Urban Change Literacy

Urban Change Literacy measures the level of urban change awareness, sentiment towards anticipated growth and knowledge of sustainable urban change concepts, challenges and benefits.

Why is this important?

Urban change literacy is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand and participate in discussion about sustainable urban futures. People with higher levels of change literacy are more likely to make informed decisions that are supportive of urban consolidation and sustainable growth management.

  • Assesses the level of awareness of the anticipated population growth in an LGA. population growth in an LGA.

  • Gauges feelings about projected population growth and the level of support for urban change.

  • Explores views on urban consolidation, understanding of sustainable urban development, priority challenges and benefits, and learning needs.

Urban Change Literacy Key Insights

Lack of Awareness of Urban Change

Survey findings reveal that most community members possess either limited or moderate awareness about the expected population growth in their area. Without a clear grasp of the projected population increase that councils are required to plan for, it is difficult for residents to appreciate the scale of change in their city and recognise the need for change.

Awareness of your city's projected growth before doing this survey

Open to Change

In every LGA, the majority of residents were either supportive, very supportive or extremely supportive of change to accommodate population growth. Significantly few residents were not at all supportive of urban change, with Penrith the highest at 14%. This suggests that even when faced with concerns about future population growth, people generally recognise the need for urban development and are willing to support changes that promote sustainable growth.

Level of support for urban change

Limited Understanding of Urban Consolidation and Supporting Strategies

There is a significant knowledge gap about the need for urban consolidation and the strategies used to achieve this. More than 50% of respondents don't perceive any issue with the construction of detached houses on the city outskirts. Only 18% of participants were aware of the foundation planning strategies, such as the 20-minute city concept. Though initially unfamiliar with these strategies, almost all participants considered them important and appealing after they were presented in the survey.

Community's awareness on LGA specific strategy

Different Priorities and Knowledge Gaps

Growing communities have diverse priorities and knowledge gaps which significantly influence the focus of initiatives to build readiness. The Index results reveal that each LGA has its own perspective on potential benefits, challenges and topics they’d like to know more about. For example, while all LGAs prioritised vibrancy, economic development and improved access to services, Hume prioritised infrastructure utilisation, Cairns championed active/public transport and climate-smart buildings, and Ballarat sought the protection of heritage identity. Significantly only Penrith highlighted improved housing choice as a priority.

Detailed outcomes can be found in the PDF