Greater Geelong has proven it’s well on its way to becoming
internationally recognised as a ‘clever and creative’ city-region, after dozens
of programs and initiatives were successfully carried out last year.
The ‘Clever and Creative – Our Progress 2019’ report highlights
the achievements of council, local organisations and the community, that align
with the nine aspirations from the community-led 30-year vision ‘Greater
Geelong: A Clever and Creative Future’.
The blueprint aims to guide Greater Geelong towards being
internationally recognised by 2047 as a ‘clever and creative city-region that
is forward looking, enterprising and adaptive, and cares for its people and
environment’. Since the launch of the vision in 2017, Geelong was recognised as Australia’s only UNESCO
City of Design.
Key
achievements from 2019 include:
- a trial of asphalt made with 20 per cent recycled
plastics started on three sections of road in Geelong, saving the
equivalent of 3,500 kilograms of plastic from landfill - Port Phillip Ferries launched a new ferry service
between Central Geelong and Docklands - the 2019 Australian International Airshow and Aerospace
and Defence Expo at Avalon Airport broke exhibitor and trade day
attendance records - the Geelong After Dark event attracted 32,400 people to
Central Geelong, with 270 artists delivering 56 activities - Geelong’s first SMART.NODEs were switched on along the
Waterfront, improving access to WiFi, USB charge facilities, high-speed
internet and data analytics - Deakin University introduced its free SafeZone app for
all students and staff, offering around-the-clock access to the
university’s security team - the Youth Council hosted the first ever Geelong Youth
Summit at GMHBA Stadium - female secondary students took part in Women in STEM
workshops and - planning controls were strengthened on the Bellarine
Peninsula to protect the region from over-development when the state
declared the region a Distinctive Area and Landscape.
View the ‘Clever and Creative – Our Progress 2019’ report.
Councillor Stephanie Asher – Mayor
Greater
Geelong’s tracking well against the vision’s aspirations and as a UNESCO City
of Design, our city-region will enthusiastically keep striving towards being
adaptive, inclusive and innovative. More than 16,000 residents, community
groups and organisations contributed to the development of the strategic vision
and I thank the community for continuing to embrace the blueprint.We’ve now got
the added challenge of COVID-19 but I’m confident that our people will help
kickstart our recovery with some ‘clever and creative’ initiatives!
Councillor Peter Murrihy
This progress report is a real good news story as it shows we have
so many achievements from last year to be proud of, which form a strong
foundation for 2020. I’m so proud to live in Greater Geelong!As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, we were looking forward
to putting on a successful Geelong Design Week this year but unfortunately, it
wasn’t meant to be due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, I look forward to
design events returning next year.With all the challenges the pandemic has brought, I’ve also seen
many examples of creativity and generosity within the community.
