Crowd Sourcing

Newcastle, like many of Australia's cities is great, not because it is legislated as a capital, but because its people make it so. Newcastle City Council is working with its community to remake itself in the aftermath of a changed local economy and external interventions. Partnering with Council, our people helped facilitate a "community inclusive design" workshop process that included not only factual benchmarking and historical references, but possibly for the first time, took "live" and interactive 3D modelling to the streets to explore ideas and test suggestions made by participants.

Combining local knowledge and the desires of a community, our professionals empowered the residents to visualise and explore feasible design options within the timeframe of a two day workshop.

As a pioneering engagement process, the City of Newcastle and Scott Carver have jointly received a 'Highly Commended' Award for innovation in community engagement, by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) in 2010.

Newcastle's future is now within its own grasp.