Bruce Echberg to join us on Saturday Beneath the Wisteria

Bruce Echberg will be Beneath
the Wisteria on Saturday.

Bruce Echberg understands pedestrian malls and will talk about Shepparton’s Maude St Mall at a gathering on September 24 Beneath the Wisteria.

Mr Echberg, from the Melbourne-based firm Urban Initiatives, has worked on many projects throughout Greater Shepparton having created the master-plan for Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake, created the raised lawn area and covered central stage and draws on international knowledge about how malls should work.

Shepparton’s mall was first opened in the late 1980s and continues today largely unchanged, but has frequently been the subject of much debate.

Mr Echberg is unsure, but he believes that Shepparton’s mall maybe among the few of its type in Australia still operating as intended.

He said such malls were indicative of the era’s mood and he half-jokingly suggests the possibly that it should be heritage listed as it is symbolic of what was a powerful social movement in Australia of that time.

Urban Initiative as created many plans and drawings for the mall and Mr Echberg said he intend to search the company’s archives in the hope that he can bring some along for discussion.

Beneath the Wisteria at the northern end of the Maude St Mall starts at 11:00am, is free, open to the public and continues for about an hour.

Some public seating is available, but those intending to attend are advised to bring a folding chair.

Those with questions about the Saturday, September 24 event should contact Robert McLean on 0400 502 199.