We know the problems. Now it's time for the Lismore region to focus on solutions and start designing the sort of town we all want to live in today and over the next century.
But how do we steer towards greatness if we haven't defined what that looks like?
Living Lab Northern Rivers is calling out for people in and around Lismore who'd like to imagine what our current spaces and places could look we as we adapt to meet future needs.
“To make something brilliant, we need high-level technical expertise alongside lived experience from people in the Lismore CBD and its surrounding neighbourhoods. ”
Look Ahead is a series of community and expert meetings made to kickstart this process.
Our job is to ensure the designers, planners, engineers and architects that drive this project are deeply informed by the ideas, dreams, values, and memories of everyone across our community who wants to participate in Look Ahead.
It's easy for planners or designers working in remote offices to generate future scenarios for a town like Lismore, but they rarely get it right, because the solutions aren't driven by the people that live there. Data is almost worthless without some level of local knowledge.
The Lismore City Council – with the support of the NSW State Government – leading a comprehensive process to create a Community Vision and Blueprint, Our Time is Now, for the entire Lismore Local Government Area. Look Ahead operates independently of the Lismore City Council process. However, it will provide an important piece of work for their consideration, focusing on the Lismore CBD and its surrounding neighbourhoods, which sit in high-risk flood zones and have significant residential buyback activity.
In many ways, this is the most challenging area, because it's the heart of our community, so there's lots of complexity. It's also the best place to start, because the work we generate here will create future scenarios that'll be incorporated into the wider planning to come.
Together, we've got to produce strong and beautiful visions for the future that actually work. And the process is just as important (and rewarding) as the finished product.
So please join us for an upcoming session, because we need everyone involved in order to produce a stronger and brighter version of this place we love.
Register to join one of our community meetings
Thu 15 Feb, 4.30-7.00pm
OR
Sat 17 Feb, 2.00-4.30pm
Attend only one meeting.