WHERE MAIN STREET MEETS SESAME STREET
UNDERSTANDING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE PARADE, NORWOOD
By Robert Bria
INTRODUCTION Since the late 1990s, The Parade, Norwood has evolved as a main street where children and young people are genuinely celebrated as key players in its economic success. This focus on their spending power has been recognised by Warner and Baran-Rees, who noted the call for local government officials to“ give more attention to the economic benefits of families with children” given they spend more in the local economy( 2012). Running through the middle of the inner-eastern suburb of Norwood within the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters( NPSP), The Parade is home to 360 businesses, Norwood Town Hall, Norwood Oval and a public library. In 2024, Spendmapp reported expenditure in Norwood reached $ 768 million, accounting for 42 percent of the $ 1.830 billion in expenditure across NPSP, highlighting its status as the“ engine room” of the local economy. By leveraging its competitive and comparative advantages to facilitate the active involvement of youth in its day and night economy, The Parade has not only positioned itself as Adelaide’ s premier main street but also its most child-friendly.
This article explores how children and young people have been central to the ongoing vitality and prosperity of this important precinct.
FEELING SAFE Safety on streets is universally identified as a concern and therefore a priority for young people. Recent surveys conducted by South Australia’ s Commissioner for Children and Young People found primary school-age children, and young people aged 12-19 years, expressed a strong desire for public spaces, including shopping districts, to be safer( Connelly, 2024 and 2025). The high value of public safety is reflected in NPSP’ s biennial Community Survey( Figure 1). Between 2009 and 2023 the question of‘ feeling safe during the day’ scored an average of 4.6 out of 5, while responses to the question of‘ feeling safe at night’ scored an average of 4.0 out of 5( Square Holes, 2024). Related to these responses, the NPSP Youth Action Plan( 2025-2027) reported young people want to participate in the city’ s nightlife but also want to do so by walking safely to and from their destination( NPSP, 2025). Moreover, the
NPSP Community Survey results are consistent with those of regional surveys, which found children living in Adelaide’ s eastern suburbs feel safer than their peers living elsewhere( Connelly, 2025).
FIGURE 1. FEELINGS OF SAFETY – NORWOOD PAYNEHAM & ST PETERS COMMUNITY SURVEY
COMMUNITY SURVEY( 2009-2023)
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