Latrobe City Council has been internationally recognised for its innovative sustainable housing project, ‘Our Future, Our Place’. The project won an International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Community Partnership Award in the 2007 Program Excellence Awards scheme.
Latrobe City embraces the Latrobe Valley in Gippsland, Victoria, and features the major towns of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon and Churchill.
Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Tony Zimora, said this prestigious award is a significant achievement, as Council was the only 2007 winner from outside the USA.
“The Our Future, Our Place program provides training and employment opportunities for groups of job seekers and Indigenous people in Latrobe City by constructing low cost, attractive and environmentally sustainable houses in renewal areas,” he said. “Two houses have been constructed and sold at public auction and proceeds have been invested back into the project to allow work on a similar project to proceed in the very near future.”
Latrobe City CEO, Paul Buckley, said an independent evaluation panel of US and international ICMA members judged the nominations on a wide selection criteria.
“Judges looked at the value of the project, effectiveness measures, such as cost savings, and whether the project could be replicated in other communities,” he said. “They also looked at quality, creativity and whether the project was innovative. Our Future, Our Place clearly met the selection criteria and we are delighted that an international team of judges rated the project highly enough to win an award.
“The project is multi focused, achieving positive outcomes in addressing longterm, entrenched unemployment; rejuvenating public housing areas; and encouraging partnerships between Local, State and Federal Government departments.
“The houses have been constructed to a design that attracted a six star energy rating. They include many environmentally sustainable design features, such as passive solar orientation, low toxic materials and a concrete floor in the lounge, which acts as a heat bank storing daytime winter sun warmth and releasing the captured heat at night, resulting in reduced heating requirements.”
Our Future, Our Place was developed in partnership with Try Youth and Community Services, the Department of Human Services (Victoria), the Department for Victorian Communities, and the Commonwealth Government’s Department of Transport and Regional Services, along with support from a range of organisations in the private sector.
For further information contact Paul Buckley on (03) 5128 5413
