Last week, new signs were unveiled, better footpaths are on their way, free wi-fi has been installed and lunchtime bands will be playing once a week until Christmas.

At tomorrow's council meeting, an art gallery image update and plaza smoking ban are on the cards.

MORE: Smoking ban in arts precinct on agenda

Later this year, the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre's new outdoor restaurant is set to open and there are bigger plans afoot to turn Wollongong's Civic Plaza - which links the arts gallery, town hall, library and IPAC - into a busy alfresco dining square.

Councillor Leigh Colacino has been leading this change - and the smoking ban - saying Wollongong has been crying out for a place to recognise the plethora of artists who live and work in the city.

"We have one of the highest concentration of artist and poets and filmmakers and writers in Australia who live in this city - why not have a space that is art specific?" he said.

"We should be utilising that and pushing it as part of our city's story."

He said small changes, like the signs installed this week, would make a big difference for tourism.

"If I was going overseas, I wouldn't pick a civic plaza for my last place to go to - but an arts precinct sounds far more attractive," Cr Colacino said.

"If I were a tourist coming to Wollongong, I wouldn't know we had an Illawarra Performing Arts Centre - but if we have signs that say there is an arts precinct then I would be able to find that, as well as the art gallery," he said.

‘‘This is an extra way of capturing people and letting them enjoy Wollongong more than what they might have without it.’’

Likewise, he believed an image makeover for the art gallery would help attract more residents and tourists.

In a report for tomorrow’s meeting, council staff recommended councillors endorse a proposal to rename Wollongong City Gallery as Wollongong Art Gallery and have new signs, logos and promotional material developed.

‘‘A change of name might not seem like much – just to change one word of the name – but what it does is make it more of an Australian identity rather than Wollongong identity,’’ Cr Colacino said.

According to staff, the proposed new name had been ‘‘enthusiastically’’ supported by those in the arts community, with nearly half of people surveyed saying they already referred to the gallery as Wollongong Art Gallery.

Merrigong’s artistic director Simon Hinton applauded the arts precinct changes but said more was needed to establish the arts precinct as Wollongong’s ‘‘cultural heart’’ in the long term.

‘‘At this stage, it is just a change of name and signage,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s more a conceptual change than anything else but I do think that’s a really important first step to communicate to the city that what we’ve got here right in the heart of city is a cultural heart.

‘‘But the long-term vision is incredibly important and we need to think about what really animates public spaces.’’

He suggested future changes could include structural changes to some of the public buildings to allow performances or exhibitions to be held outside or an outdoor screen to show live performances or sporting matches in the town square.

‘‘I think our restaurant will provide a really great example of what the space could become when it opens later in the year,’’ he said.

‘‘It will open our foyer to the plaza and particularly in warmer months, that means people will be able to spill out,’’ the artistic director said.

ARTS PRECINCT UPDATES

Completed

• Upgrade to footpaths, kerbs and guttering along Kembla Street, between Crown and Burelli streets.

• New signage pointing out landmarks.

• Local musicians perform Wednesday lunchtime.

Planned

• Renaming of Wollongong City Gallery to Wollongong Art Gallery.

• Making the precinct non-smoking.

• Outdoor dining at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre’s new cafe.