Macedon Ranges Shire Council
Communities are changing and growing, and it is critical that community infrastructure swiftly adapts and meets the demands to foster vibrant communities.
Community infrastructure can be defined as the spaces and programs where people socialise, learn, create, and celebrate culture. It is the sum of 'hard' infrastructure, such as buildings with 'soft' infrastructure like support services and programs.
We partnered with Macedon Ranges Shire Council to undertake a comprehensive community infrastructure assessment of the Gisborne and Romsey Districts. This assessment identified the following:
- Community infrastructure needs of existing and future communities
- Opportunities to address supply and demand gaps in community infrastructure provision
- Opportunities to improve accessibility, functionality, and integration of community infrastructure in accordance with contemporary delivery and service models.
Spatial considerations are a crucial aspect of planning community infrastructure. This includes where community infrastructure is located, service reach, and enabling infrastructure to support community access. While both Gisborne and Romsey are regional centres, how they operate differs. To address this distinction, we worked with Council to build a strong understanding of place, the interactions across social, economic, and land use planning, and how this influences how community infrastructure and services operate.
The assessment's outcome was used as technical input to support the development of the Structure Plan, it also holds value in informing asset management planning, service delivery, and stakeholder partnership opportunities.
