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\7ollongong FuturesImagining the City

What kind of a city do you want Wollongong to be in twenty years? What will

it look like? Who will live here? What will they do for a living? What recreational

pursuits willthey enjoy? How willthey get around?

Wollongong Futures has been asking questions of the community since early

2002. The aim is to create a picture of how the city sees itself in twenty years

time. lndividuals, community groups, the business community, state government

agencies and Council all took the opportunity to imagine the future. Of course,

there were as many different futures imagined as there were responses, but

the reason for asking was to get answers. The range of responses tells us that

everyone had something to say.

lnitially the role of Wollongong Futures was to ask and listen, while the

community imagined. The next phase of the project was to take the imagined

futures and distil them into an image of Wollongong that the whole community

could share. This important task was pedormed by the community during the

first half of 2003. The process is now complete. The people of Wollongong

have imagined their city twenty years into the future and produced a vision to

define that city. This document sets out that vision, and shows us the kind of

city we want to be.

Wollongong Futures is a vital project to guide our planning so we can turn that

shared vision into reality. I thank everyone for their pafticipation and look

forward to your continuing involvement.

%rO*ZvAlex Darling

Lord Mayor

City of Wollongong

Visions of the Future

How do you, in just one paragraph, define a city that won't exist for twenty

years? lt sounds impossible, but after a great deal of deliberation and discussion,

the people of Wollongong have done it. The city has an idea of its fuiure self

- an idea that can guide us both as individuals and as a community.

The one grand vision this idea represents is supporled by nine visions, each

of which describes an aspect of the life and look of our city. When the nine

visions become a reality the grand vision of Wollongong will have been achieved.

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The Visions cover the whole LGA

Legend

E Urban, Residential, Commercial

E lndustrial

I---l Recreation, Tourism, Environmental

I Non Urban

- Main Roads

- Freeway Stanwell Park

Coalcliff

Wombarra

Austinmer

Thirroul

Woonona

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lllawarra

Port Kembla

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tWollongong - A Sustainable LocalGovernment Area for the Future

ln the year2o22,Wollongong will be a sustainable localgovernment

area, safeguarding the economic, social, culturaland environmental

well-being of present and future generations.

ln partnership with the whole community, wollongong adopts development

and management strategies, practices and activities that satisfy our needs in

creative ways, without limiting the positive choices of future generations. This

will guide our everyday actions as ciiizens, and our choices as a local government

area. At every level, we will act to protect and enhance the environment,

develop our economy, and constantly improve our quality of life.

This is the grand vision of our City in 2022. The following nine visions supporl

this idea.

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Access, Equity and l-Jtility

Wollongong witl be a Local Government Area that is accessible

on all levels to the whole community.

ln the future, Wollongong will consider access, equity and utility in all that it

does and strives to achieve. Opportunities, services and infrastructure will be

planned so that they are available in locations that are convenient to access,

provide use to a wide range of the community, and are suppoded by a range

of transporl choices. Utility means services and infrastructure will be developed

in response to the needs of the community.

Access and equity will also be considered in terms of:

o physical issues, including the built form, location and transport;

. cultural issues, including culiural appropriateness and language;

. economic issues, including affordability,

. social issues. including access by marginalised social groups, community

safety. and fear of crime.

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Councrl and CommunityPartnership in City Governance

Wollongong will have an involved communityworking in partnership

with an accessible, responsive and accountable Councilto provide

dynamic and proactive leadership to the local government area.

A partnership between Council and the whole community will provide better

leadership and planning, by encouraging all members of the community to

participate and take ownership. A thriving and innovative local government

area will be developed through this partnership, where community and Council

work together to promote and enhance the whole area. ln this instance,

'Council' refers to both councillors and Council staff.

Dynamic leadership will come from both community and Council where both

parlners take responsibility and ownership for the implementation of visions

of the future for Wollongong.

An accessible, responsive, accountable council shares information and

knowledge, seeks community inputs, takes these inputs seriously and is

transparent in decision making.

lmprovements in planning and leadership will be achieved by encouraging the

whole community to pafticipate in the decision making processes. These

improvements will lead to a better understanding of the community's

requirements in terms of:

. ownership of plans by the community;

. environmental protection and enhancement;

. community safety;

r adequate services and infrastructure;

. access to education and employment opportunities;

. health services.

lmprovements in community participation will result in better services, facilities

and programs for everyone and, in turn, lead to greater community well-being

and strong social capital. Community participation is an important element of

a sustainable future.

uturcsDeveloping a Progressive andQuality llrban Environment for Peopl"

Wollongong will foster thriving urban areas with innovative

development based on principles of design excellence contributing

to a strong sense of place throughout the local government area.

