Co-create workshops

What is a Place Brief?

A Place Brief is a document that brings together the aspirations of our diverse Canberra community for this place.

It is a place-based approach and brings together the ideas and ambitions of the arts organisations and community - the people who live, work and play in the precinct - in a way that brings the precinct to life. It will guide future design and development followed by space activation and management of the precinct.

In simple terms the place brief approach means people first and design second.

During the place brief engagement to date you told us what is important to you and what inspires and attracts you to live, work and visit the Kingston Arts Precinct and explore objectives and opportunities for the site. Your views helped us to create the draft Place Brief.

The draft Place Brief includes a vision, site context and place opportunities as well as what is important for this place’s identity. It provides interesting national and international case studies that have been considered to inform this project. It captures six themes as place pillars, identified through community input, on what is fundamental for this place, and the ways we can achieve these in the precinct:

Integrated offering
Creatively led
Inclusive and accessible
Culture – past, present and future
Connected
Dynamic and sustainable

Our purpose is to be: “a leading arts destination, celebrating a rich living history and vibrant community life, through discovery, connection and collaboration”

Engagement Co-Create Program

The development of the Place Brief considered previous input by the community and stakeholders, as well as gathering further input through a range of additional engagement and feedback activities.

The engagement activities formed a co-create journey involving interviews, employee surveys, stakeholder walkshops, community self-led walkshops, workshops, pop-up activity and other community and information activities.

Two Co-Create Workshops were held in March and May.

The first co-create workshop held on Thursday 31 March focussed on testing the vision and understanding the experiences the community would like to have as the precinct continues to evolve.

The second co-create workshop sought input on access and movement across the precinct, and activities and uses within the precinct. Prior to the second co-create workshop, a Creative Panel Discussion Q&A event which enabled a valuable conversation between artists, Ngunnawal, heritage and urban design representatives.

The project continues to undertake further targeted stakeholder engagement, including greater input from youth and Ngunnawal people. The insights gained from through this process will inform the development of this Place Brief as it undergoes final review.