Effective community engagement allows local residents and stakeholders to be involved in the decision-making affecting the future of their places, their centres and their neighbourhoods. It strengthens good governance and informed decision-making on the part of local government, while sharing the responsibility and stewardship of a place with the local community.

At Studio GL we have found that enabling and encouraging ‘local experts’ to be involved from the beginning, allows the design and planning team to get a rapid understanding of key issues and areas of concern as well as a good understanding of the vision, scope and opportunities of the place.

We have also found that developing a process that encourages ongoing engagement allows for concepts and ideas to be tested by the local community, making the design and feedback process a truly iterative one. While the community doesn’t always have the perfect solutions to their issues, our team’s technical expertise provides an opportunity to take the ideas and aspirations of the local community and shape, strengthen, translate and transform them into meaningful public spaces and places.

We start by listening and then frame our engagement approach based on what will be most effective. We will engage on weekends, early mornings or evenings and we often “take the project” to where the local people can be found be it a park, a market or outside a supermarket. We recognise that people are different and want to engage in the process in different ways. Our process may use workshops, presentations or posters, images, diagrams or cartoons, surveys, interactive activities and online tools. We want to involve everyone and promote an environment of trust, participation and a sense of stewardship so that the local community, in all it’s diversity, can play a significant role in shaping their place.

Projects: Nowra CBD Development Controls, Five Dock Town Centre Urban Design Study, Port Kembla Revitalisation