Civic may feel like a construction zone at times but Canberrans are hopeful the short-term pain will make way for a vibrant city with some areas of improvement.
As the budget is handed down, including delaying some capital works projects and scrapping a controversial levy, Canberra residents reflect on the future of the city.
Hawker resident Santhosh Nagaiah said the city centre needed a refresh.
"Canberra has always had a beautiful, small country town vibe," Mr Nagaiah said.
He said he wanted the ACT government to focus heavily on parking accessibility.
"What Canberra needs is more free parking in the city, at least on special occasions, if not all the time. Whether it is Floriade or the Multicultural Festival, parking is always a problem for Canberrans because public transport to these events is inadequate," he said.
Mr Nagaiah believes the government should invest in building multilevel parking facilities in Civic that would be free to the public during major events.
"The government expects a lot of footfall for events. Free parking is one way to achieve it," he said.
Resident Jodie said there was a lot of construction in Civic at the moment.
"It's good to see that things are happening," she said. "I guess at the same time that can be distracting."
Jodie said she would like to see continued investment in education and healthcare to ensure these services can run smoothly.
"We have some great facilities and great people in the healthcare space," she said.
"It would be great if they had more support to do the work they do."
She said sometimes it can be slow accessing services in Canberra.
Others commented they would like to see more bus services in the suburbs or echoed Jodie's remarks about a positive outlook for Civic once construction is complete.
Jeremy said he thought Canberra would benefit from more third-spaces, where people are able to gather and spend time together for free, outside of attending a gig or going out for dinner.
He said this would be great to see spaces particularly for young people and said locations like the newly renovated Garema Place were an example of places which could be replicated in areas with less foot traffic.
When it comes to government priorities, he said it was important for housing and school support to continue to be a priority to ensure Canberrans are not left behind.
"I think we have to keep an eye on the differences between public and private [school] systems ... that gap can emerge quite easily," he said.
"It's important to me that we don't let that gap become too big, because public education is a right."
The government is spending $9 million on education reforms, mostly at the directorate level as the school system aims to be more cohesive and cost-efficient.
Jeremy said the same would be true for housing.
"Anything the territory government can do to, not only increase housing supply and make it affordable for young people to either rent or buy, but also to increase public housing as well is really important," he said.
Housing has been highlighted as a centrepiece of the 2026-27 budget which includes a $641 million investment in affordable, community and public housing, Treasurer Chris Steel said.
"It was pretty sad when Big Splash shut down. I went to school nearby and it was a fun place," 18-year-old student Evan Zhang said.
The Belconnen resident believes that if a theme park is out of the question, a "theme street" could be created in Civic to attract crowds.
"A small street-food stretch in Civic will be amazing, something like a Chinatown or an Indian food street. It could be a big boost to small businesses," Mr Zhang said.
