Residents, businesses and visitors have turned out in droves to share their ideas, aspirations and vision for the future during stage one of Yarra’s new community vision.
Between November 2020 and January 2021, 1,275 residents, businesses and visitors provided their feedback to the project. Of these people, 44% spoke to us in-person at one of our pop-up events held across Yarra, and 56% engaged online via our Your Say Yarra website.
The community vision will guide our planning in Yarra over the next 15 years, as we face challenges like a changing climate and growing population.
It was fantastic to see young people so actively engaged in the process, with more 26 to 35-year-olds participating than any other age bracket. We also heard loud and clear from our culturally and linguistically diverse communities, with 20% of people speaking a language other than English at home.
The consultation explored five themes important to what kind of future we want for Yarra:
• Resilience – what makes a great community in the face of uncertainty?
• Our people – how do we make sure we look after everyone in our community?
• Spaces and places – who uses council’s buildings and assets now and in 2035?
• Sharing our streets – how do we create streets for everyone?
• We’re different – how do we protect our diverse economy and community?
What’s next for the project?
The feedback collected from the broader community will be considered by a randomly selected panel of residents later this year, who will work together to create the community vision.
