JUAN ZARAMA PERINI/Stuff
A couple strolls the brand new boardwalk in Dixon St, which is part of Stage One of the $7m Pōneke Promise project, which intends to make the city feel safe.
It may just look like a boardwalk in the centre of town but look through the right lens and it is a crime-fighting tool that will bring vibrancy back to a troubled area of central Wellington.
The revamped Dixon St – complete with a $600,000 wooden boardwalk and motorbike parking taking out 41 car parks – is now officially open.
The boardwalk is one stage in the $7.7 million Pōneke Promise, a joint initiative by the Wellington City Council, police and others to make the city feel safe.
The area around Te Aro Park, beside Dixon St, has become notorious for drunkenness and anti-social behaviour. Two men were shot and critically injured in Dixon St in April in a gang-related shooting.
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Wellington City Council urban design manager Farzad Zamani earlier said crime prevention through urban design was at the heart of the redesign of the area.
“The changes will breathe life back into the area by increasing vibrancy and opening it up to people, which will in turn increase passive surveillance or…
