The Wollongong Futures project aims to create a shared vision and strategic plan to guide the future development of Wollongong through a participatory community process. The project will develop a vision statement, action plan, and monitoring system to measure progress towards sustainability and inclusiveness goals. Key elements of the process include community consultation, trend analysis, action planning, and partnerships across government, businesses and community organizations.

1. @HffiTI
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2. fhat sort
f City do
ou want
Tollongong Futures is an exciting project involving ,
the whole community. Together, we can create a vision
for our city and plan a future that generations to come
can enjoy and share.
7ollongong Futures is a chance to get involve d and
help ensure we all work towards reaching that vision.
BrieF ttistory
A communily survey identified the need to establish a rision for the Cin- of .J(ro11ongong. At the same
time, there was a clear need to review the ciq-'s staruton- planning rooi. the Local Envir5nmlnt plan (LEp).
That orovided a-n exciting oppor-tuniry to begin a planning process to draw-together all elements of
the ciry and its future.
W'ollongong Futures, as it is now knos.n. rr'ill produce a vision and goals for the city, and ensure that
all subsequent plans support that vision.

3. hlY Ao le q Vieioning t"pzf?
^d
N(ollongong faces many challenges. Like many cities around the world, we are in a transitiol.p€fiod
from traditional industries to a more diverse economy.
This impacts directly on local areas through issues including:
. Economic issues (unemployment, closing down of traditional industries, etc);
. Demographic trends (gentrification, ageing population, diversity, etc);
. Changing social needs (housing, education, social services, etc);
. Social problems (drug use, crime, etc);
In modern cities the world over, local government finds it hard to fund and manage the multitude of
emerging issues, and is in a continual state of crisis management.
W'ollongong Futures, with its community visioning process, was developed out of these circumstances
to address the issues by:
. Focussing on a wider range of concerns,
. Seriously considering and incorporating community values,
. Gearing towards the future and preparing for uncertainty and change,
. Developing a shared vision to focus development efforts.*
hlqt is wohngo^g Friura?
'W'ollongong Futures is a strategic planning initiative.
Strategic planning determines where an organisation is going and how it is going to get there.
In strategic planning, flexibility is very important in order to be creative and react to new developments.
To develop a strategic plan an organisation needs to develop a vision. A vision provides guidance and
motivation for the following strategic planning process.
Visioning is a process in which a communiry thinks about the future it wants, develops a shared vision,
and plans how to achieve it.
The visioning process:
. Provides a clearer understanding of community values and incorporates it into planning;
. Identifies issues and trends that influence development in communities;
. Conveys a comprehensive future-orientated view to guide short and long-term decision making in
the ciryl and
. Develops action plans and implementation tools to achieve a prefer:red future in the city.
If the visioning process does not lead to a vision - and an action plan to reach the vision - then there
is little point in undertaking it.
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*Ama, Steuen C. (Ed), A Guide to Cornrnunib) Wianing (American Plttnning Association, Wctsbington DC, 1998): i:rl.:l
P3-5 )'.:.-i

4. are'te rrnderlyiq prinai ple*
The,underlying principles of Wollongong Futures are sustainability and inclusiveness.
Susainability
A sustainable communify can face the future with confidence because it has a secure and renewable
supply of resources, a strong social fabric and a healthy environment, which combine to support all
varieties of life for the long term, both locally and globally.
Tollongong Futures will endeavour to promote the economic, social, cultural and environmental t
wellbeing of current and future generations.
Inclusiveness
Participation, communication and coordination are vital aspects of strategic planning. Tollongong Ciqr
'
Council accepts the communiry's crucial role in the development of il/ollongong Futures. As part of
that process, Council is committed to moving away from a semi-bureaucratii leadership style to a
system of involved communiqr governance.
It is important to get genuine community representation and involvement during the process. Care
should be taken in compiling representative groups to involve everybody, including the traditionally
'silent voices'.
Consislanc Wit o-ta i^itiqtiv4
Tollongong Futures is consistent with both the Plan First initiatives of the NSW Government and Local
Agenda 27.
Plan First
The Plan First State Government initiative, to modemise the plan-making system in NS'!(, endeavours
t^o promote sustainable.economic development. Plan First's aim is to enable cioser working relationships,
for effective coordination of actions, to reach a preferred future.
Like the Plan First initiative, N7ollongong Futures is a global and holistic sffategic approach that will
flow through to different levels of planning to achieve sustainability
Local Agenda2l
Agenda 21 refers to the agreement between 160 countries participating at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio in t992. fhe inient of this conference was to get
the wodd leaders to comrnit and work towards global sustainability. Chapter 28 of Agenda 21 describes
the role of local authorities and is referred to as Local Agenda 2i.
As with LocalAgenda 21,'Wollongong Futures also:
. Takes a long term perspective,
. Aims at sustainability and inclusiveness,
. Is implementation oriented.