To create an innovative and thriving region, Wollongong will employ the latest

technology and develop new ideas around urban (and suburban) development.

This exciting and progressive local government area will have a prosperous,

desirable and environmentally sustainable built environment and a thriving

regional centre, complementing suburban centres and neighbourhoods in

harmony with natural processes.

Principles of design excellence will guide environmentally sensitive, sustainable,

attractive and socially progressive development. The celebration of heritage

values and the retention of open space will contribute to a strong sense of

place and identity throughout the urban environment.

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Developing Local Communities

Wollongong Local Government Area will boast local communities

that reflect their unique qualities and atmosphere.

Local communities (village neighbourhoods and other places, such as ihe city

centre) are places that are safe, healthy and accessible, where people can

identify, interact and connect with each other and the surrounding environment.

They are places that reflect the local people who live in them: their character,

atmosphere, heritage and vision. Most importantly, they are places people call

home.

Because of its cultural diversity and geographic spread, Wollongong has many

neighbourhoods and places with a local village feel. Through strategic planning

and place management, Wollongong will foster and develop these local village

neighbourhoods to their full potential in the context of their role and place in

the local government area.

Embracing Creativityand Cultural Identity

Wollongong will be a vibrant, contemporary local government area

which protects, enhances and celebrates diversity, inclusivity,creativity and originality.

Wollongong has a vibrant, cultural precinct with a well-resourced and lively

cultural infrastructure that is the creative heaft of the lllawarra region. The city

integrates urban design and public art that reflects and celebrates local stories,

experiences and aspirations.

Our unique cultural and social heritage is an asset to protect and promote as

an integral part of the city's identity. Wollongong encourages local communities

to express and celebrate their creativity, identity and place.

Wollongong embraces creative industries as an essential part of sustainable

development within a contemporary knowledge economy.

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Enhancing our Community's Lifestyle

The Wollongong community will enjoy a lifestyle that is continuallyimproving through the conservation and enhancement of, andappropriate access to, the natural, cultural and recreational assetsof the local government area.

A high quality lifestyle is dependent on safe access to places and facilities that

promote health and wellbeing, and that allow and encourage people to pursue

a range of leisure, recreational, learning and cultural experiences that they

believe add value to their lives. Both community and private assets contribute

to provision of these opporlunities.

Natural assets, including fauna and flora in urban areas, consist of such things

as bushland, wetlands, foreshores, the escarpment, creeks and watercourses.

Cultural assets include cultural organisations and groups, European and

Aboriginal heritage sites, libraries, performing arts centres, museums, art

galleries, multicultural centres, and other cultural facilities, such as community

halls. lt also includes village character. Recreational assets would include such

things as sporting fields and clubs, playgrounds, public open space, swimming

pools and leisure centres.

The continual improvement of these assets and services both through the

private and public sectors will enable the city to respond to the changing

lifestyle requirements of its community. At the same time, it will also extend

opporlunities to those who have previously experienced difficulty in accessing

lifestyle options and improve the facilities and opportunities that already exist.

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F acrhtating and Integrating Movement

Wollongong will have a well-planned, coordinated and cleantransport system that provides access to all relevant localities ofthe local government area in a safe, convenient and affordablemanner.

The transporl system refers to the public and private, hard and soft infrastructure

that facilitates the movement of goods and people. lnfrastructure comprises

physical infrastructure (roads, parking facilities, etc) as well as soft infrastructure

(such as safeiy, marketing, surrounding environment, policies, etc) without

which the transport system will not work.

A well planned transpod system will take into account other planning fields,

such as land use planning, while allowing for the integration of different types

of transporl throughout the city.

Promotion of the use of non car-based types of transporl (public transport,

cycling and walking) and the implementation of technologies which

provide non polluting public transport will contribute to a cleaner environment

for Wollongong.

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Supporting and Developingthe Regional Economy

wollongong will have a flourishing sustainable economy with

employment opportunities facilitated and developed for everyone

in the local government area.

