Toorak Savours The World

Toorak Savours the World is a project that uses digital placemaking to bring diversity and inclusivity to Toorak Village by celebrating its food culture and history.

Introduction

"Toorak Savours the World" is a digital placemaking and wayfinding initiative designed to boost foot traffic and customer retention in Toorak Village. Currently, the precinct feels empty, unengaging, and unwelcoming to younger audiences. The City of Stonnington Council sought a solution to attract younger families and encourage them to explore more of what the area has to offer.

Following in-depth research and prototyping, *Toorak Savours the World* came to life. This interactive experience features a motion-sensor screen where users can enjoy a quick, engaging cooking game. After completing the game, participants are guided to explore various local shops throughout the precinct. The project successfully promotes local businesses while fostering multiculturalism and cultural awareness, making Toorak Village a more vibrant and inclusive destination.

Context

Toorak Village located within the City of Stonnington, is frequently visited by families with school-aged children who primarily use it for drop off and pick up spot. The village lack engaging activities and attractions that would encourage families to linger and explore the area. This project aims to address the current disengagement by leveraging the community's interest in local food culture and utilizing digital placemaking strategies to create a more inviting and interactive environment.

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Case Studies

Our team has 4 member, each member have 2 case studies:

The Reveal Project: An interactive installation in Kings Lynn, UK (2018) blending history with modern technology.
Mercury Mall Smart Rewards App: Rewards users with discounts based on foot traffic, generating off-grid electricity from footsteps.
AT&T Discovery District: A complex where installations respond to visitor movements, enabling live shows with quick setups.
New York–Dublin Portal: An installation linking the two cities digitally to boost smart tourism in 2024.

Three (not so) Little Pig Project: A digital placemaking project by Vandal for World Square in Sydney, blending urban art with digital technology to enhance public spaces and engage the community.
Metlink Melbourne Project: Designed by Diadem to improve Melbourne's public transport network, enhancing 8,000 bus stops and 350 train stations with better signage, leading to the rebranding as Public Transport Victoria (PTV)
STORYBOX.co: A 4-panel LED Cube that shares community stories and culture, featuring a ‘mood ring’ panel for online contributions.
Star Grand Foyer Digital Art Gallery: The world's first permanent interactive digital gallery, launched in 2018 by Ramus, showcasing local and international digital art on a crescent-shaped canvas.

Primary Research

My role in the group was to focus on our research, so majority of primary research and exisiting research was conduct by me with some help of my teammates.

Brainstorming

Before staring our main research, we individually visit Toorak Village at different time of the day and gather some information to prepare ourselves for the primary research. After the visit, we did a brain storming of overall ideas, what we had in mind of Digital Placemaking and I organized some potential ideas we got from our trip.

User Interview & Contextual Inquiries

We conducted user interviews with Toorak locals and contextual inquiries with recent visitors to gather their insights and impressions. Despite some limitations, the results were positive and provided valuable ideas. Our original focus on multiculturalism in Toorak was refined through these interviews, leading us to spotlight food, its history, and the area’s diverse yet often hidden restaurants. Building on this foundation, we developed a solution to help people explore Toorak Village’s rich culinary offerings.

Personas & User Scenarios

Base on the information we gathered from the user interview and contextual inquiries, we created personas to have a deeper understanding of our target audience and how they will interact with our designs. We created 3 main personas according to different stakeholder groups in Toorak Village. The personas contains: A young mother, represents for the young family groups. A cafe owners, represents for the business owner groups, and a grandfather, represents for the older generation in local areas.

Existing Research

In existing research, they highlights the power of digital placemaking to transform spaces, adding unique digital experiences that strengthen connections between people and their communities. Through overlays of digital information on real-world environments, digital placemaking encourages exploration of local history, traditions, and cultural events, enhancing social, cultural, environmental, and economic values (Morrison, n.d.; Hespanhol, 2022). In Toorak Village, where engagement is low despite its rich culinary history, digital placemaking can highlight hidden local offerings and encourage longer visits. Food, deeply rooted in cultural identity, represents communal celebration and self-expression, and culinary diversity reflects multiculturalism and global exchange (Howard, 2023; Gautam, 2018). Through curated culinary experiences, digital placemaking can enhance cultural understanding and inclusivity.

Public spaces are essential "third places" for community interaction, providing safe, welcoming environments for families to socialize and support each other (Hickman, 2012; Perera et al., 2024). Such spaces foster resilience and cohesion by creating networks and support systems that enhance physical and mental well-being (Goosen & Cilliers, 2018). Future initiatives should focus on integrating digital technologies to promote local heritage, creating vibrant, inclusive public spaces that support community interaction, especially for families, while reinforcing cultural identity.

By connecting these research, we learn that digital placemaking can enhance community engagement, from there creating a family-friendly public spaces that hosts events and activities can further encourages families to explore and interact with the areas more. We focus

The Solution

How can digital placemaking in Toorak Village, focused on food diversity and its history, be designed to celebrate cultural diversity and encourage families to linger and engage in the area?

Base on this research question, we brainstorm and list out a list of potential ideas, and after considering and finalising, we have created our final solution.

The design solution is a gamified AR (Augmented reality) installation that promotes cultural diversity by letting users explore global cuisines. Players, individually or in pairs, select a region and a difficulty level tied to a specific dish. Then, they go through a three-stage game, mimicking cooking movements like chopping, boiling, and simmering shown on a screen. After completing the stages, the user is scored out of 100 and receives a QR code with the recipe and directions to a local restaurant that serves the dish. Users are then encouraged to play again to discover more cuisines worldwide.

The design solution will address the challenge of attracting a younger demographic and improving the cultural diversity in Toorak Village by turning the exploration of global cuisines into an engaging AR (Augmented reality) experience. The interactive outcome blends technology, physical activity and education by encouraging users to discover diverse cuisines through enjoyable,movement-based activities. Additionally, QR codes will provide simplified recipes and directions to local restaurants, appealing to young families and making the experience fun and accessible. While helping to promote inclusivity and diversity in the Toorak Village.

Toorak Savours the World is designed to transform Toorak Village into a vibrant, culturally rich destination that appeals to younger families and diverse demographics. By integrating interactive experiences that celebrate multiculturalism and local business, the project effectively revitalizes the precinct while fostering community engagement and supporting economic growth.

This initiative not only addresses the City of Stonnington’s goal of increasing visitation and retention but also enhances Toorak Village’s identity as a welcoming and dynamic cultural hub. With a strategic blend of technology, local partnerships, and community-driven experiences, Toorak Savours the World is poised to create lasting positive change, making the precinct a sought-after destination for both residents and visitors.

In conclusion, this project represents a scalable model for digital placemaking, capable of evolving with community needs and continuously delivering value to stakeholders. By fostering deeper connections between visitors, local businesses, and the rich cultural fabric of Toorak Village, Toorak Savours the World sets a new standard for interactive, inclusive precinct development.