Smart Trailer at Alawa Dog Park

Design Feature

Type of project
Local Government Initiative
State
Northern Territory
Location
Urban
Understanding how people use public open spaces can help councils better meet resident needs and monitor visitor trends. In City of Darwin, a mobile, solar-powered trailer unit called the Smart Trailer collected anonymous CCTV-based people counts at the Alawa Dog Park in Darwin’s norther suburbs. This parkland area, which includes designated run spaces for dogs, is a natural place for recreation, physical activity and community congregation.


Over one week, the Smart Trailer’s camera-based technology counted visitors and measured directional flow to identify peak usage times, popular entry points and patterns of movement within the park. This digital innovation, which forms part of the #SmartDarwin strategy, will help City of Darwin design safer, more accessible and better-used open spaces that that support physical, emotional and community wellbeing.
Project team
City of Darwin
  • Digital Innovation
  • Richardson Ward Elected Members.

Project cost
N/A
Health value
  • Understanding public space usage patterns will enable City of Darwin to maintain and update the Alawa Dog Park, creating an environment that encourages physical activity like dog walking.
  • Even moderate physical activity offers a range of health benefits, including improving cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.i
  • Physical activity is also linked to better mental health. It promotes feelings of calm and wellbeing and has also been linked to reduced risk of major depression,ii among others.

Economic value
  • Councils exist to support the people who live and work in the local area. For City of Darwin, knowing how and when people are using the Alawa Dog Park will drive smarter, more targeted public infrastructure investments that reflect community needs and priorities, thereby maximising value and reducing unnecessary spending.

Environmental value
  • The Smart Trailer is a mobile, solar-powered unit that can be deployed to collect people data anywhere in Darwin. The use of solar power reflects the council’s commitment to sustainable practices, minimising the resource use required to conduct this valuable research activity.

Social value
  • Public open spaces like the Alawa Dog Park are designed to foster social interaction. The Smart Trailer supports this outcome by helping City of Darwin to design and activate inclusive spaces that encourage community use.
  • In an increasingly digital world, building community trust in data-led decision making is an essential activity for organisations of all kinds. The Smart Trailer provides a simple, anonymised approach to capturing community-level data that can be translated into better spaces for all.

Use value
  • The Smart Trailer is a flexible, simple-to-deploy monitoring solution that supports City of Darwin infrastructure planning. The Alawa Dog Park is just one public space in which the Smart Trailer is delivering new insights into placemaking and activation that will offer physical, emotional and social benefits to residents and visitors alike.

References

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