During a Lincoln University landscape architecture field trip in April, students were asked to come up with ideas on how to enhance the town's existing features; which parts of the town could be redeveloped; and how space in the town could be used to encourage tourists to stop and spend time.
Students spent three days exploring the town before presenting their ideas during a public meeting, which was well attended and well received.
The consensus among the Owaka community was it would be good to spruce the town up.
Catlins Promotions secretary Raewyn Martin said the meeting on Tuesday was to get the public to discuss which of the students' ideas they would like to see implemented in the town, and then organise committees to action the project.
"What we want to do is get members of the public to come along and discuss the options they like, and form some planning committees and go from there," she said.
"We will go through what the Lincoln students left us and then get some discussion on what the best way forward is."
Some of the ideas the students suggested included planting trees at the major entry points to the town, with additional planting along the side of the main road, and narrowing the road to encourage motorists to slow down when passing through the town.
Incorporating the shape of a boat hull into the design of public fixtures, such as seats and bus shelters, to reinforce the name Owaka (the place of the canoe) was another idea people were interested in following up on.
