Joseph Road Social Inclusion Study

Public Policy

Client: Austpac Properties

The Joseph Road Precinct, Footscray is a 15-hectare site bounded by Hopkins Street in the south, the Maribyrnong River in the east and the railway reserve in the north-west.

Austpac Properties is preparing a master plan to guide future planning and development of the site. A focus of the master plan is social inclusion to ensure the existing and future Footscray community has access to high quality community services and facilities and have opportunities to actively participate in their community.

Capire Consulting Group was commission by Austpac Properties to undertake a Social Inclusion Study for the Joseph Road Precinct. Specifically the study was designed:

  • To profile the future Joseph Road Precinct community using quantitative and qualitative data;
  • To review previous community engagement activities and reporting to identify community needs, aspirations and values;
  • To engage key stakeholder to understand service and facilities demand and opportunities for collaboration;
  • To identify projects, programs or interventions to facilitate social inclusion within the precinct; and
  • To prepare a series of evidence-based social inclusion principles to underpin the planning and design of the precinct.

The findings of the social inclusion project not only identified social inclusion principles for the precinct, but also identified catalyst projects for the precinct based on the key findings. These catalyst projects include: Joseph Road community gardens and a community arts program.

Footscray Renewal, Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

Client: Department of Planning and Community Development

Capire Consulting Group was engaged to design and implement a stakeholder engagement program to support the preparation of the Footscray Strategic Development Framework and to garner feedback on a range of supporting planning documents. The engagement provided opportunities for stakeholders to provide feedback on the implementation of the Footscray vision and their ideas about the future built form of Footscray. It was alsoan opportunity to provide feedback on the Development Framework Report.

Agata Chmielewski

Agata is an Associate Director at Capire Consulting Group. Agata has an extensive background is in social planning and policy development. She has undertaken social impact assessments, community infrastructure needs assessments and feasibility studies which have informed a number of urban revitalisation, civic amenity and structure planning projects and growth strategies.

Amy Hubbard

Amy Hubbard is a Director and co-founder of Capire Consulting Group. She has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, social planning and community development. Amy has worked with public and private sector organisations in Australia and overseas enabling her to develop a versatile approach to specific project objectives.

Sally Abbott

Sally has worked for international organisations, Australian non-profits and has conducted community engagement in Mexico, Laos and Australia. With a particular focus on community development and planning, Sally's studies have both complemented and propelled her career path. She brings a broad range of skills to her current role as social research and stakeholder engagement consultant.