Building Sustainable Communities - the rural perspective

Topics included:

• Challenges in rural Victoria: Achieving social development and community
• Planning in a rural community: Successfully managing competing demands
• Showcase of local projects that successfully integrated planning and healt

Churchill, 13 November 2002

Churchill Proceedings

Why Built Environment?

Dr Iain Butterworth, Local Government Partnerships Team - Public Health Group, Department of Human Services

A strong link exists between the built environment, health and wellbeing. The built environment impacts on our senses, our emotions, our opportunity to partake in physical activity, and the way we participate in community life. Built environments can vary across a range of characteristics, such as the quality of infrastructure, public spaces, a sense of safety and amenity, availability of healthy foods and services, which influence individual and collective behaviour. Our sense of community and general wellbeing are affected as a result.

As the focus of the planning profession is to design and create a sound built environment, and the emphasis of public health professionals is to increase opportunities for physical activity and improve community life the two group's objectives are intrinsically linked. Through a shared recognition of these links, more sustainable partnerships can be created between urban, social and health planners at a state and local level to improve the health and wellbeing of the community.

Why Built Environment? (812kb, MS Powerpoint)

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Panel Dicussion: Challenges in rural Victoria: Achieving social development and community wellbeing (Panel Discussion)

• "Regional Matters" An Atlas of Regional Victoria
  Fiona McKenzie, Senior, Research Officer - Research & Analysis Branch, Department of Infrastructure

  How can local government use the Atlas in the planning of services and infrastructure? Highlights challenges and issues in regional Victoria.

  "Regional Matters" An Atlas of Regional Victoria (1460 kb, pdf)

• Neighbourhood Renewal
  Julie Hocking, Senior Project Manager - Latrobe Valley Ministerial Taskforce, DHS

  Innovation in developing vibrant and sustainable neighbourhoods, ensuring health & wellbeing

  Neighbourhood Renewal (1000 kb, pdf)

• Integrating MPHP and CHP
  Upper Hume Community Health Centre

  Phil Brown

  Integrating MPHP and CHP (192kb, MS Powerpoint)

Planning in a rural community: Managing competing demands

• Importance of building relationships
  Kate Nelson, Manager Shire Development, East Gippsland Shire Council

  PIA award winner shares secrets to success

  Importance of building relationships (64kb, MS Powerpoint)

• Managing rural land use
  David Young, Consultant, Young Planning Group

  Presentation on the award winning "South Gippsland Rural Strategy".

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Workshop: Planning for a new community - how do we get it right?

Facilitated by Rob Hutchison, Planning Development Facilitator, South Gippsland Shire Council

The what, who, where and how to ensure a vibrant and sustainable community in the future.

Showcase of local projects that successfully integrated planning and health

• Glendonald Community Project
  Heather Farley, Manager Community Development Strategy,
  Latrobe City Council

Glendonald Community Project (297kb, pdf)

• SaferGippsland Project
  Nikki Drummond & Dale Simmons, Community Safety/Crime Prevention Officers, SaferGippsland

• "Active Living, Healthy Communities"
  Carolyn King, Community Development Coordinator, Baw Baw Shire Council

Resources

People, Place and Wellbeing: Relationship between DHS Public Health Goal Areas and Urban Planning (124kb, pdf)
Urban Environmental Education: A Community Psychology Perspective (112kb, pdf)

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