Place plans and Vincent’s Place Approach
Design Feature
Project Type
Placemaking/ Community activation
Co-creating local place plans and strengthening place management to drive activation and strategic upgrades.
The City of Vincent adopted a structured approach to place management through a series of Town Centre Place Plans, integrated into its Strategic Plan and applied across all town centres and emerging precincts.
Each plan maps the sub-precinct context, engages stakeholders and identifies place-based improvement projects including public realm works, activation events and business partnerships.
A place management model embeds responsibility for delivery, ongoing activation and monitoring.
Over multiple precincts, this approach has created clearer roles, accelerated delivery of high-impact improvements and grown collaboration between Council, local business, developers and community.
Project team
City of Vincent's Place team with support from the entire Organisation
Project cost
$700,000 (staff time) + operational and capital budget (as required)
Health value
By activating place and improving the public realm, the strategy supports incidental physical activity (walking, meeting, gathering) and social interaction in people-friendly environments.
Stronger place management means ongoing care, programming and activation of spaces - contributing to mental and physical wellbeing and reducing social isolation.
Stronger place management means ongoing care, programming and activation of spaces - contributing to mental and physical wellbeing and reducing social isolation.
Economic value
The place planning and place management framework helps unlock value for local business and property investment.
Clear Place Plans give developers and businesses certainty on public realm outcomes and partnership funding. Improved streetscapes, foot traffic and activation support small business viability and local employment, while place management reduces risk of under-used or poorly maintained assets.
Clear Place Plans give developers and businesses certainty on public realm outcomes and partnership funding. Improved streetscapes, foot traffic and activation support small business viability and local employment, while place management reduces risk of under-used or poorly maintained assets.
Social value
Community engagement through place planning fosters local ownership, identity and inclusive participation.
Place management ensures that public spaces aren't just built, but used, maintained and refreshed - enabling gathering, informal play, inter-generational connection and stronger social cohesion.
Place management ensures that public spaces aren't just built, but used, maintained and refreshed - enabling gathering, informal play, inter-generational connection and stronger social cohesion.
Use value
Residents, visitors and workers now benefit from public spaces that are well-designed, maintained and activated.
Place plans set the blueprint; place management makes it real - ensuring spaces are safe, vibrant and responsive to change. People stay longer, explore more, and feel a stronger connection to their town centre.
Place plans set the blueprint; place management makes it real - ensuring spaces are safe, vibrant and responsive to change. People stay longer, explore more, and feel a stronger connection to their town centre.
Application of Healthy Active by Design resources
Vincent's Place Planning and Management approach embeds key principles of Healthy Active by Design: it promotes walkable, connected precincts; human-scale public-realm improvements; active edges and inter-generational gathering; ongoing activation (ensuring spaces don't just exist, but encourage movement and social connection).
Engagement and monitoring ensure that design delivers liveability and health outcomes.
Engagement and monitoring ensure that design delivers liveability and health outcomes.
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