The quiet mall precincts continues to cause concern. Garema Plaza,, recorded vacancy of 20.0 per cent, while Ainslie Place, sits considerably higher again. Both point to the challenge facing Civic centre's more enclosed retail spaces as foot traffic softens. By contrast, City Walk and Bunda Street, the precinct's larger and more exposed retail spines, recorded comparatively tighter vacancy, benefiting from higher visibility and through traffic despite the broader disruption underway.
With limited office workforce regularly in attendance, university students are increasingly filling the activation gap in Civic centre, an influence expected to grow further as the UNSW Canberra city campus development and the theatre precinct progress. Where government departments have pulled back attendance, a younger, more consistently present student population is beginning to reshape who is actually using the city centre day to day and retailers positioned to capture that shift may find themselves better placed than those still reliant on a public service workforce that is proving slow, and in some cases reluctant, to return.
