We have selected a small number of refereed projects which we feel represent a range of Red Road Consulting expertise. We hope that these project examples will illustrate how this consulting team might approach a range of strategic planning and community-based tasks and how aspects of potential projects might “look”.
The CPIP Series
Andrea Cook is a co-author of the Community Participation in Practice series (1994-2002). The CPIP series is five books that provide practical advisory material for planners and others conducting participation processes. The Series has won five awards for excellence and is still in print. An updated book on many of the engaged community practice methods first developed in this series (e.g. the SpeakOut) was released in 2009 by Earthscan publishers.
Maribyrnong City Council (re)Visioning Footscray
Red Road Consulting was the lead consultant responsible for an intensive community engagement process linked to Council and State government directions in strategic urban planning, Transit City designation and the application of Melbourne 2030 to the Footscray CBD area. Over 500 professional, agency and community members were involved in a range of collaborative ‘visioning’ processes aimed at developing a shared and realistic set of future oriented priorities for Footscray’s development. The project has won three major awards, including the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA: Victoria Chapter) Minister’s Award for Melbourne 2030 Implementation and a special commendation for the 2006 international project of the year award from the International Association of Public Participation.
Department of Justice Restorative Justice Framework
Red Road Consulting was the lead facilitator for a range of integrated large and small scale consultations with varied stakeholders input into the development of the State of Victoria’s Restorative Justice Framework. The consultations involved several hundred stakeholders in negotiating a common vision, guiding principles and priority strategies for the piloting of restorative justice practices in Victoria.
VicUrban Urban Masterplan Communication and Consultation Strategy, Revitalising Central Dandenong
Red Road Consulting provided expert advice on the draft Communication and Consultation Strategy for the urban master planning process for the Revitalising Central Dandenong project, a key Melbourne 2030 Activity Centre project. The process included document review, the facilitation of a client partner “stakeholder workshop”, suggested redrafting of the Strategy and the development of consultation tools to be applied in the Masterplan consultation process.
Planning Institute of Australia Professional Ethics Module
Andrea Cook is a national trainer with the Planning Institute of Australia, providing the Professional Ethics module, one of five CPD modules, for the Certified Practicing Planner (CPP) certification of professional urban and regional planners in Australia. Andrea delivers the intensive two-day training across Australia and also works with PIA to provide applied ethics overview to postgraduate planning students in university and to practitioners through industry conferences and in-house corporate training.
Andrea is also a registered CPP, having completed the required coursework (Communication, Mediation and Negotiation, Economics of Development, Professional Ethics and Project Management) for certification.
City of Port Phillip “Design Ins”
Two precinct/open space redevelopment processes were conducted in “contested” spaces in St Kilda. The challenge was to bring together a range of people using a common public area (residents, sex workers, homeless people, drug users) to redesign the spaces in a way that satisfied the needs of these different groups without simply displacing ‘challenging behaviour’. The Design In model involved community research (training locals residents to undertake local research), site assessment tasks (including post occupancy evaluation) and intensive/participatory redesign in small groups. Two public spaces in St Kilda have been redesigned in this manner (based on the development of a collaborative “vision” of the space).
City of Port Phillip Fitzroy Street Taskforce
In 2007, Red Road Consulting was engaged by the City of Port Phillip to undertake preliminary ‘public interest mediation’ regarding the conflicting uses in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. The challenge was to bring together very polarised stakeholders (traders, residents, agency/advocates and government) to work in a collaborative way to address safety and amenity issues in the precinct. The pilot involved the establishment of a Fitzroy Street Taskforce that met four times and undertook increasingly sophisticated community planning activity at each meeting (culminating with a Taskforce-developed preliminary action plan). The project also undertook critical precinct-based consultations with visitors, residents, traders and those with ‘challenging behaviours’. This material was very important evidence for the Taskforce’s planning activity.
Cities of Hume and Whittlesea Growing Up in Cities
Red Road Consulting led a Growing Up in Cities children and youth research project under the auspice of the global UN project. Young people were involved in community research training and undertook week with a camera, guided tour, SpeakOut and survey research with peers in two neighbourhoods (Craigieburn and Mill Park). These research efforts informed both municipalities’ Community Safety and Drug Action plans as well as informing redesign work to public spaces.
Cardinia Shire Council Emerald District Strategy Review
Red Road Consulting was responsible for an intensive community engagement process aimed at reviewing the Emerald District Strategy in a way inclusive of and sympathetic to community goals and aspirations. The project involved a capacity building process with Cardinia staff and local residents to skill people in community research (the community researchers then went on to conduct a range of targeted consultation and research activities, for example surveying, week with a camera exercises, focus groups, etc). The project also involved a day long SpeakOut which attracted approximately 220 residents to drop in and ‘speak out’ about their hopes for the future of Emerald district.
Maribyrnong City Council Braybrook Community Plan
Red Road Consulting was responsible for an intensive community engagement process with a large Community Researcher program (to build local enterprise and capacity). The community planning process was linked to Council and State government directions in strategic urban planning, Office of Housing regeneration work and the application of Melbourne 2030. Over 800 professional, agency and community members were involved in a range of collaborative ‘visioning’ processes aimed at developing a shared and realistic set of future oriented priorities for Braybrook’s development.
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