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Philosophies & Background
Follow the evolution of the visioning project and explore the basis of the exciting and innovative practises that puts Maroochy 2025 at the forefront
of community visioning...
Maroochy 2025 began by answering the questions: "Where are we now?" and, "Where are we going?" (Stage 1). This involved defining present and future scenarios and identifying the community's key concerns - Key Fous Areas (KFAs). Once all this was established, research began into suitable methodologies (philosophies) to guide the project. Information on all of the stages can be found on the Milestones page.
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Maroochy Shire lies in a sub-tropical region of Australia, dubbed Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the 1,000 sq km shire is situated 100km north of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. Maroochy Shire is a popular tourist destination, attracting a massive influx of newcomers. It is one of the fastest growing shires in Australia: its population of 130,000 (in 2004) is projected to nearly double to 237,000 by 2021. Faced with such an unprecedented growth, the shire is being challenged to maintain its rural character and preserve its unique natural havens.
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To plan for a sustainable future amidst this rapid development, Maroochy Shire Council partnered with local communities and their leaders. Together they formulated a Community Visioning Project that included a course of action (action plans).
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From the outset, it was decided that maximum community consultation would be sought. On that basis, philosophies and methodologies for local and international planning frameworks were researched. Practices from Futures Studies were found to be best suited because they had a proven track record and provided greater opportunity for active public participation. The field of Futures Studies analyses current patterns in order to establish alternative choices for the future. Maroochy 2025 is one of the first projects in Australia to apply Futures Studies on such a large scale.
Methodologies of Futures Studies proved productive in maximising public participation: by November 2004 (the end of Stage 3), already more than 44,000 of Maroochy's residents - approximately one out of every three- had contributed to Maroochy 2025's visions and action plans in some form.
Participation took place through surveys, online forums, summits, workshops, the media, literature, youth events and, importantly, through the creation of a community task force and of the action planning groups. |
Action Planning Group at integration night
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Artists impression of a possible Maroochy in 2025.
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Library
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* Newsletter No. 1 (Dec 2003) - Community visioning project overview.
* Research on ageing population (June 2003) - Discussion paper. Part of a series of initiatives for understanding the ageing population phenomenon and its local impact.
* Community Visioning - Workshop worksheeets (17 April 2003) - Research questions about community expectations regarding development in Maroochy Shire.
* Community Visioning - Workshop evaluation (17 April 2003) - Evaluation of the workshop.
* Founding case study - Hillsboro 2020. Hillsboro is a city in Portland, Oregon (USA). Its visioning project, Hillsboro 2020, provided a model for Maroochy 2025.
* Maroochy 2025 Background Paper (April 2003) - Introductory infromation to assist participants in the community visioning process.
* Newsletter No. 2 (Feb 2004) - Possible scenarios for Maroochy Shire in 2025.
* Pre-visioning - community feedback (16 April 2003) - At the pre-visioning workshop, the community was asked about the value of undertaking a visioning process.
* Survey No.1. (Nov 2003) - Research report from Market Facts. Telephone survey conducted to ascertain the values, attitudes, perceptions and expectations of Maroochy Shire residents.
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Book One: Philosophies & Background
* Section 1: Scenarios documents present and future scenarios for Maroochy Shire.
* Section 2: Background to the Maroochy 2025 Community Visioning Project presents the Key Focus Area (KFAs). The KFAs are the issues that the residents of Maroochy Shire identified as their chief concerns, or aspirations for the Shire's future. Section 2 also contains a profile of Maroochy Shire, frequently asked questions about Maroochy 2025, and an outline of the process by which Maroochy 2025 developed.
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* Section 3: Philosophies and Methodologies behind Maroochy 2025 expounds the central philosophies and methods used in the project and how these were applied (eg results of community surveys).
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