responds directly to how people use and experience the space.
HOW WE DID IT
Observation studies are a well-established way of systematically recording behaviours and patterns within parks and public spaces. They provide a realistic snapshot of how people use a space at different times and on different days, supporting planners and designers to make decisions that respond to community use.
CRED delivered:
- A robust observation methodology, including supporting materials to capture real-time data.
- On-site observations conducted during a weekday and weekend (6am–12am) capturing morning, daytime, evening and late-night use.
- Hourly pedestrian and cycle counts mapping movement volumes, modes and path choices/ desire lines.
- Stationary activity mapping to understand who uses the park, where they dwell, and what activities take place, including sitting, waiting, playing, cultural activities, physical activity and interactions with outreach services.
- A comprehensive report synthesising insights, previous engagement and key behavioural patterns across day and night.
OUTCOMES
The Observation Study confirms Belmore Park’s role as a highly used inner-city space, with consistent movement and staying patterns across both weekdays and weekends.
The Study identified the key movement corridors, consistent use of major desire lines, dominant modes of transport, and the most popular gathering places across the park.
These insights directly informed the concept design, including simplified paths to improve movement, increased seating, and enhancements to lawns and gardens- ensuring the renewal responds to how people actually use the park.
RELATED READING
Explore the Belmore Park concept design.