For my Community Node water was the main element responsible to attract and comfort people, in the form of a small fountain, cascades and a shallow pool but, with the new project scale there are bigger possibilities to be explored with the water and I want to explore them.
I believe the site area has the potential for a plaza along with the museum extension, a place where people can meet, eat, rest, take their children to play, infinite possibilities.. and, in that context, I think that water would be a great element of attraction during the day and in summer time. So my first architectural approach was the creation of a square in the center of the project where I'll to create a space of refreshment, where kids will be able to play using water and parents will have place to sit, relax, surf the internet and talk while watching them.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) the demography of Mullumbimby, North-eastern NSW, consists of a medium age population of 44 years old, 7 years above the overall Australian average. Due to the flourishing town’s economy in the 1970’ and 1980’s a predominant increase in population took place. Likewise its proximity to the touristic destination of Byron Bay made it an alternative cultural congregation spot for young people at the time, and it is still visible today that the population has a very strong appeal for the arts.
Nevertheless since then there has been a couple of factors that have not only crippled the town’s transformation over time but also created an everlasting discontent among its community, unnatractive and oldfashioned buildings and gruelling accessibility are part of the town's problems.
A considerable number of residents is living there only because of the proximity to Byron Bay - which in turn is a rather very attractive and touristc city that offers more options and activities for residents and visitors - but for a more affordable price. Disabling the railway line was also one of the factors that hindered access to the city making it less attractive to young people and travelers.
As a personal experience, when I first tried to go to Mullumbimby it was weekend, I took a bus to Byron Bay and when I got there I discovered that there was only one bus going to Mullumbimby and only one coming back to Byron Bay, and there was only a 15 minutes of difference between them, so after all I did not get to city and had to try again in the next weekend with a rent car. The dificulty to get in the city without a car is real and is something that I believe to be one of the main problems about attracting new people.
As only 15% of the population is between 15 - 34 years old the city has a relatively calm lifestyle, there's only 2 pubs there: The Middle Pub and the Chincogan Tavern and the main events are the Chincogan Fiesta (every September) and the Mullum Music Festival.
The open market is also very popular with the residents and farmers who sell fresh local products - The Museum of Mullumbimby only opens it's doors while the Markets are on.
If the rail line were to be open again I believe that the city would become a more acessible and attractive place for visitors and possible new dwellers. Another factor that could attract more people would be more leisure options and both daytime and night activities, places and cultural opportunities to frequent.
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