Residential Communities | Placemaking Agency | Reconnecting People with Place

Henley Beach South - Placemaking Strategy

Unity Housing (2019)

Categories and services:

Residential communities
Place Vision

A welcoming village neighbourhood with a diverse and active community.

Unity Housing, a leading provider of social and affordable housing, is working closely with the South Australian Housing Authority in the delivery and revitalisation of diverse housing communities across the State. One of these is a new mixed tenure residential community in Adelaide’s Henley Beach South, that will include up to 63 dwellings and some community space and is situated next to a lively neighbourhood shopping strip, across from the local high school and a short walk from beautiful Henley Beach.

Unity Housing saw a placemaking approach as integral to achieving the project outcomes at Henley Beach South, including the creation of a healthy, thriving, lively and quality residential community, that is a leading example of mixed tenure living, well integrated with its nearby assets and created the best possible everyday experience for its future residents and neighbours. To achieve these outcomes, and guide the planning, design and development of this new neighbourhood, Unity Housing engaged Village Well to produce a Placemaking Strategy.

Village Well conducted extensive place analysis and research into the neighbourhood experience, investigated exemplary case studies and best practice examples and engaged with the project team through a creative workshop. This informed the development of a Shared Vision and strategic placemaking directions regarding design, operations planning, communications and community engagement and programs that would cater to resident and community interests.

Village Well’s approach was successful in galvanising the project team around a compelling Shared Vision for the future Henley Beach South community, and directions that are informing the ongoing design, development and future engagement for the project. The project is currently being assessed as part of the planning approval process.