Think2030

In 2012, the City of Subiaco was awarded the prestigious Western Australian Award for Project of the Year by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia for Think2030. IAP2 is the preeminent international organisation advancing the practice of public participation (community engagement).

The IAP2 Core Values are one of the foundations of the IAP2 framework for decision-focused, values-based community engagement. IAP2 Australasia’s premier Core Values Awards recognise and encourage projects and organisations that are at the forefront of public participation. The awards were created to encourage excellence, quality and innovation in public participation.

The city is delighted to be recognised for its efforts in community engagement for the Think2030 community visioning project, and once again thanks all those who gave their valuable time, enthusiasm and thoughts.

To find out more about IAP2 and the Core Values Awards, visit the IAP2 Australasia website.

From all of the feedback, contributions and information gathered through the Think2030 community visioning process, involving nearly 4000 members of the community, the draft Strategic Community Plan was developed. The draft plan was organised around the six key focus areas, with a series of objectives and strategies associated with each, all in the words of the community.

After endorsement by council in December 2011, the community was invited to read the draft plan and provide feedback. The city also hosted six separate drop in sessions at various venues around the city in mid-February 2012, giving community members a chance to meet with a Think2030 staff member and ask any questions they may have had about the draft plan.

A total of 82 people provided feedback on the draft plan. The comments and suggestions were considered, with some changes incorporated in the final version of the plan.

In April 2012, the Strategic Community Plan was adopted by council, as the city's primary and overarching planning document, which will guide the future direction of the City of Subiaco and its community. It has also informed the development of the Corporate Business Plan, which identifies the priorities for the city's operations for the next four years, based on the strategies contained in the Strategic Community Plan.

The Strategic Community Plan will be reviewed in part every two years, with a full review and update every four years.

Read the Strategic Community Plan in our document library.

The nine themes were consolidated into six key focus areas as there was significant overlap between several topics. A series of engagement events were planned to discuss the topics in detail and work towards strategies and actions for the shared community plan.

Events were organised around the following topics:

• Planning for more people (housing density and diversity, transport, parking and heritage)
• Parks and greenery (parks, open spaces, streetscapes and recreation)
• Entertainment and shopping (retail, events, tourism and nightlife)
• Our sense of community (unique village atmosphere, lifestyle and identity)

Almost 300 community members participated in these events, generating a further 1500 ideas. Participants included members of the community who live in, work in, or are visitors to the City of Subiaco, and are passionate about the future of the city. The workshops received very positive feedback, with many participants attending more than one session.

In August 2011, during stage three, the Department of Local Government introduced the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework, which requires all local governments across Western Australia to undertake community engagement to inform a Strategic Community Plan. As the City of Subiaco was already well into this process, a commitment was made to deliver on the department's requirements by 1 July 2012 – one year earlier than legislative requirements.

The stage three events were as follows:

 View photos from stage three events in our image gallery.

During stage two, community members were encouraged to share their vision for the City of Subiaco. The city hosted dozens of fun and engaging events and activities involving a diverse range of groups including sporting clubs, businesses, community organisations and school children.

Five key questions were developed which formed the basis of the visioning and the Think2030 survey carried out in stage two. The questions were:

• What is it you most value and want to keep in the City of Subiaco?
• Is there anything from our past that you want to get back?
• Is there anything you would like to change in the City of Subiaco?
• What are two important issues you think our community will face in the future?
• If you imagine your perfect City of Subiaco in 2030, what are three key features of your vision?

These simple questions remained unchanged throughout the visioning process, regardless of the context or audience. This allowed anyone and everyone to contribute equally to the vision for the future of the city.

Through the Think2030 survey, Big Idea cards (a pre-paid postcard asking the community to submit their big idea for the City of Subiaco) and engagement events, the city received an overwhelming 3700 responses, which generated more than 29,000 ideas. 

These ideas were analysed by independent consultants and nine key themes emerged. Fact sheets were produced on each theme, along with the publication Think2030 Visioning Summary, which provided an overview of the 29,000 ideas, nine themes and stage two events.

The stage two events were as follows:

Read key documents from stage two in our document library.

View photos from Stage Two events in our image gallery.

Before community engagement activities could begin, preliminary research and community profiling was needed to better understand the current situation and context. Vital Signs: Community profile was the final outcome of stage one. This publication included information from various sources to capture what our community looks like, trends and areas of change or need, also providing a starting point against which progress could be measured. It also took into account major state government plans and initiatives that would impact on the community in the future.

Read Vital Signs: Community profile in our document library.