• Outdoor areas that can be used for relaxation, leisure, cultural gatherings and festivals, particularly for residents living in apartments
• Green open space to encourage a feeling of openness, relaxation and wellness
• Spaces for people to spend time casually (potentially including a community garden, BBQ for community use)

“Open green space and gardens is important because North Melbourne is a built up area and we need every previous green space we can get. They are very well used.”

• A place where anybody is welcome, regardless of their ethnicity, social background or any other social characteristics.
• An inclusive and welcoming atmosphere where people come together to learn, grow and connect with each other.
• Culturally safe spaces.
• Facilities and services designed for people who do not play sport.

"The North Melbourne community has many different cultural backgrounds. The need for affordable meeting rooms and places to learn are of vital importance. It’s also important that these people have places to pray and feel safe.”

• Space to host events that celebrate diversity and bring the community together.
• Women and children focused activity and service provision (e.g. secure child play/programmed areas, school holiday activities and a toy library).
• Features such as a café, commercial and community use kitchen.
• Friendly staff with local connections and weekend and evening activities.

“[North Melbourne is currently] lacking spaces to relax or meet friends and to feel safe and welcome”

Survey participants ranked their top three of eight community features:

1. Spaces for people to spend time casually.
2. Culturally safe spaces (e.g. breakout rooms for prayer).
3. Design that includes flexible space for group activities.
4. Spaces that encourage learning.
5. Design that includes open space.
6&7. Creative and fun spaces AND/EQUAL RANK Meeting spaces for the community.
8. Design and mix of spaces that bring the community together.

Participants in the general community workshop found it difficult to prioritise just three features, highlighting that the features are not necessarily mutually exclusive (e.g. spaces that encourage learning can be part of design and mix of spaces that brings the community together).

When we asked participants what makes their preferred features important, the two most common themes across all responses were:

1. Addressing a lack of a certain resource and opportunities within the North Melbourne neighbourhood. For instance, participants highlighted that the high proportion of apartment living in North Melbourne means community members often have limited space in their homes for spending time with causally with others (e.g. “somewhere just hang out with friends”), space for groups of people to gather and open green space.
2. Creating opportunities to bring diverse people together to encourage social interaction and build social connections. For example, one survey participant commented “It should be FOR the community to gather, meet and share ideas and bring people together from all backgrounds. There should be work towards social cohesion and inclusion. Not to focus on one small group but ways a building design can bring people together build sense of community.

We asked participants what additional services and facilities they would like to see at the new hub. Commonly identified services and facilities include:

• Recreation (e.g. light recreation for mature-aged people, soccer space, basketball, gym, Pilates and yoga)
• A swimming pool (heated indoor especially)
• A women empowerment services/design focus
• Office space for charities and community groups to hire
• A café or cafeteria
• Commercial and community kitchen facilities
• Children focused facilities and spaces (e.g. secure play area, on-site childcare and school holiday activity program)
• Low cost services and low facility hire rates
• Community garden
• BBQ for community use
• Toy library

While not all these services and facilities will be able to be accommodated in the new community hub, what we heard helps us plan for future community development projects.

Materials, design and layout

• Lots of natural light.
• Not too much concrete.
• Clear entrance and welcoming street scape.
• Safe for neuro-divergent people.
• Welcoming, pleasant/aesthetically pleasing design (e.g. designed so that as soon as you walk in, you want to explore more).
• Communal furniture in open areas so people can just sit and relax casually.
• Better car parking and public transport options, especially given demand for carparks and general activity around the Melrose Street site will increase when the new centre is built.
• Accessible for all abilities.
• Sustainable building design and operating principles.

Maintenance

• Clean, pleasant and well-maintained.

Communications approach and methods

• More effective communication about activities and services at the new hub, including consideration of:
  • Proactive use of social media, particularly Facebook (e.g. a dedicated Facebook page and leverage off existing membership of the Good Karma Network).
  • Digital notice boards inside the hub showing current activities and updates in multiple languages.
  • A large community notice board for community groups and individuals to advertise initiatives, services, events etc.

Atmosphere and staff

• Welcoming, supportive and safe atmosphere for everyone, especially children, and ensure no one group dominates.
• Friendly staff (e.g. a welcome smile upon entry) who live locally or have background knowledge of the area. Some participants also highlighted the potential value of community-led management approaches and other initiatives to ensure the hub remains committed to addressing local needs.

Programming approach and opening hours

• Up to date programming all the time, including evenings during the week and weekends with security provided.
• Keep it flexible, with a loose structure and programming (e.g. can join a class at last minute, don’t need to pay for a whole term in advance).
• Design and management approaches that celebrate the local community and encourage the community to have a sense of ownership over the centre (e.g. artwork or display of people from the neighbourhood).
• Cultural and gender inclusion focus to design elements and programming.

We heard the North Melbourne community have particularly wanted to use community halls, kitchens and meeting rooms at both centres, but haven’t been able to for a number of reasons. Common barriers identified include:

• Booking system difficult to use.
• Facilities/spaces not available when I wanted to use them.
• Opening hours limited (e.g. not open on weekends).
• Facilities/spaces not suitable to needs (e.g. no lockable storage space, space not large enough).
• Expensive to hire.
• Lack of parking.

We also gathered feedback on experiences of each centre generally, with participants sharing that:

• The Jean McKendry Neighbourhood Centre can feel closed, exclusive and not welcoming to people who do not belong to established groups with a long-standing booking.
• The North Melbourne Community Centre building and facilities is outdated and poorly maintained and can be unwelcoming (particularly if you have not visited the centre before).