Engagement

We see engagement as an invitation for people to be active participants in their places and communities. At the heart of our approach is creating a space that values local knowledge, stories and experiences. Engagement is all about listening and sharing to build trust and relationships. We seek to explore ideas with an open mind, diverse voices and different viewpoints. Good engagement builds confidence and skills so anyone can advocate for what they need by being informed, heard and respected. 

source: Mid-Western Regional Council

Mid Western Housing Strategy Engagement

  • Client: Mid Western Regional Council

  • Completed: 2024

  • Services: Engagement

TPS designed and delivered an engagement program which enabled 600+ people to provide input into the preparation of the Mid Western Regional Housing Strategy. 

Engagement activities included, participation at the Economic Think Tank 2024; sector and industry specific workshops, one-on-one discussions, community drop-in sessions in Kandos, Rylstone, Mudgee, and Gulgong, community workshop and an under 30s roundtable discussion.

The intent of engagement was to gain a detailed understanding of the “on the ground” experience from a range of residents, local service providers, industry, business, and local community organisations. Participants provided insight into the various challenges and opportunities relating to the availability, affordability, delivery and diversity of housing options in the area.

The engagement ensured that the strategy was developed through multiple lenses and considered different perspectives, which assisted in the development of localised solutions that will guide the future housing strategy for the Mid-Western Regional Council LGA.   

Street Art in Central Geelong by VKM [image: The Planning Studio]

Geelong Public Art Strategy Engagement

  • Client: City of Greater Geelong

  • Services: Engagement, Facilitation, and Policy Development

Partnering with Overton Creative, TPS designed and delivered the engagement program to support the preparation of a new Public Art Strategy for the City of Greater Geelong. The engagement was designed to inform a new strategy, but also created a space for local artists, creatives, organisations, individual practitioners and the broader community to connect and strengthen the creative ecosystem of Greater Geelong.

The engagement was delivered over multiple stages reflecting its importance as part of the research and strategy development. Each stage built on the previous, creating a rich, textured and layered narrative that illustrated the local creative network, energy, experience and character. It also identified important themes for further exploration, the local challenges and opportunities for public art, and assisted in establishing new relationships and reinforced existing ones.

The engagement included the establishment of a public art advisory panel, creatives talk event with three internationally recognised artists — Callum Morton, Natasha Johns-Messenger, and James Tapscott, community design sessions and community drop in sessions. We also designed an online community survey, an online survey specifically for young people and worked alongside Council staff throughout the program.

Coffs Harbour [image: DPHI]

NSW Region Plan(s) Engagement

  • Client: Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

  • Services: Engagement Design; Facilitation; Planning Advice

Across all regions, over 450 people participated in 35 workshops, including workshops with Councils across the regions, stakeholders and government agencies, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, briefings of local Councillors and discussions with communities across the regions. 

April McCabe working with the DPHI Regional Teams designed and delivered an online engagement program for six region plans - North Coast, New England North West, Far West, Central West and Orana, Hunter and the Central Coast.

Each session was tailored to the regional context and brought together Councils, NSW Government departments and agencies, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, community groups, local Council Advisory Committee members and the broader community. The engagement highlighted the issues and priorities for the region, and assisted in aligning the directions and actions across various organisations to support a more co-ordinated approach to planning for each region. 

Engagement Design Session [photo: Anthea Hewett Photography]

reVITALise Design Sessions

  • Client: Transport for NSW

  • Completed: 2024

  • Services: Engagement, and Facilitation

Working with TfNSW’s Cities Revitalisation and Place team, this engagement project built on the success of the ‘reVITALise Creative Lighting’ program, which aimed to increase the perception and feeling of safety in the railway tunnels. It also supported TfNSW’s broader objective of engaging with women, girls, and gender-diverse people on issues of safety. 

The in-place engagement sessions were held in each of the pedestrian tunnels over three separate evenings. A key focus of the engagement was to inspire the creativity of participants by first understanding the local context, influences and experiences, including specific locations that they felt safe or not. Participants explored the character and personality of the place through shapes, colours, symbols/pictures and words. These sessions were an important input into the evolution for future lighting designs that will provide an attractive, creative approach to improving safety for pedestrians.