The Portal’s next landing will be in Rockingham – watch this space for details!

People representing a broad cross-section of the community stepped inside the C2030 Portal to share their ideas on camera when it touched-down at Centro Northgate for its debut appearance.

The Portal uses easy to operate web-cam technology to record people’s ideas on what they would like to see in their towns and communities over the next 20 years and beyond.

LandCorp Chief Executive Officer Ross Holt said the Portal’s debut in Geraldton was a great opportunity to engage with the community.

“It was terrific to see such a broad range of people visiting the Portal over the course of the day, representing what really is one of the fastest growing regions in the State,” Mr Holt said.

“People talked about the sort of community they envisaged for the future, including green corridors, transport, housing and development, open space and sustainability.

“We will be sharing these ideas with the City of Geraldton Greenough, which is keen to use them in helping plan the future of the region.

“The C2030 Portal is a great opportunity for everyone to put their stamp on the direction for future development.”

Mr Holt said that after Geraldton, the C2030 Portal would be would be a feature at future C2030 events around the state.

He said C2030 was an initiative of LandCorp to encourage community conversations about the future of WA.

Also as part of the Big Ideas Festival, LandCorp sponsored an event called Hypothetical 2029 and Beyond, hosted by the ABC’s Verity James.

Held at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, the event featured a panel of five planning experts and local identities discussing their ideas on the future of the region in the year 2029. Some of those ideas were captured on the C2030 blog http://c2030landcorp.wordpress.com

C2030 uses a number of online communications platforms, including the website, blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn group, and now the C2030 Portal.

Geraldton resident, Andrea Selbey was among the first Portal visitors.

Stay tuned for more news of where the C2030 Portal will land next and watch this space for video footage from the Geraldton visit.

Research Fellow, CUCRH

A tourist in my own town

Jackie will be one of the speakers at the Hypothetical 2029 and Beyond event in Geraldton today, Friday, 17 September, hosted by the ABC’s Verity James. The event is part of the City of Geraldton Greenough’s Big Sky Big Ideas Festival.

Just recently I have decided to be a tourist in my own town – to try to look at Geraldton through a visitor’s eyes.  And what I see gives me hope.

In 1994 when a small group of us (three!) got together and started a lobby and ideas group called Foreshore Visions, our mission was to turn the city onto the Sea. Now it’s happening.

We three held a great vision of the city being a destination of choice, offering a range of experiences for visitors and residents alike. We’ve still got a way to go, but with vision, commitment and a lot of dreaming, we’ll get there.

So where is it that we’re getting to? The city is facing huge changes – I don’t think many people really understand the extent of dynamic that the resources industry will thrust upon us – and by 2029 we will be reaping the rewards.

A city of pride, of culture (meaning a celebration of the way we live, not necessarily high arts) and achievement. A city where we celebrate our heritage, our multiculturalism and our commitment to the environment; where every person is actively involved in making the city a better place to be.

Background

While studying by correspondence from the family farm, Jackie founded a community newspaper (which is still going more than 35 years later), organised community events and obtained a qualification in wool classing.

She left the farm to become a journalist, working for The West Australian and the ABC among others.

Jackie was invited to do a post graduate in Future Studies at Curtin University, and has since had a research fellowship at CUCRH, undertaking further research into community social networks. Jackie was a City of Geraldton councillor for six years, is a Life Member of the Arts and Cultural Development Council (ACDC) and founded the group Foreshore Visions which influenced current infrastructure development in the City of Geraldton.

Managing Director, Village Well

In this post Gilbert Rochecouste, Managing Director of Village Well, Australia’s leading creative place making consultancy, projects into the future of Geraldton 2029.

Geraldton, 2029. The Mid-West becomes a true expression of local abundance, local ownership, community resilience and a shared sense of place. A strong local economy has been nurtured and provides key products and services, including food and energy security through ecological and renewable enterprises.

People understand the indigenous and European story of the region, which is owned and celebrated. Community-led governance and an enriched care and understanding of place and the bio-region sustain relationships between people and their environment.

Tourists flock to the region to experience the hospitality and generous spirit of the people, enjoying the wonders of sea and desert, unique local food offerings, variety of accommodation available and opportunities to explore both the natural and cultural pleasures of the region.

The area is serviced by excellent local and regional transport.

The evolution of the physical form of cities and towns in the region respects the indigenous and European heritage of the area, and integrates new buildings that are beautiful, make use of local materials and aesthetics, and are informed by world-class sustainable principles.

Young people are drawn to the region for lifestyle, work and educational opportunities, sense of community and natural beauty. Older people enjoy excellent care and experience the wellbeing that comes with years of dwelling in place and excellent services and facilities that are integrated into the wider community fabric.

The Mid-West is a region that understands its place in a national and international context, and prides itself on strong community values, local resilience, environmental stewardship and respect. It is loved and nourished by locals and visitors alike.

