OUR PROGRAM | Initiative
STREET ENGAGEMENT | Project Imagination
#IMAGINEYOURHOOD
Site
2 Ferris Road, Melton South
Installed
July 2nd, 2017
Team
Jean Darling
Elissa Loh-Brown
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The State Government approved the creation of 11 new suburbs in the City of Melton. What does this mean for the possibilities of street engagement with the broader community of existing and new future residents of Melton?
LIVEDSCRIBED STREET ENGAGEMENT
We set out to find out through a series of exploratory engagement methods - one was a cross collaboration exercise with PopCC where we consulted local businesses, and the other was a livescribed street engagement project.
HAVE YOUR SAY SURVEYS
As Architects, we believe in visual learning and using graphic tools to map data. As part of our pilot study, we deliberately wanted to see how a real time livescribe process applied to creative community engagement would affect participation levels across a broad demographic, as opposed to using a digital medium i.e Have Your Say surveys or post its.
What we’ve accomplished:
1.MAPPING OUT WHAT MATTERED TO A NEIGHBOURHOOD
YOUNGER + OLDER GENERATION IN CONVERSATION
Vision boarding the imagination of a neighbourhood to map out assets, issues, desires, dreams into a living breathing document proved successful in terms of a highly engaged audience, allowing in-depth conversation, including mobilising the younger and older generation in conversation about what mattered to them in their neighbourhood.
2. HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES to BE ADDRESSED
PERCEIVED SUBURB SAFETY + SOCIAL DISCONNECTION
Commune + Co and PopCC's collaboration resulted in a place activation report to City of Melton, highlighting issues that needed to be addressed i.e perceived suburb safety at night, walkability, and social disconnection from certain community groups.
STREET ACTIVATION IDEAS
We designed a series of short term strategies for activating specific sites for social engagement, urban renewal and street activation ideas that would enhance and improve multicultural integration, intergenerational interaction, social cohesion and overall health and wellbeing.
3. AFFORDABLE PRODUCE
ZERO WASTE SUPERMARKET
We're not quite finished....as we also discovered a gem in Melton: Earth Village's zero-waste supermarket program!
We found out that the high volume of food excess requires a quicker turnover of produce and distribution to lower socio-economic communities in a timely manner before expiration of goods, so if you know someone in need of affordable produce in the area, please check it out!
We have also identified a number of sites with great potential to be spaces of community food access and social connectors, but we can't do this without the help of grant funding and volunteers.
If you live in the City of Melton, and would like to develop a food-led project with us, email us at hello@communeandco.com.au.
Come make this neighbourhood great!