5. ttoW Ao Ve aan3e te Friure?
The role of the vision is to define _a preferred future for the city and to align the Council, communiry
and other relevant agencies or stakeholders' effofis to reach the goal.
The elements used to ensure implementation and support of the plans in the 'Wollongong Futures process
include:
. The positioning of the Tollongong Futures Vision as the, or part of the, Tollongong Strategic Plan
that drives the corporate plan;
. An action plan as pat of the visioning process;
. Internal and external coordination and pafinerships within council, with stakeholders and the
community;
. The development of a decision suppofi system that addresses the vision;
. The development of a monitoring and evaluation system to measure how the cily is developing
in relation to the specific goals under the vision or strategic plan;
. Review of the strategic plan in the future.
FiSore l. Feaein3 'il,e PreFerreA €olore
DaFinirrg 'lt e preFerred Folore
B,4d errJ alignin3 qll e'F.forts of te
eomurni buSinesS qnd
goVernnent ta it is arueiql in
4qpitql tor[; reqaing tLqt desired f,r.rture.
Progran
o uq^A oeel
fransport PRg96t*f
Planning
€ c,rrtotric Develapr,at Sa;eUl qnd 4,rlturql
Planning
6nVironnevttql Managenevrt €qil,re lo identif,y l,e preFerreA Ftlore or ta align
all driviq Forceg lo tis r-onnmon g"al will result in qn
rrndesirqble f,ufure

6. FiSore Z. Plqee in organisational |lr'telore
6FT6R.NAL R66IANIAt A4flVMg9 etrfgRML CollgTRAlhJIS
al ql e G orler vtnnevtt Agenaies, Legisfation, €cnnoN,
f€Y gtqll€olde(9t dc. C'tllore, 6nUiromreni efa.
tWP#ffik-
Nou-oNr6oN6 clfl 4ouNr4lt
,1 ,,V/, .
Dg4lglor.l MAHNI6
Co.rnail Managenent
Diuigia^al gl.lteires
R9?ORT1NI6
lndieators, t'ranitorin3, 6VqlLrqtion
a
€xeectdiong f,ronn Wollongong Fotores
Aim
The broaC aim of the $(rollongong Futures Project is:
. To establish a vision based on the principles of sustainability and inclusiveness to take Wollongong
into the future,
. To formulate an implementation plan to do it, and
. To establish a monitoring and reporting process to evaluate progress.

