Placemaking

A toolkit for community
housing providers

This comprehensive self-assessment toolkit is designed specifically for team members and executives in social housing organisations. The spiral model illustrates the ongoing, cyclical nature of placemaking work.

Beginnings

Understanding the physical environment, property transfer considerations, and residents’ social capital. Includes home and estate condition surveys, safety assessments, and community mapping.

Starting the engagement process

Establishing dialogue with residents through “slow work” approaches, individual household visits, yarning sessions with Aboriginal elders, and building initial trust through concrete actions.

Empowerment

Moving beyond basic engagement to support residents in leadership and decision-making roles. Covers communication channels, resident groups, and scrutiny panels.

Creating and Supporting Partnership

Developing operational and strategic partnerships with other agencies including police, health services, education providers, and local authorities to deliver wraparound services.

Building For the Long Term

Establishing sustainable programs for employment, training, community spaces, and longer-term strategic planning. Addresses infrastructure renewal and new development.

Tracking Success

Implementing evaluation frameworks using demographic data, satisfaction measures, and community-led metrics to monitor progress and impact.

Resources

Aboriginal Engagement in Placemaking

This guide aims to support stakeholders in engaging effectively with Aboriginal communities by ensuring cultural safety, respect and inclusiveness in placemaking initiatives.

Click to view PDF - 1,017 KB

Placemaking Literature Review

This is a summary of all the research and sources that were used over the course of this program.

Click to view PDF - 3 MB

Estate Inspection

Estate inspections are a great opportunity for organisations and residents to get to know each other and work together to get things done.

Click to view PDF - 476 KB

Neighbourhood Plans Guide

Drawing up a strategic neighbourhood guide plan in partnership with all relevant agencies and the local community is important for the longer term.

Click to view PDF - 872 KB

De-Identified Safety Audit

An overview of the methodology that was used by Southern Cross housing to conduct a community safety audit to reduce the likelihood of criminal activity in and around the complexes.

Click to view PDF - 16 MB

What is tenant scrutiny?

Tenant scrutiny is a process where a group of tenants investigate issues or topics around the housing services they receive from their landlord.

Click to view PDF - 407 KB

Case Studies

Argyll Estate NSW

Mission Australia Housing (MAH) assumed social housing management responsibility of the community housing in the Argyll Estate at a difficult time in its history.

Read the full Case Study

Beaumont Estates East London UK

Beaumont Estates is in the East End of London, close to the capital, 6 miles away from the centre, and relatively well-positioned in terms of amenities and transport links.

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Beyond Housing Dormanstown UK

This case study outlines a digital tool developed by Savills with Beyond Housing to drive its placemaking investment and activity. It enables the housing association to track progress in supporting households and reducing waste.

Read the full Case Study

Beyond Housing East Cleveland UK

Loss of heavy industry is no new thing in East Cleveland. The cluster of villages that sustained these industries still house a substantial population, and many are residents of Beyond Housing.

Read the full Case Study

Blenheim Gardens South London UK

Interview with Danny Howcroft who is the manager of Blenheim Gardens Resident Management Organisation (BGRMO) for some thoughts on how things work in a tenant management organisation.

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Bushbury Hill Estate UK

This EMB is run by tenants of Wolverhampton Council, England, who manage all day-to-day services on the estate. In addition, the board handles a large capital programme for improvements and is even working with the council on two new build projects.

Read the full Case Study

Bushland Estate Taree NSW

When Home in Place (HiP) started their post-Social Housing Management Transfer and post-Covid engagement work, there were concerns that the Bushland estate could have reached a tipping point where the estate was no longer sustainable.

Read the full Case Study

Centacare Evolve Housing TAS AU

Centacare Evolve Housing (CEH) manages a mix of historical Housing Tasmania stock and new properties, with a view to expanding its portfolio.

Read the full Case Study

Hume Housing NSW AU

In 2019, Hume undertook NSW’s largest social housing transfer under the Social Housing Management Transfer Program, integrating 2,200 homes from Maitland and Port Stephens into Hume’s management portfolio.

Read the full Case Study

Lawson Estate SE London UK

Lawson Estate has 28 blocks and individual homes, totalling over 500 properties. Many tenants have lived on the estate their entire lives.

Read the full Case Study

Hume Community Housing – Maitland and Port Stephens, NSW

In 2019, Hume Community Housing took on the management of more than 2,200 homes in the Maitland and Port Stephens region. Since that time, Hume has focused on building a consistent local presence and strong partnerships with residents, councils and community organisations.

A key part of Hume’s approach has been to ensure that staff have the time and capacity to build meaningful relationships with residents, supported by a lower tenant-to-staff ratio.

The case study highlights a number of practical actions being taken to enhance community engagement and improve residents’ experience of home and community life.

A toolkit for communityhousing providers

Beginnings

Starting the engagement process

Empowerment

Creating and Supporting Partnership

Building For the Long Term

Tracking Success

Resources

Aboriginal Engagement in Placemaking

Placemaking Literature Review

Estate Inspection

Neighbourhood Plans Guide

De-Identified Safety Audit

What is tenant scrutiny?

Case Studies

Hume Community Housing – Maitland and Port Stephens, NSW

A toolkit for community
housing providers