Step-Change Cities Partnership: Preparing communities for urban growth
More than 100 practitioners from 14 forward-thinking organisations are joining forces to assess how ready their communities are for urban growth and develop new strategies for helping navigate rapid change.
This initiative, led by Studio THI, brings together diverse groups from across three states and the ACT with a shared goal: to understand how prepared communities and organisations are for transformational urban change and to start equipping them with the knowledge and support they need to navigate the challenges of growth.
“Achieving sustainable and equitable urban growth requires a step-change from today’s thinking and a transition leadership approach that prepares, equips and supports organisations, key stakeholders and the community,” Studio THI CEO Jen Michelmore said at the launch of the Step-Change Cities Partnership.
“The aim is to build a cross-sector and multi-state community of practice on urban transition leadership, sharing ideas, experiences and examples to shape new paradigms of practice,’’ Jen said.
“By partnering beyond a single skill set and geography, we can benchmark issues, understand where other councils sit along the change readiness spectrum and build relationships to tackle common themes.”
During the first stage of the partnership, the aim is to build an evidence-based understanding of the level of urban change literacy in communities across Australia and the urban transition leadership capabilities of sector practitioners.
Studio THI research has found that communities and organisations knowledgeable about general urban growth principles are more supportive of change and more willing to participate in the transition journey.
“This means piloting approaches to prepare organisations and communities outside a project-to-project basis and making sure people are well-equipped to start the challenge of leading their communities on the urban change journey,” Jen said.
The 10-month partnership will be powered by Studio THI and brought to life by place partners in high-growth LGAs and their residents and sector partners, including state governments, professional advisory firms, developers and peak bodies.
Studio THI’s partners include Cairns Regional Council (lead city), Penrith City Council, Ballarat City Council, Hume City Council, Queensland Government (DSDILGP and EDQ), Greater Cities Commission, Suburban Land Agency (ACT), Victorian Planning Authority, National Growth Areas Alliance, Planning Institute of Australia, Local Government Association of Queensland, ARUP and Lendlease.
Phase One of the partnership will see the implementation of Studio THI’s Urban Change Readiness Index in four changing Local Government Areas of Cairns, Penrith, Ballarat and Hume, capturing the community views of those who do not usually participate in public engagement programs, including young people, busy families and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
By gaining a data-informed profile of community and organisational understanding of rapid urban change, the partnership can better understand the current state and make recommendations.
Partners will be invited to share lessons learnt and convergent urban change preparedness themes from the outcomes.
“We will also develop case studies exploring the impact of the step-change approach in the city locations and share knowledge and learnings with the sector more broadly through conference presentations and research publications,” Jen said.
The next phase of the partnership will involve developing a preparedness strategy for each partner - a roadmap that leverages current programs and plans for future interventions to build system preparedness.
This will include strategy development, workshops for a cross-section of organisation staff and another practice exchange.
“It is through understanding and addressing the complexities of urban growth that we can emerge stronger and more resilient as a society,’’ Jen said. “The Step-Change Cities Partnership is a vital step in that direction, and we are all fortunate to have such dedicated and passionate partners working to make it a reality.”
