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People standing in front of large paper with graphic harvest (drawings) from community chat about inclusive communities

Stage 1 Findings 

In stage 1 of the project we asked community members what makes their communities inclusive, what doesn't and ideas and solutions.

Due to the impacts of Covid and the community focused work, this stage occurred over 2020 -early 2022.

The information below is what we have learnt so far.

Stage 1 Approach and People

Locations:

Clarence and Greater Hobart, Tasmania

Local Coordinating group:

Clarence City Council, Disability Voices Tasmania, Mission Australian PITC, THS-Health Promotion and Young Leaders of Tasmania.

Locations:

Gympie Region, Queensland

Local advisory group:

Gympie Regional Council and Members of Gympie Community Support by QDN.

Approach

  • 1:1 Chats

  • Creative Community Chats

    • materials​ included - Coloured pens, variety of paper, various coloured sticky notes, Reflexions, Picture This, and Strength card sets by St Luke’s Innovative Resources.

  • Storyboards

  • Survey

Who got involved

97 people from 9 years and up shared their ideas, thoughts and experiences.

Diversity of ages, backgrounds, roles and professions.

  • Over 50% identified as a person with a disability, mental health needs, or chronic illness. 

  • Some had an experience as carer or parents.

Photograph of equipment and resources used during community chats – visual cards, voice recorder, pens.

Stage 1a Report - What Makes Inclusive Communities? Meanings, Tensions, Change Needed

Easy English Symbol i
This is the cover of the report that has the Title: What makes inclsuive communities. Manings, tensions and change needed. And other information about the project like Stage 1a Summary Report - Planning Inclusive Communities Project Authors: Dr Lisa Stafford, Matt Novacevski, Rosie Pretorius, Pippa Rodgers Date: 2023

Download the report

Use the button below to download the Stage 1 Findings report.

What makes a community inclusive

What makes communities inclusive?

Hand drawn picture of three diverse stick figures standing together.

I feel like it's all about everyone being able to equally engage in the environment in the community.  For people with disabilities there is a lot of restraint and they can't engage as much as other people.  It's also like equality is not enough, it should be equity so everyone has what they need to be able to engage in that community.  Because I feel like a community is about people and engagement, but also being able to access and work around a community. 

Identified Five Key Elements

Five connected elements that people feel make communities inclusive

  • All people are at the centre of planning processes and decisions (Urban Governance).

  • Human Diversity is valued and embedded in all aspects of planning

  • Inclusively designed spaces and infrastructure are assets of community with Equity, Accessibility, Ease as core foundations.

  • Planning for connectedness – Nature, People, Place.

  • Vibrant places and experiences.

The image shows five interconnected everyday elements that help make an inclusive community. They reflect planning of communities and cities that all people centred; the importance of connectedness between people, place and nature; the respect and appreciation of diversity; cities and communities foundations are based on equity to enable all people to have choices and opportunities; and the importance of vibrant place to enable connections, participation, and experiences such as fun, belonging, relaxing.
What stops a communitiesbeing inclusve

Tensions

Identified barries stopping communities being inclusive

  • Disability is viewed negatively as a cost, burden or bother.

  • Limited body-mind diversity considered in policy and planning decision making.

  • Public consultations omit or token-include diverse voices.

  • Working in isolation and silos. 

  • Accessibility, equity and inclusion are not included from the start in projects.

  • Planning and designing for inclusion is often from the view of compliance.

  • Lack of investment in core assets for community - infrastructure, services and spaces important to participation and inclusion.

  • Growing inequality like housing insecurity, transport disadvantage and cost of living pressure. 

  • Many people feel excluded and isolated.

  • Loneliness and poor mental health made worse by inaccessible, dull and difficult to navigate public space, services, and support structures. 

What stops communities being inclusive?

Hand drawn image of two people standing together.
Hand drawn pictures of 'barriers' to an inclusive community, including, mental health challenges, knowing how to get support, access.
Hand drawn pictures of 'barriers' to an inclusive community, including, transport, limited frame of reference for policy and decisions, inclusion morphs into accessibility, etc.
Hand drawn pictures of 'barriers' to an inclusive community, including, access, not included in consultation, accessibility in planning, etc.

Loneliness

Lonely was one that I picked because even in busy communities like X, there’s still a lot of lonely people...