7. Objectives
The objectives following the aim of the project are:
o create an overarching plan that will drive subsequent strategies and plans,
. Acknowledge changing character and pro actively plan for it,
. Identify a tange of key issues and subsequent strategies,
' Facilitate participation in all sectors (community, political and inter-agency),
. Identrfy and build on community values,
o Create general common ownership of plans,
. Design and implement (contribute to) a decision suppolt system,
. Develop indicators to measure progress,
. Develop a reporting system that will flow back into the strategic plan.
Partnerships
Partnerships are vital to achieve the vision for follongong,s future.
Coordination, the facilitatigl
.gf participation and the role thar partnerships play in this regard is an
important element of the Tollongong Futures pro,ect.
Partnerships refer to:
' Active involvement of different groups in the 7ollongong Local Government Area,
. The establishment of dialogue between groups,
. Consultation and consensus building with groups,
. Coordination and communication.
These groups refer to the:
. Citizens (the community),
. Elected officials (councillors),
. State goverrunent agencies,
. Key stakeholders.
. Council staff, etc.
Products
It is expected that thd -Wollongong Futures project will provide the following primary product:
A vision statement and action plan that will:
. Drive the corporate plan;
' Contribute to other strategic planning initiatives like the LEP, social plan, budget, etc;
' Contribute to a decision suppofi system to support implementation; and
o Contribute to the development indicators that will support the evaluation of xtrllongong,s development.
'11

8. Woc69
The process fbllowed in the lWollongong Futures proiect is based on the Oregon Model
€i3ore 9.1e NollangonS €ol'sres Pro.e99
WftERg AR' N6 NTERS ARg N6
NloN ? GoltJG ?
Prof,ile 4onnrnuni{y frends qnd
!
Peseqrc', Probqble
t Dqtq Colleetian, ,.e^qrio9
Data Conpilation,
Data Analyses,
Daternine
C'rrenl TrenAS u
AsEess I1.erce Bqsed
6annunily
frendg'lhpqet €oeos Groo? 9e99iovt9
6ansultqtion,
qnd qnd Plo,ce Bosed Dialogues
Probo,ble
9cenafio.
ru
RoN ARg N€ 6.}I}JG? RON DA N€ @T IEW ?
Monitorin3 and 6valuation, Aetion/lnnplennentqtion Plqn
ldentif,laqtion and Developrent ldentify 6oals
o€ lndiaqtarg, Develop 9lroP.e1ies
qnJ
Settin3 Pnorities
6stqblishent o€ Reparting and DeVelop qetion qnd lnpler,'ent a3endo6
€eedbo,cV gysteh.
Corp orate Plan, B,,dgat,
Capital r',larLr Progranr, Lqnd tlse Planning,
a-
frantport Plq^ning, ,coroFie Developnaeni
6nvironrnentql Mana3enent
Soaiql qnd 6,.rltural Planning ate.
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?a1e 1

9. lnpbnnartation
Several overlapping implementation elements are crucial to the success of the project. Although they
do not form part as a distinct phase in the process as set out under the previous heading, they will
form part of it throughout the process.
Community Participation
The aim of this element is involve the community and build community and political support for the
project.
The community participation element of Wollongong Futures aims to involve the community in all
phases of the process.
The objectives of this initiative will be to:
. Facilitate real community participation,
. Promote community ownership,
. Build public awareness.
?4ore 4. 4.onnnurni Partieipation in Nollon3on3 Folores
r--
t NRsRs ARs Ns NlaN ?
til Prof,ile 4onnnuni
$ suevel,
RoN AR6 N€ GoI$G? WttsRg ARg tE Golt ?
Monitoring qnd 6vql rqtion frends qnd Probabletze
^fio9
rtoN Do E @f fiew ?
Aation/lnplennevrtqtion Plqn
-*"ffi
Organisation/Coordin*ion
The interaction belween the Council, citizens, and all other key stakeholders will need to be
organised and coordinated. As it is not possible to run the visioning process with all individuals
in the city, various advisory and working groups will be essential to the success of the process.

