Great Places for Life

Look around you and imagine – what if this place had the power to make you healthier?
Even happier?

As our world grows and the climate changes, our experts collaborate with communities to deliver smart, green, inclusive solutions. Our mission is to create healthy places where country, community and people thrive.

Explore the key themes that underpin Great Places for Life - Download here

Read more about our three placemaking focus areas, below:

COUNTRY

For our nation’s First Peoples – whose history dates back more than 65,000 years – places come with meaning. That meaning is shaped by people, their stories and a vast knowledge of Australia, passed down through generations. This connection to Country gives us fascinating stories and experience to draw on as we look at our engagement with the land.

Understanding of this history and continued learning of how to incorporate Indigenous Design and Community engagement is vital to each place we look at across Australia.

The conservation and sustainable management of our biodiversity is a major challenge confronting our communities today. WSP is at the forefront of helping our clients protect and restore our natural resources in compliance with legislation, regulations and policies.

Our vision is to deliver inspiring spaces which help build resilient and vibrant communities whilst caring for the natural environment and Country.

Read more here

COMMUNITY

Community is the lens used to look at how people interact, gather, move and connect. How all things work together to encourage an inclusive and vibrant place that encourages productivity, wellbeing and support.

Cities and towns are more than just a collection of buildings and infrastructure – they are living places that are inhabited by people. Urban planning is crucial to their continued relevance and sustainability.

To deliver sustainable places, new and existing developments need to balance economic, social, environmental and political factors with best-practice planning procedures. At WSP, we work collaboratively with all levels of Government, private organisations and local communities to design vibrant community-centric places.

As cities, towns and regional hubs grow and evolve, they need to be closely connected to liveability, productivity and sustainability. We create places and precincts that put local people and communities first to balance hard and soft infrastructure requirements in line with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements.

Read more here

PEOPLE

When we undertake planning, we conceptualise a place with different layers – we start with Country, move to Community and end with People.

The people layer is how all individuals interact with places and make them truly great – whether at work, home, school or in a social setting. The key to success is developing inclusive places with a range of personal movement, emotions and needs in mind – this means planning accessible and inspirational destinations that deliver sustainable buildings, green spaces, digital connectivity and effective, active transport options.

At WSP, our Advisory and Digital teams alongside our multi-disciplinary experts work collaboratively to design and deliver Future Ready solutions – innovative approaches that assist our clients to create a better future for our cities, regions, communities and the environment.

Read more here

Creating Future Ready^TM Places

Today, we’re powering dreams and transforming the public realm into an inviting network of places where our communities feel connected and engaged.

It’s where we include the enduring cultures and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their connection to Country. It’s just another way for us to better understand the unique aspects of Australia’s biodiversity.

By putting Country, community and people at the centre of our thinking, we create sustainable and inclusive places that promote health and wellbeing, connectivity and interactivity

From generating economic growth in regional areas to managing city street environments and creating a strong cultural identity for local communities – a lot goes into creating great places for people to thrive – now and into the future.

PEOPLE & PLACE PODCAST

Produced by WSP Australia, the People and Place Podcast dives into a range of topics all focussed on the places we live. Topics include: How have women around Australia contributed to shaping the places, communities and cities we live in? How do we remain social beings even when kept apart? What are some of the challenges and opportunities we face in creating great places for life? How do you connect with Country through Indigenous Design? How to re-activate great places with Transit-Oriented Development?

Listen here

FUTURE READY

With Future Ready we see the future more clearly through key trends in climate change, society, technology and resources and challenge our teams to advise on solutions that are both ready for today and for this future. Find out how Future Ready can deliver peace of mind, lower lifecycle costs and greater resilience to your projects.

Read more here