Ed.Square Residents Group
Establishing and maintaining social connection in a new community.
Photo credit: Frasers Property Australia
With social connection amongst neighbours declining rapidly over the decades, now more than ever, it is important cityshapers and makers are investing in local communities' wellbeing and life satisfaction. This is why we are delighted to work with Frasers Property Australia in developing the Ed.Square Residents Group.
Ed.Square is a new greenfield development located in Edmondson Park, NSW, which is challenging the way new development addresses loneliness and social disconnect. New developments experience rapid change as they evolve, and without efforts to create opportunities to connect residents early as well as over time, they result in isolated residents disconnected from any sense of community. Ed.Square has directly challenged this standard by not only building the infrastructure to support community needs, but by supporting the residents to connect and sustainably maintain relationships via the Ed.Square Residents Group.
Client: Frasers Property Australia
The residents group at Ed.Square aims to empower residents by building their capacity to lead programs, activations and events specifically tailored to the interests and cultures of the community.
This is achieved with an assets-based approach to community development by building upon the assets that already exist in the community (in people and the built form) and unlocking their potential.
Photo credit: Frasers Property Australia
Photo credit: Frasers Property Australia
Photo credit: Frasers Property Australia
Photo credit: Frasers Property Australia
Through a series of workshops, the residents of Ed.Square created a shared vision and plan the delivery of initiatives that meant the most to them – we ended up with everything from exercise groups to potluck dinners to journalling clubs and more! We have continued to help with quarterly check ins with the groups and the greater community, where we address any issues, help create new groups and revisit more established groups (while partaking in some of the activities ourselves, thank you Zumba class!).
This adaptive, locally responsive and action-oriented approach attests to it being a best-practice example of community engagement, achieving a 6-star Green Star rating for communities by the Green Building Council Australia.
The greatest unquantifiable factor however is just how special it feels to have the Ed.Square residents give you a hug and thank you for genuinely and authentically investing in creating a well-connected community that they want to call home for generations to come. We cherish the relationships built between us and the residents, as well as those of residents with one another.
Photo credit: Frasers Property Australia