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The award winners, announced during WALGA’s annual convention, were the City of Melville, City of Subiaco and Shire of Carnarvon in the 3 categories of outstanding achievement; metropolitan Perth and Peel; and regional Western Australia.

The City of Melville’s outstanding achievement award related to the Canning Bridge Place Grants program where the revenue collected from parking fees in the local area were used to fund activities and building improvement projects to make the area more attractive and appealing.

The metropolitan Perth/Peel award was won by the City of Subiaco with the conversion of Walmsley Lane off Rokeby Road into a welcoming space that increased foot traffic and contributed to the appeal of the town centre.

Two youth art projects, part of the Shire of Carnarvon’s The Future is Me program, has turned a degraded, graffiti-riddled part of Carnarvon into an attractive public space that features a skate park and has had a positive impact on youth engagement and enthusiasm in the town.

The awards, administered by Town Team Movement (TTM) in partnership with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC), are designed to put the focus on placemaking to activate local spaces, build community connections and foster greater collaboration within local government by taking an innovative approach.

In another initiative, the DLGSC continues to fund TTM to deliver free placemaking training for all elected members and local government staff in WA. Placemaking brings together planners, community members, architects, local government, business and other groups, working collaboratively to activate local spaces.

The courses have been highly successful with more than 500 local government staff or elected members from 96 individual local governments taking part online so far, with many others attending the workshops. Find out more about Placemaker training.

Winners

Outstanding Achievement: City of Melville — The Canning Bridge Place Grants program

The Canning Bridge Place Grants program was designed by the City of Melville to reinvest paid parking revenues from the Canning Bridge Activity Centre back into the local community.

Funding from the program is available for applicants to deliver activations or events, or improve shop fronts, to add value and vibrancy and attract people to the Canning Bridge precinct.

Photos: Olive Cheng mural (left) and the Melville French Christmas Markets (right). Photos by John Jutras.

Metropolitan Perth and Peel: The City of Subiaco — The Subi Greenwalks — Walmsley Lane project

The Subi Greenwalks — Walmsley Lane project demonstrated a high level of internal collaboration and engagement with the community and had a positive impact on the businesses in the area.

The council initiated a structural change in the thoroughfare, transforming it into a vibrant community space. This project enabled the community and businesses to take the lead in further engagement and changes, demonstrating innovation and likely project longevity.

Subi Greenwalks addressed a decline in foot traffic and community engagement in Subiaco’s town centre, transforming a perceived unsafe laneway into a welcoming space.

The project also fostered innovative collaboration within the City of Subiaco, decentralising decision-making and enhancing responsiveness to new ideas.

Finalist in this category: City of Rockingham — Mural Place-Making for Change.

Photo: Walmsley Lane, Subiaco, before (left) and after (centre). Walmsley Lane Greenwalks (right). 

Regional Western Australia: The Shire of Carnarvon — The Future is Me project

The Future is Me project demonstrated exceptional innovation and used an evidence-based approach to co-design the program with the community to address rising crime rates and youth disengagement. It included significant engagement and cooperation across many government agencies, communities and schools.

Early engagement with local young people revealed a preference for art-related projects as the most effective medium for merging youth interests with the community’s challenges.

Two major art projects have now been delivered through The Future is Me program, showcasing the activities taking place through a constructive and collaborative approach, the result being the revitalisation and beautification of a degraded area in the centre of town.

Finalists in this category: The City of Albany — Albany Kinjarling Connect: Mokare Mia Boodja Trail; and Shire of Goomalling — Anstey Park Revitalisation.

Photo: Egan Street mural (left), Carnarvon Skate Park (centre), Detail of mural by Sadie James (right).