Culture, the Community and Complex Change

Nugent M¹*, Hasan M¹, Denoon¹ and Pannell K¹*

1. Community Information Branch, City Planning and Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane City Council, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Engaging the community positively in determining future directions whilst managing strategic changes that may require tough ‘trade off’ decisions is a difficult tension in local governance.

Brisbane City Council has taken a creative approach to engaging Brisbane residents in the development of the SEQ Regional Plan, the first statutory Regional Plan developed in Queensland and in detailed discussions and dialogue around its core concepts – transport, communities, green space, economic development and infrastructure. As a ‘blueprint’ for the development of the region over the next twenty years, the Regional Plan requires residents to grapple with complex social, economic and environmental issues which will invariably impact lifestyle in Brisbane city and beyond.

BCC has started a 3 level planning process of regional, metropolitan and neighbourhood planning that assists residents to bridge the gap between regional and local issues. Additionally, by working in partnership with the Museum of Brisbane, BCC has used cultural processes to inform and engage a broad group of residents and stakeholders. The Museum of Brisbane’s exhibition, ‘The 200km City: From Noosa to the Tweed’ had more than 100 000 visitors and provided a vehicle through which residents could connect with the complex ideas raised in the Regional Plan. The results are an excellent example of the role of Brisbane City Council in leading its residents though change and the shifting role of government to facilitator of dialogue with and between its residents to ensure that difficult, yet vital, decisions can be made and implemented.