Our Adelaide. Our Achievements.
What we've delivered...
The City of Adelaide Council was elected in November 2022 to represent the almost 30,000 residents, 13,000 local businesses, 170,00 workers and 400,000 daily city users.
In 2023 and 2024, the Lord Mayor and 11 Councillors participated in over 100 Council and Committee meetings and provided the direction to ensure our future is shaped by bold thinking, sustainability, long-term planning and a vision of:
"Our Adelaide. Bold. Aspirational. Innovative."
This vision is at the heart of the December 2023 adopted Strategic Plan. This Plan was developed in a time of change and uncertainty for our city and community. The post-pandemic environment, inflation forecasts, housing crisis, climate change resilience, financial sustainability, delivering core council services and asset management were just some of the issues at the top of Council’s agenda during this time.
In 2023 we delivered on a post COVID-19 budget repair and focused on financial responsibility, ensuring funds could be spent upgrading the city.
In 2024, Council moved to revitalising and improving our main streets, combating the effects of climate change through increased greenery and undertaking urgent infrastructure upgrades.
By acknowledging these important areas of focus and the issues our city and community face, our resources during this term of Council are focused to deliver bold, aspirational and innovative projects and services, such as:
City-shaping developments at Eighty Eight O’Connell Street and Market Square. These developments will boost residential growth, add vibrancy, and bolster the city and North Adelaide economies.
Record levels of committed infrastructure projects – including completing $100 million in foundational asset maintenance on roads, footpaths and other assets over two years and over $60 million in new and upgraded infrastructure.
A commitment to revitalising Hindley, Hutt, Gouger, Melbourne and O’Connell Streets as key mainstreets and creating active neighbourhoods which support business growth, visitation and residential amenity. Work has already begun in all mainstreets and included concept designs (Hindley Street and Gouger Street), Entry statement (Hutt Street) and amenity improvements (Melbourne Street).
Completed the final connections in Pitt Street and Bentham Street as part of the Market to Riverbank project with support from the State Government. This long-term project creates a safe, accessible and active pedestrian connection from the Riverbank to the Adelaide Central Market.
Greening city streets through a $4 million city greening fund. Priority is being given to streets with less than 5% canopy cover. We’ve also planted over 900 trees in the Park Lands.
Delivering the City Plan 2036 - a spatial plan that will guide sustainable growth and development.
Investing in our Housing Future by adopting a Housing Strategy and delivering the Adaptive Reuse City Housing Initiative (ARCHI). This initiative supports identifying building stock suitable for adaptive reuse and provides advice and grants to property owners to convert underutilised buildings to residential housing.
Developing a masterplan for Light Square / Wauwi, to support expected future growth in the western part of the city.
Welcoming our community to the Adelaide Town Hall and creating more opportunities to celebrate the successes of our community, by hosting over 100 civic celebrations.
Delivering on our vision
Keep reading to find out more about some of the services, projects and infrastructure that Council has delivered in 2023 and 2024.
- Celebrating our status as Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music by continuing the City of Music Laneways initiative and co-locating the UNESCO City of Music offices within Council offices
- The creation of a Place of Reflection in Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka honouring the Aboriginal Stolen Generation and creating a place to heal and feel safe, share stories, and feel together
- Committing to the future of community sports in the Park Lands through a dedicated fund and completing building and infrastructure upgrades such as those in Mary Lee Park (Park 27B) and Golden Wattle Park (Park 21W)
- Continuing Council’s commitment to ending homelessness in the city through a new Homelessness Strategy – Everyone’s Business and our ongoing partnership with the Adelaide Zero Project
- Developing a Housing Strategy – Investing in our Housing Future and transforming spaces and unlocking housing potential through the new Adaptive Reuse City Housing Initiative (ARCHI)
- Returning New Year’s Eve celebrations to Elder Park – with record attendances, enjoying music and fireworks
- Activating our City through events such as: East End Unleashed; Winter Weekends; Good Music Month; Music in the Square; Meander Market on Melbourne Street; Hutt Street Pitt Stop Party; Fringe Vibes on Hutt Street; Garden Oasis in Hindmarsh Square; Christmas Festival; Olympic Welcome home ceremony; Super Cycle in Whitmore Square; and Spring into Wellbeing
- Endorsing an updated Disability Access and Inclusion Plan to ensure the City of Adelaide is a city for everyone
- Celebrating, recognising and respecting our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures through a range of initiatives including hosting the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC week*; Kaurna voices* – cultural mapping of the Park Lands; and implementation of the Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan
*These links come with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Warning - this website may contain names, images, voices, or references to deceased persons. Click here to learn more.
- Developed an Integrated Climate Strategy 2030 to set our vision for a resilient, protected and sustainable city where people can live, work, study and play and adapt to changes in the climate that bring social and economic opportunity and disruption
- Over 900 trees planted in the Park Lands
- Hosted a community climate change session to provide advice to our community on the sustainability rebates and resources that Council has available. This includes a range of incentives available to business and industry such as appliance electrification, energy storage, solar PV, resource recovery, active transport and urban greening
- Introduced new grants and subsidies for residents to purchase e-bikes and cargo bikes
- A series of “Bike Tune Ups” were held around the city to provide free bike servicing to support our cycling community. This initiative was an extension of Council’s ongoing efforts to educate our community on the circular economy and how to ‘repair and restore’
- Partnered with Green Industries SA to host “Give a Sheet” textile recycling day, which collected and diverted seven 660L bins of unwanted textiles from landfill.
