Council’s Living Villages initiative is designed to breathe life into Brisbane’s suburbs. Local shopping areas help to define the nature of a neighbourhood and have great potential to become the cultural and physical hub of communities, as well as healthy centres of commerce.
Growing numbers of communities are looking to preserve the special character of their suburb and build a ‘village’ around their location. Through the Living Villages initiative, Council is working with local businesses, property-owners and residents to enhance the economic viability and community life of local shopping areas (Life in the Suburbs), together with the physical appearance and safety of these areas (Suburban Centre Improvement Projects).
Council’s Life in the Suburbs program encourages communities to take a broader view of their commercial centres and develop strategies to promote their village and bring local residents together. The program offers assistance such as business planning, developing cooperative marketing campaigns and one-on-one business assessments, and facilitates the formation of joint Community and Business Associations.
Council’s Suburban Centre Improvement Project (SCIP) is focused on enhancing the livability of shopping areas through improvements to their physical appearance, and beautifying the surrounding streetscape with gardens, seating, public artwork and other innovative modifications.
Security and safety are also an important part of livability. Council, together with the police, businesses and other government departments, is working to develop successful safety and crime prevention strategies for individual businesses and business districts, and create safe and friendly environments for local communities. This program includes advice on property design and management, graffiti prevention and strategies to reduce the unsafe discarding of needles.