10. Communiccion and Promotion
Communication is very important throughor-rt the visioning process. A specific communication strategy
will be put in place to ensure the community is educated, informed and invited to become involved.
The main aim of the tWollongong Futures communication strategy is to engage and activate the community
on the question: 'what sort of city do you want W'ollongong to be?'
The communication strategy will ensure that:
o A widespread positive awareness is created about NTollongong Futures;
. Participation is encouraged in the project;
. Information is disseminated;
. The community is interested and involved in the exchange of ideas ecross the city;
. The'Wollongong Futures communication strategy will even go further than the immediate project
activities and seek to promote the project's broader themes of innovation and creativity, and ceiebration
of the city's cultural diversify.
€i1o@ 9 Nollangong Foloreg 4oordinqtion glroelore
Y
NoLLoNEaNE 4l1Y 4aUNl4lL
fo rati€y te strategy ?ro.egt and developr.'ent
Io zoordivtde deVelopnent qnd revieW of te sFeale3xl and prorJide reeon^nnendqtions / qAtliLe
to Co,tneil on te developrnent of, te visian and aatian plans (Nollon3ong Folores ).for te ei.
Mana3e 'i'e proiezl, coorAinqte inFornqtion qnd qetivities. 6nsurre 'tqt important dlvisiono,l i99oe9 qre qAAresseA.
lntegration of, lollongong €ot'res into a'ter plqnt qnd polieies. A;gist in regeqrc, q^d provigio^ af, inf,oncqtian
w
IE4IINII4AL NoRHN6 6FDUP
4oNr.lJr.ltTY ADVlSoRy GPoup
ProviJe braqd bqse invalvennevrt in review o.F
Provide slralejie Aireetion qnd ideqg to qddress in
slodxl. €nsore ar3anisatianal/zi Wde i99oe9 q(e
te autzoneg in eqa o,F t,e le ,tq3e5 i^
te progrart. f,etively partiaipate in te identified qrd qddressed. Provide sounding boqrd in
relqtian to vigio^ and strategy Airezlion (reali'ly
vqriolrg ivput/,.JorLAop 9e99io^9 tat develap te
aeeL plad. fea.niaql qdviee on co,rge oF qaon.
vigion q^d aetion plan. Provide linV/Fe-eAbqcV +o
ortc-e qclonplan dazloped er$tre qdrortg dalelogA
teir stqVeol Aers te neigbourood 4ohriltee qre ivieSrqleA
oe Sroop elcl
ivrto 6aunell's plqns and /or aSevtcy
bt'rsiness Plans'
gpeeiFic worhng qddreEs AiFFereri isg,tes
3.oo?9 +o
anJ identif,ieJ tenneg.
:,..ii:.i,r,..,*s
I
i:i-;i;:;l;,.]:ir;:ti:.:-::i,i:,r:,
: .

11. Communication Tools'Will lnclude:
. The logo a Newspaper articles . Editorial endorsements
o Newsletters O
'Web
site and Geographical . Public meetings
. Special publications Information System . Special events, etc
Public service announcements
Program and Timing
A detailed project program has been compiled for the Tollongong Fulures process up to the completion
of the visioning element of the process. The rest of the project has been preliminarily scheduled. The
following table sets out the main tasks and general timing of the project.
Jan -Jun 2002 TASKS Jul -Dec 2003 TASKS
. Profiling the community . Action planning
. Trends and probable scenarios . flollongong Local Plan review
. Internal LEP review . Vision survey
. CommuniV sutvey o Action planning workgroups
. Community participation design r Place Based LocalPlat/Development
Control Plan (DCP) workshops
o Communication strategy
. Communication
PRODUCTS
. Project outline
PRODUCTS
. . Action Plan
Promotion mateial
. Vision document
Jul-Dec 2002 TASKS
. Profiling the community Jan -Dec 2004+ TASKS
o Monitoring system development
. Trends and probable scenarios
o
. -Woilongong Local Plan review
Visioning
o
. Place Based LocalPlan/DCP workshops
Internal LEP review
. . Communication
Community survey
. Communication PRODUCTS
. Place Based Local Plan (DCP)
PRODUCTS
. Community profile
. Community values
. Technical working group and
Concbsion
community advisory group 'Wollongong
Futures is a very
important strategic planning process.
Jan -Jun 2003 TASKS
It will help decide the future paths
o Visioning that the community takes to create a
city where they want to live.
. Action planning
'Wollongong
. Futufes v/ill help the city
Vollongong Local Plan review
to take control of its own destiny.
. Visioning feedback
. Communication strategy update
PRODUCTS
. Vision strategy framework