- Adopted an EV Charging Network Roadmap as part of the Integrated Climate Strategy. This will deliver a city-wide network of electric vehicle chargers, with a contract awarded for supply
- Updated the Adelaide Park Lands and City Layout National Heritage Management Plan. It will be used as a tool by City of Adelaide, State and Commonwealth Government agencies to inform future development, decision making and management strategies for the area
- Adopted a new Economic Development Strategy so we can plan with a vision and ambition the economic future of our city
- Hosted Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) Business Summits bringing together hundreds of attendees including industry leaders, innovators, and business enthusiasts, all eager to contribute to Adelaide's vibrant economic future
- Launched SeeADL - a bold and dynamic destination marketing campaign to encourage the Greater Adelaide community to spend time and discretionary income in the city during a traditionally quieter time for visitation
- Continued to provide services and marketing to support and drive visitation. This included delivering the ‘ADL IS ON’ destination Adelaide campaign which leveraged wider work done with SATC, operating the visitor information centre and campaigns in Rundle Mall including with ADL Fashion Week, and coinciding with Black Friday Sales
- Worked with key partners to ensure diverse events and activations across the city. This included major events in the Adelaide Park Lands, sponsorship, activation, licences, and event experiences distributed to mainstreets and neighbourhoods. Major city activations supported included the Fringe, GatherRound, MallFest, Valo, LivGolf. Local placed-based events activated Hutt Street, Melbourne Street, Gouger Street, Whitmore Square and Rundle Mall
- Continued Events and Funding Opportunities through AEDA to deliver an annual calendar of events and to drive visitation, spend and local business support such as sponsorship for SALA, Feast Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, Illuminate and Cabaret Fringe Festival
- Encouraged revitalisation and improvements of our main streets through grants to Adelaide West End Association and North Adelaide Precinct Association
- Continued the provision of a bilingual community liaison officer to support permit enquiries, city safety enquiries, marketing and promotion, environmental health and information about infrastructure projects
- Launched a Business Accessibility Support Program to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of city businesses
- Purchased the former commercial car park at 218-232 Flinders Street for future housing with an aim to deliver 40 per cent affordable housing. Completed the sale of the former Franklin Street bus depot to the State Government for housing
- Initiated the final stage of the North-South bikeway along Frome Road to make cycling more convenient and to connect the City of Adelaide to suburban bikeways
- Completed the Paxtons Walk Revitalisation, creating a welcoming, vibrant, green and accessible place and key connection from the East End to Lot 14
- Completed the upgrade to Murlawirrapurka / Rymill Park, delivering a transformed Rymill Park Lake and surrounds and announced plans to finalise an upgrade to the kiosk
- Initiated a once in a generation renewal to the façade of the Adelaide Town Hall
- Initiated and planned for major redevelopment of Rundle Mall laneways – Charles Street and James Place
- Upgraded key Central Market precinct connections, including a lighting, footpath and road upgrade to Field Street
- Undertook consultation on Council’s Asset Management Plans and By-Laws
- Invested over $100 million in asset renewals, which included replacing public toilets in Hindley Street, footpath and road resurfacing to Jeffcott Street South, footpath and electrical upgrades to Wellington Square, footpath upgrades to North Terrace and Station Road, and road resurfacing of Morphett Currie and Grenfell Streets
- Upgraded all parking meters, transitioning from the old 3G network to new ticketless and cashless machines
- Started work to upgrade the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden
- Secured more protection for city heritage through $250,000 State Government funding for the Heritage Incentive Schemes program
- Continued the ‘Honouring Women in Leadership’ initiative by unveiling the portraits of reformist Catherine Helen Spence and suffragist Mary Lee on International Women’s Day
- Strengthened partnerships across Federal and State Governments that supported joint co-investment to ensure delivery of Council priorities within the Business Plan and Budget
- Completed Council projects as part of our biggest partnership with the Federal and State Governments – the City of Adelaide City Deal. This included upgrades to the City Safe CCTV network and the next generation Adelaide Free Wi-Fi
- Demonstrated bold Capital City Leadership by implementing a new meeting structure, modernising a suite of Council Governance Policy documents including a Public Transparency Policy and Behavioural Standards and Rating Policy
- Supported young people entering the city workforce and creating pathways from tertiary education by launching a City of Adelaide Graduate Program
- Launched the Our Adelaide community engagement portal, which is more accessible, community focused and provides new technology-based opportunities
- Council and community celebrations for our international connections reaching major milestones with George Town (50 years); Austin (40 years); and Qingdao (10 years)
Strategic Plan 2024-2028
The City of Adelaide Strategic Plan 2024-2028 is our roadmap for the future, both as a capital city and a local government. It outlines what we want to achieve, the steps we need to take, and the direction we are heading.