Prejudice and Slurs

Changing that culture from a young age I feel like really can help with the way it will remove this prominent element of prejudice that we see a lot from the boys at school.  I don’t really see many girls using slurs or anything like that...

Lack of Affordable Housing

Yeah, and I think that we need to do more of that.  We need to stop just building big broad acre environments and stop banging on about, you know, affordable housing, it really shits me.  Oh, we’re going to build affordable housing.  I don’t see that.  I don’t feel it.  I don’t feel that integration.

Ideas and solutions

Changes we need... Ideas and solutions

Hand drawn picture of people talking with text above reading 'Community Chat'.

As communities and cities are far from inclusive, the research identified three core areas where change is needed:

  1. Inclusive Urban Planning and Design Practice

  2. Inclusive Urban Governance – Processes and decision making

  3. Education and Leadership

Visual summary of the findings, includes the The five elements: 1. All people centred public planning processes and decisions (Urban Governance). 2. Human Diversity is valued and embedded in all aspects of planning. 3. Inclusively designed spaces and infrastructure are assets of community with Equity, Accessibility, Ease as core foundations. 4. Planning for connectedness – Nature, People, Place. 5. Vibrant places and experiences. It also includes the change needed across areas of practice and policy. The Key Areas where Change is Needed 01 Urban Planning and Design Practice • All people must be at the centre of what we do and be involved from the start. • Inclusive/universal design with biophilic design /urban greening is integral to communities. • Foregrounding equity, ease and accessibility in planning and designing for movement and place. • Raising ambitions by going beyond minimal or compliance-focused approach. • Develop inclusive planning practice guidance and urban design

01. Inclusive Urban Planning and Design Practice

  • All people must be at the centre of what we do and be involved from the start. 

  • Inclusive/universal design with biophilic design /urban greening is integral to communities. 

  • Foregrounding equity, ease and accessibility in planning and designing for movement and place.

  • Raising ambitions by going beyond minimal or compliance-focused approach.

  • Develop inclusive planning practice guidance and urban design codes. 

  • Integrated planning that centres equity and inclusion, wellbeing, climate adaptation. 

  • Future proofing design using inclusive sustainable approach.
     

Participant drawing from community chat showing an inclusive community with leadership, events and politicians setting an example.

02 Inclusive Urban Governance – Processes and decision making

  • Lived expertise is valuable knowledge and embedded in all aspects of urban governance.

  • Working in collaboration and co-creating, working across disciplines, sectors, and agencies.

  • Communicate with all from the start using multiple methods suitable for diverse audiences.

  • Decision making has integrity, flexibility, and be guided by lived knowledges.

  • Integrated planning processes for more equitable, connected and efficient ways of working.

  • We listen, learn and then act.

Graphic harvest from community chat showing barriers and suggestions for inclusive communities.chat PIC.jpg

03. Inclusive Education & Leadership

  • Recognise and understand planning for our human diversity across the lifespan.

  • Challenge negative perceptions and naysayers.

  • Awareness raising education and amplifying diverse voices.

  • Demonstrate what’s possible using case studies while respecting the unique context of place.

  • Being inclusive creates economic and regional development.

  • Representation and leadership by and with disabled people is essential.

I also feel like within communities there needs to be a broader and a greater understanding for what people are going through.  So I feel like education is really important.  Being able to educate people to create that understanding for not just people living with a disability, but people living, like you said, with mental illness and other chronic diseases.  I feel like understanding and education is really important.  You can't grow any sort of respect or understanding without being educated and informed.

The Plan Forward

The Plan Forward

Hand drawn picture of two peices of paper with planning on them.

Now 

Research has shown that centring inclusion and equity at the heart of planning communities and cities is key, but equally important are our:

  • Ways of Working

  • Assets of Community

  • Agents of Change - Champions

 

Stage 2

Our next stage - stage 2 – involves exploring the changes needed identified from stage 1a&B, directly with urban planning practitioners and people with disabilities/disabled people to co-create resources and practice tools on how to plan inclusively. The aim being to have an applied scalable approach to planning our cities and communities that will benefit all bodies and minds, while upholding rights and environmental and social justice. 

Goal at the End

Grassroots applied framework of practice for planning more inclusively

Photos from Stage 1

Attributions

Click on the icons below to learn what we have found in Stage 1 of the project.

Summary of Key Findings

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