From Libraries to Community Hubs – Engaging Communities through Cultural, Creative and Learning Processes

Lynn S¹*, Rawkins T¹*

1. Brisbane City Council, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

One of the key challenges facing project management organisations is creating a cultural transition in project managers to actively engage the community through all facets of a project.

This cultural transformation was achieved in the delivery of Brisbane City Council’s Chermside Community Hub. A cultural shift has occurred from treating a library extension as a ‘traditional design and construction project’ to creatively engaging and encouraging active participation from the community. This transition in delivery processes resulted in the creation of a Community Hub where locals come together to participate in a variety of social, cultural, recreational and educational activities.

Whilst members of the community cannot build the building, in the Chermside Community Hub project, a variety of creative, cultural and learning processes were implemented in which members of the community actively participated. Partnerships developed with state government, local businesses and community organisations were vital to the successful delivery and resulted in community ownership and excitement of the final product.

The simple yet creative strategy developed to engage the community resulted in no negative feedback throughout the entire project (12months) and has created a precedent for future Community Hubs development. This strategy can be easily integrated into any organisation/project, with minimal outlay and generate economic, environmental and social benefits for both the organisation and community.