Ready to start consulting in a meaningful way?

The NSW DPIE is looking for proponents to move beyond simply consulting when an application is on public exhibition. Proponents will now need to demonstrate a genuine and ongoing commitment to consult throughout the life of a project.

The emphasis in the Social Impact Guidelines to consider construction impacts on a local community as part of a planning application is refreshing, given the sensitivity of construction on local residents. These changes should at long last elevate the importance of community consultation in the design and approval process, allowing it to move beyond a tick the box function.

At UrbanTalk, meaningful engagement is all about establishing an ongoing dialogue with a community throughout the development cycle of a project. Our approach doesn’t dumb down or oversimplify the project narrative. Instead, we educate and build development literacy to raise awareness and understanding. We have embraced digital technology to create a series of smart engagement products that pair clear and considered information with intuitive functionality and our own unwavering belief that engagement results in better design outcomes.

It can be difficult to start talking about development projects because of the sheer quantum of information that needs to be relayed, but this is where technology steps in. It enables us to explain the complexity. Our sector needs to stop approaching engagement as something it has to do and turn it into something it wants to do. This is an important change in thinking that needs to occur if we are to consult in a meaningful way.