Healthy Active by Design

Design Features

Project Type: Masterplan

State: South Australia

Location: Urban

Playford Alive is a major community and urban renewal project in Northern Adelaide. The project encompasses redevelopment of existing suburbs of Davoren Park and Smithfield Plains and 500 hectares of greenfield development in Munno Para, Andrews Farm and Eyre (approximately 1000 hectares in total). Playford Alive is a partnership project between the South Australian Government (Renewal SA and SA Housing Authority), the City of Playford and the community. Commencing in 2008, Playford Alive is being delivered over a 15-year timeframe. Playford Alive has several key objectives including, community education, capacity building and cohesion, as well as economic benefits and good governance

Playford Alive is a major development joining new and existing suburbs through urban development, regeneration and a community renewal initiative that is transforming Adelaide’s outer northern suburbs. The Playford Alive greenfield component of the project includes a master planned community of some 240 hectares of broad acre land in Munno Para and future development of undeveloped lots. The urban renewal component comprises the redevelopment of 1147 public housing dwellings and community facilities. This project links in with the Healthy Active by Design Features: Housing Diversity, Community Facilities, Destinations, Movement Networks and Sense of Place.

The project is establishing a new community with a diverse mix of housing options to increase residential density and active transport to the new town centre and a broad range of commercial facilities and services, new schools, state-of-the-art parks and recreation spaces. Playford alive has a wide range of housing choices, supporting a connected and diverse community that can access a range of facilities via active transport. Playford Alive is accessible via bus services, improved train services, dedicated bike trails and a new transit interchange at Munno Para to make Playford Alive an active and connected community. On completion, around 40,000 people will call Playford Alive home.

Playford Alive is in a mature state of development (approximately halfway through delivery); with the core commercial facilities and services available to a thriving new community. With more than 1150 new homes already built, the residents of Playford Alive are reaping the benefits of this master-planned community.

As part of the planning for Playford Alive, the community was invited to participate in a charrette process to develop the master plan. The charrette process is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers and others collaborate on a vision for the development. Community representatives have continued to participate through project delivery via an engaged Community Reference Group. Specific projects, for example the award-winning Town Park, were developed with community input at the design stage.

Playford Alive has also developed an evaluation process with a set of benchmarks to measure success over the life of the project. A mix of census data and community feedback is used to evaluate how the project is tracking against its original objectives.

Project Team

Renewal SA (Lead Agency)
SA Housing Authority
City of Playford
Playford Alive Community Reference Group

Project Cost

$442 Million (State Government investment)

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- Playford Alive contributes to a healthy lifestyle with extensive walking and cycling trails, parks and recreation spaces and several commercial gym facilities.
- Playford Alive offers economic benefits to the local community by driving major investment in infrastructure, training, new businesses and services.
- Creates jobs through its infrastructure investment and commercial sales program.
- Playford Alive leverages its investment to provide training and employment opportunities through its innovative Works Program. The Works Program is structured around three key components:
1. Economic development commitments through clauses written into consultancy and works contracts and commercial sales contracts. These clauses oblige contractors and developers to provide work experience and/or new paid employment positions for local residents.
2. Engagement, Training and Employment programs are facilitated for the delivery of initiatives targeted towards key disadvantaged groups in the community to enable them to take the next steps from engagement through to training and employment.
3. Live Training Sites which use infrastructure works and other smaller-scale projects to deliver vital ‘hands-on’ skills which enable participants to access further training pathways, volunteering and/or employment.
- Playford Alive offers environmental value through the delivery of natural wetlands, parks, recreation spaces and natural habitats through the planting of trees and plants within front yards and the streetscape.
- The Playford Alive Design Code ensures that house designs maximise environmental factors which aim to minimise energy consumption.
- Playford Alive has a recycled water network, supported by two wetlands, for irrigation of the public realm.
- Playford Alive builds community capacity and empowerment through engagement with a dedicated Community Reference Group made up of resident volunteers.
- Delivers and supports a range of community activation initiatives aimed at building community pride and cohesion. This includes an annual community fun day as well as free recreation and fitness activities throughout the year.
- Playford Alive publishes a bi-annual newsletter and has an active social media presence to communicate with the community.
- Playford Alive acknowledges and celebrates the local people who make a positive contribution to the community through an annual Local Heroes Awards program.
- The Playford Alive Initiatives Fund provides financial support to community groups and not for profit organisations to develop projects and activities that make a positive contribution to the Playford Alive community.
- Offers opportunities for the community to input into planning in relation to new and upgraded recreation spaces.
- Playford Alive has delivered and facilitated the development of a broad range of public facilities and recreation spaces including:
- The award-winning Town Park with all access ability play equipment, adventure playground, basketball court, skate bowl and skate plaza, waterplay, bbq and picnic spaces and a contemplative garden.
- Two wetlands and a range of new and upgraded local reserves.
- A redeveloped John McVeity community centre.
- A new library facility and co-working space in the Stretton Centre.
- 3 new schools.
- A new train station.

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