Gilbert Rochecouste will be one of the speakers at the Hypothetical 2029 and Beyond event in Geraldton this Friday, 17 September, hosted by the ABC’s Verity James. The event is part of the City of Geraldton Greenough’s Big Sky Big Ideas Festival.

Background

Gilbert is recognised both nationally and internationally as a leading voice in Place Making, sustainable communities and businesses. He is a sought after speaker and motivator, known for his innovative thinking, dynamic engagement processes and inspirational approach to community activation. His catalyst ideas have regenerated iconic places and enlivened many urban and rural communities.

The City of Geraldton Greenough Hypothetical: 2029 and Beyond will be held this Friday, 17 September at the Queen Elizabeth Centre as part of the City of Geraldton Greenough Big Ideas Festival.

Sponsored by LandCorp’s C2030, the sundowner event will be based on the famous Hypotheticals television series of the early 1980s and will be hosted by ABC Radio’s Verity James.

It will feature a panel of local decision makers and other high profile experts who will be transported to Geraldton in the year 2029.

Through a series of provocative and challenging questions, Verity will engage the panel in what is sure to be a passionate and thought provoking discussion about the social, economic and environmental issues facing the Geraldton community.

To register for Hypothetical: 2029 and Beyond, or for more details about other events at the Big Ideas Festival click here or phone 9956 6659.

In this post Professor Richard Weller ponders population growth in Western Australia’s regional centres and potential problems that may arise – do you share his views?

On Australia Day 2010 the resident population of Australia was 22,130,912. Australia’s population is currently increasing at the rate of one person every one minute and 11 seconds.

Although the media has mainly been using a figure of 35 million, the Australian Bureau of Statistics forecasts that by 2056 Australia’s population could reach 42.5 million. In sensationalist media this is being couched in terms of a crisis, but in fact it is Australia’s normal, historical rate of growth.

The Treasury secretary Dr Ken Henry recently asked: ‘Where will these [extra] people live – in our current major cities and regional centres, or in cities we haven’t even started to build?’ The answer is probably all of the above.

All the capital cities will absorb more people, but there is a backlash forming in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Perth is predicted to grow to 4.2 million by 2056. It has the land to do so, but conventional suburban sprawl is probably an inappropriate form of development for the environmental challenges we are increasingly facing.

Perth will need to get more creative about its development. Many additional people will populate regional centres. Regional centres around Australia need to decide how much of the pie (or problem), they want.

Some will resist growth, others will encourage growth. Both approaches can cause problems. The trick will be to grow in a manner that is good for the whole community, not just growth for growth’s sake lining the pockets of a few.

When you look nationally for suitable growth zones, the Swan Coastal Plain of Western Australia is a likely area for significant development. Our research suggests that if development is innovative, many people, up to 10 million, could live in this bio-region with minimal impact on the environment.

Geraldton sits at the top of the Swan Coastal plain and could become a major city in that location. If so, what should it be like?

The opportunity is there to shape it as you wish. Wouldn’t it be disappointing to wake up in 2029 and see that Geraldton had done nothing other than sprawl and that it looked the same as Perth suburbia? Maybe not, but then we would have to change its name to Gerth or rather, Girth!

Professor Weller will be one of the speakers at the Hypothetical 2029 and Beyond event in Geraldton this Friday, 17 September, hosted by the ABC’s Verity James. The event is part of the City of Geraldton Greenough’s Big Sky Big Ideas Festival.

Background

Design and planning of future communities is a great passion of Richard Weller. The Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Western Australia (UWA) consults as both a designer and a reviewer of major projects.

A member of a master-planning team charged with the design of a new 40,000-resident suburb in Perth, he was also a leading member of the Perth foreshore design team.

Richard’s most recent research, funded by the Australian Research Council, concerned the creation of alternative urban growth scenarios for the city of Perth by the year 2050 and is the subject of his latest book, ‘Boomtown 2050’.

The Portal will be located at Centro Northgate Shopping Centre from 9am – 5pm this Saturday, 18 September. Local community members are invited to step inside and record their opinions about the future of the Geraldton region and add their voices to the C2030 conversation.

The C2030 Portal uses simple to operate web-cam technology, allowing you to share your ideas on video about your town, city, State or region with a simple click of a button.

Your idea could contribute to future C2030 community discussions across WA, so if you have an interest in the future, stay tuned for details of where the C2030 Portal will land next.

In the meantime, please feel free to share your views and opinions right here.

The West Australian, Agenda, p54 Saturday September 19 2009

Forget sun, surf, and extended shopping hours to entice international visitors. Tourism chief and restaurateur extraordinaire Kate Lamont wants Perth to become Australia’s number one Indigenous culture destination.

Can her vision of a vibrant, diverse, rich city centre become reality by building an Aboriginal cultural centre on the Swan River Foreshore?

It seems like a big ask, and Kate herself says getting Perth to the point where indigenous culture is ingrained is a massive job that involves us all.

We have talked about embracing our Indigenous heritage for years. Is Kate right when she says it is time to replace the conversations with action?