Nicholson Street Mall, located in the centre of the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, is the primary civic space for the local community, serving as its commercial and social hub and representing the identity and aspirations of the municipality. Pedestrianised in the 1970s, the mall was the first of its kind in Australia and represented an innovative approach in its creation of a car-free civic space. By 2006, the condition of the mall no longer reflected its importance, and so Maribyrnong City Council committed to revamping the space to facilitate a stronger sense of community and cater for a diverse range of cultural activities.