Peter Smith has a vision: city squares filled with people, affordable housing and a council that gets things done.
Three weeks after starting, Mr Smith is hoping to develop a city that draws people in to live, work and play.
Previously the State Government’s Department of Families and Communities deputy CEO, the career public servant is the fourth council head in just five years.
Mr Smith has lived with his family in Adelaide for three-and-a half years and wants other people to share in his own enjoyment of the city, its parks, restaurants and safety.
A father of four, he takes his son to play soccer in Victoria Park on weekends and he is happy for his young teenage daughters to shop in the city with friends.
“As a parent, Adelaide is a safe, clean city which is easy to get into and out of,” Mr Smith said.
Before living in Adelaide, the Smith family would visit the city once a year on holiday, enjoying the zoo, movies and city restaurants.
“Adelaide is unique and we need to capitalise on what makes it so,” Mr Smith said.
“It’s a city that has a beauty and heritage about it. It has a green ring around it and plenty of green space that I’d like to be used.”
The drought is affecting the parklands (“Council is trying to do its bit for the Coorong too,” he says) but he’d like more people to use them and the city squares, particularly Victoria Square.
“Victoria Square is the centre-piece of (Colonel William) Light’s design. All great cities have great public spaces.”
A park in New York is the base for Mr Smith’s preferred style of design for the Square.
“Bryant Park has passive safety features where there is a raised out level with a green playground and centre,” he said.
“There were families watching their children, but also young people who would use the space.”
The other squares around Adelaide are also seen as opportunities to entice people to the city, with another New York square front of Mr Smith’s mind.
“Outside a university in New York there is Washington Square – it is always filled with students having intellectual debates. It adds to the life of the place.”
It is this kind of vibe that Mr Smith wants to bring to Adelaide. He wants to increase the city population through affordable housing and bringing young people back to the State.
“We need to see why young people leave the state and what we can do to draw them back,” he said.
“As a parent I like that there is less excitement, but I can see the appeal of interstate cities.”
Mr Smith is passionate about service and is keen to improve it within council.
“The council should be engaged and motivated. We need to improve our direct services, dealing with fines and ratepayers.”
He said the council needed to be aware of the needs of the three main users: those who live in the city, work or study in the city, and those who play in the city.
Within his own office he places strong emphasis on service and says the culture of the council also needs to be improved.
“I have a sense of the culture and how things work and I think it’s important to improve it to make the staff better and the customer service better,” he said.
His interest in people and service is clear as he describes the efficiency of the council horticultural service.
“They’ve set up this efficient system where if there is a leak or problem with a hose they immediately know and can go fix it."
It’s the service and care that go into this simple task that have impressed Mr Smith and it is these qualities he’d like to improve council-wide.
“Although I’m trying to make improvements, it is important to know that I am not starting from a blank canvas but there is a rich history which has come before me. It has really stood out that people want us to be a council that gets things done when we say we will,” he said.
Mr Smith highlights the Rundle Lantern as a successful project.
“We don’t want to constrain creativity, but we want to be creative with a purpose,” he said.
“The Rundle Lantern project will bring people into the city and it has been completed to plan in time for Christmas.”
Mr Smith also wants to improve the council’s relationships with the State Government, business and the people of Adelaide.
“We need to work on the council as a partner,” he said. “We should be easy to partner, deliver our side of the bargain and find mutal goals for the good of the city.”
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter