This award recognises an outstanding strategic planning project, which includes regional plans, structure plans, master plans, infrastructure plans, planning schemes and similar.
This award is presented to projects that demonstrate vision and innovation, and should have relevance for the profession at large. Projects can range in size and scale and should advance the practice of strategic planning with broad application.
Strategic planning projects may also be recognised for overcoming significant challenges or hurdles to realise outstanding strategic planning outcomes.
Nominated projects should foster efficient and effective outcomes, be genuinely strategic, provide leadership, be responsive to need, improve spatial outcomes and be deliverable.
Meet the nominees:
ACT Nominee: UNSW Canberra City Campus Master Plan
MGS Architects, Snøhetta, Turf Design Studio, ARUP
This Master Plan demonstrated an excellent collaborative design approach from the outset of the planning process. The judges commended the considered site assessments and analysis that informed the layout, connections, and logic to living infrastructure and built form. It showed a balanced involvement between Landscape Architects, Architects, Engineers, and Planners throughout the process, and thus the benefits of this collaboration. The reference and response to site and scale and the fact that each interface spoke to and respected its setting is to be applauded.
NSW Nominee: Coffs Harbour Public Realm Strategy
City of Coffs Harbour
The Coffs Harbour Public Realm Strategy aims to create a connected network of public open space that is clean, green, and safe, with a goal that the Coffs Harbour community will have access to public open space within 4-5 minute walk from their home. The Strategy recognises the need to broaden open space planning to include all aspects of the public realm, such as town squares, streets, footpaths, bike paths, laneways, urban habitat, and waterways.
The City of Coffs Harbour is congratulated for being the first council in NSW to develop a comprehensive public realm strategy that aligns with the NSW Government's Greener Places Framework, with a strong focus on how the community can utilise public spaces particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. The Plan includes a strong nexus between planning and delivering outcomes.
QLD Nominee: Sunshine Coast ‘Coastal Corridor’ Place and Character Resource
Tract and Urban Enquiry
The Sunshine Coast Coastal Corridor Place and Character Resource demonstrates a thorough and holistic approach to character and place through research, use of technology, on-the- ground analysis and community consultation. It builds upon previous work undertaken by Council and advances the ideas, recommendations and requirements already contained in those strategic guiding documents such as the Sunshine Coast Design Strategy.
It provides Council with a tool that enables place- based character responses that reflect not only community values but recognise local differentiation of character in a growing and changing community which could otherwise be viewed as homogenous in character.
SA Nominee: Two Wells Walking Cycling Plan
Adelaide Plains Council
The Two Wells Walking and Cycling Plan 2023 – 2026 is a modest, yet innovative movement strategy demonstrating excellence in planning, practical thinking, inclusive and achievable outcomes, and strategic alignment across local, regional, and national scales.
The Plan effectively addresses immediate active transport needs while taking a forward-thinking approach to support the town’s projected growth. It acknowledges the current low-density and car-dominated context on Adelaide's fringe, which offers little to encourage walking and cycling, and proposes appropriate actions to address this. The Plan's comprehensive and coordinated approach to sustainable movement, with a focus on recreation, health and wellbeing, aligns well with broader planning objectives.
TAS Nominee: Strategic Planning Project
Central Hobart Plan
The Central Hobart Plan is a comprehensive plan to guide the future development of the Central Hobart over the next 20 years, providing a framework for considering land use planning, built form, movement and public realm as an integrated whole.
As part of this, the Urban Design Framework is a first of its kind for Tasmania. It provides the first cohesive set of built form controls and desired public realm outcomes to enable the intensification of residential, commercial, civic and recreational uses in the city’s central 64 blocks whilst valuing the character and liveability that make Hobart a great place to live, work and enjoy.
VIC Nominee: Mildura CBD Access and Mobility Strategy
Mildura Rural City Council and the Institute for Sensible Transport
The Mildura CBD Access and Movement Strategy is a comprehensive and visionary strategic project that tackles the challenge of transitioning to more sustainable and effective mobility in a regional city context. The judges noted the ambitious agenda for change, founded on a strong evidence base, and completed with limited budget and resources. The judges were particularly impressed by the communications and engagement process to get this level of innovation in a regional CBD setting. The strategy is driving actions that are delivering meaningful improvement to the mobility landscape of Mildura. The project provides inspiration to other councils, and also sets up a template of what is possible in car dependent regional towns, utilising the Department of Planning and Transport’s Movement and Place methodology.
WA Nominees: Strategic Port Master Plan hat-trick
Southern Ports Authority
This strategic project was undertaken contemporaneously for the ports of Esperance, Albany and Bunbury within an overall framework. The Plans were comprehensive and consistent in their approach, addressing a wide range of multifaceted business, operational and infrastructure factors. Forecasts relating to the implications of future change predicted on trade, logistics, transportation, energy, technology and for the climate on working ports was an integral part of the Plan, given the important role ports play in the State’s investment strategy and on local and regional economies. The Plans are considered to be a new approach to port planning and set a new benchmark within Australia.