Both hard and soft infrastructure will be provided to facilitate economic

opportunities and attract investment. Hard infrastructure refers to physical

infrastructure, while soft infrastructure refers to issues like state and Federal

Government investment supporl for the region; access to venture capital'

investment in people through leadership development and skills base

development etc.

opportunities for the region's economy will arise through the development of

both traditional and emerging industries. A robust economic base is developed

through diversification and is able to withstand the changing nature of the

modern economic environment (state of national and international economy)'

Facilitation and development of appropriate economic opportunities focuses

on activities that support sustainable economic growth. wollongong

concentrates on the development of leadership supporting a flexible and

innovative business culture, new technologies including communications,

cleaner and greener technologies, job generating activities etc.

Economic and employment oppoftunities are created through the development

of traditional and emerging industries, the use of new technologies and the

direct and indirect employment opportunities that result. wollongong also

identifies and pursues opporlunities to attract sustainable growth and new

technology industries that contribute significantly to employment'

Valuing and Sustaining the Environment

Wollongong will enjoy a natural environment that is protected and

enhanced, and a human environment that is designed and

developed in harmony with nature.

Wollongong is a place that is famous for its unique natural environment, in

particular the escarpment. lake and coastline. The local government area

strongly identifies with these three features as vital contributors to the quality

of life of its residents - as the lifestyles of a large percentage of the population

are either focused around or affected by them.

Wollongong recognises that it is part of the natural world, not separate from

it, and is acutely aware of the value of preserving the environment upon which

it depends. As it develops, the city does not ignore but rather works with the

processes of natural ecosystems in innovative ways that:

o protect and improve water, air, and soil quality;

o protect and expand habitat for all forms of life;

. use resources such as energy, water, waste and other materials efficiently

and responsibly;

. respond to the issues posed by hazards such as bushfire, landslip, coastal

processes, flooding, etc.

The focus of all of these activities is to continually improve the ecological

integrity of the area and increase the quality of life for the whole community.

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wollonsong 2C22

How did we do it?

Wollongong Futures is a project based on community padicipation.

As its stafting point, the project commissioned a communitysurvey to find out what the people of Wollongong felt were theimpoftant issues - their likes and dislikes.

The next step was to bring in the CSIRO to lead a series of community visioning

workshops. Starting from the survey, workshop participants identified issues

impofiant to our future, and ranked them. Links between issues were identified,

and all this information was articulated as visions. The whole exercise was

repeated with different stakeholders, organisations, state government agencies,

council staff, senior and executive management and councillors.

Armed with the community survey and a host of visions from the workshops,

the next step was to identify key vision components and group them into vision

themes. A community advisory group was established to develop and refine

the visions further. lt also ensured that the outcomes were representative of

the work done within the community visioning sessions.

At the end of this process, which took over a year, the community advisory

group arrived at the visions contained in this document.

Comrnunity participatlon in Wollongong Futures

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tVhat Happens Next?

A vision of the city in 2022 is a very powerful tool in guiding the decisions we

make as individuals and as a community, but a vision alone is like a destination

without a map of how to get there. The next key element of Wollongong Futures

is the action planning phase, due to begin in October 2003. ln this phase the

community, Council, and other stakeholders will define the goals, strategies

and actions to take us from the 'Wollongong of the present' to the 'Wollongong

of the future'. lt is a key phase of the project, and one that will rely on the

expertise and commitment of Council and state agency staff, business leaders,

and the community.

B;, the end of 2004 Wollongong should have not only a vision of the future, but a

detailed plan of hor,v to get there and a community committed to making the journey.

7,i 4ec ?Do9Adoption of community visions

Action planning

- Action planning workshops

Local plan development

- Review of existing LEP

- lnception of new place based local

plan process

- Development control plan workshops

Community profiling continued

Communications

5qn 4ec ?boqAction planning

Development of monitoring system

Wollongong local plan review

- Place based local plan workshop

Community profiling continued

Communications

PRODUCTS

Community profile

Action plan

Place based local plan elements

qrtVisit our website:

www.wol lon gon gfutures.com.au

or contact:

Etienne Brits

Wollongong City Council

phone (02) 4227 7615

email ebrits@wollongong.nsw.gov.au

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City oI InnoDation

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