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A block of Dunedin's main street will be lit up next week as part of a trial allowing residents to experience what the area may look and feel like in the future.
George St, between Hanover and St Andrew Sts, will be closed to northbound traffic from 9am next Wednesday to 8am the following Monday.
A public event, Glow Dunedin, will run from Friday to Sunday during the closure.
It is the first in a series of trials and activities which will allow the public and the Dunedin City Council to experience what the block might be like under the preliminary concept plans for George St.
Award-winning light artist Angus Muir has designed light installations which will be placed in the street as well down Albion Pl and inside the malls.
There will also be live performances, interactive sound and light displays during the three days.
Council principal urban designer Kathryn Ward said the aim of the event was to create a destination which will attract people back to the area, increasing footfall and minimising disruption through the construction period.
Physical work on the street was not expected to start until 2021.
Changes proposed in the preliminary design include restricting traffic to one-way travelling south between Frederick St and Moray Pl, installing a counter-flow cycle/scooter lane and a paved carriageway between Hanover and St Andrew Sts, where cyclists and pedestrians would have priority over motorists.
A two-way ''slow street'' would be created in the block between Frederick and Albany Sts.