Afghan Bazaar Cultural Precinct

Project Description

The ultimate goal was the creation of a place the local Afghan community could be proud of, and an attractive destination and for visitors and tourists to explore.

Dandenong’s Afghan Bazaar is the only recognised Afghan precinct in Melbourne, Australia. It has evolved naturally over time into a community hub centred around Thomas Street, home to a high concentration of Afghan businesses, ranging from cafés and grocers to social support service providers.

Our clients, the City of Greater Dandenong and the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, wanted to better define the area’s Afghan identity.

Creating meaningful spaces In response, Hassell has redesigned Thomas Street with people at its core. Intensive community consultation, facilitated by Sinatra Murphy, highlighted the diversity of the Afghan population around Dandenong and their desire to express their own cultural diversity and celebrate common elements.

The Hassell design approach, called the ‘geometry of gathering’, is a contemporary interpretation of the extraordinary tiling of Mazar-e-Sharif (Blue Mosque), in Afghanistan, a site of significance and a community endorsed expression of Afghan culture. Similarly, the colour blue resonated with the community as a whole, so vivid turquoise and lapis lazuli have become distinctive signatures of the precinct.

To achieve the aim of providing the Afghan community with a defined gathering space, the roadways were narrowed and footpaths widened to establish new infrastructure for community festivals and events, such as Nowruz (New Year). Intricately detailed paving on both sides of the street introduce colour, texture and pattern to define primary meeting places. The community consultation allowed us to understand the way people used the existing space and how it could better accommodate  specific cultural requirements. For example, custom seating reinterprets the traditional Arabic ‘suffah’, or dais to allow the community to socialise in familiar ways.

The end result is an emblematic urban streetscape that is integrated and responsive to the diverse cultures of the local, and broader, Afghan community. It has delivered a distinct visual character that engages and enlivens the streets, encouraging community gathering and allowing people to continue to make the connections that are soimportant to daily life.

Artwork symbolises history and friendship An integrated artwork called Lamp by Afghan- Australian artist Aslam Akram provides a beacon for day and night, drawing pedestrians from the civic precinct en route to the train station. Lamp is comprised of two parts, with the base representing human energy, knowledge and experience, as well as holy places, histories and memories of Afghan- Australian people. The top is a filigreed shade symbolising creation as a result of human energy, as well as friendship and respect between communities, and within cultures in multicultural Australia.

“The streetscape design has been a collaborative effort between traders, community leaders and precinct stakeholde4rs and the end result is a vibrant precinct which celebrates the Afghan people”
-Jim Memeti, Mayor, City of Greater Dandenong