Rivermark
Rivermark is a new masterplanned community at Viveash on the banks of Perth’s Swan River and is located on a site of cultural significance for Indigenous people. According to Elder Farley Garlett, ‘Midland and the Swan Valley area was the gateway to Perth for many Noongar families, this place was home to the largest population of Noongar people for a very long time.’ Our client, Hesperia, was keen to ensure that this history was embedded in the design of the new community.
Midland and the Swan Valley area was the gateway to Perth for many Noongar families, this place was home to the largest population of Noongar people for a very long time.
What did we do?
TheFulcrum.Agency and Aboriginal owned consultancy, Karrda were engaged to lead the Indigenous consultation process. We took an Elders First approach and drew on the Noongar philosophy of ‘Right People, Right Place’ when identifying the people to speak for Country.
We ensured that the Elders had the information, time and access to the site they needed to genuinely influence outcomes. The process was not one of co-design but co-production, with all parties including the client, committed to building knowledge and cross-cultural capability.
TF.A and Karrda worked with the Elders to develop a series of themes that would inform the design concepts developed now and in later stages. These themes act as guiding principles and can be referred to by the developers throughout the life of the project, be used in marketing and to enhance decision making: Caring for Country / Connections and Culture / Language / Truth Telling / Agency.
Hesperia is to be congratulated for taking such a progressive and meaningful approach to Rivermark. Indigenous consultation is not mandated in Western Australia and can be seen as adding financial and time pressure to a project. However, the benefits far out way the costs as we move towards an Australia that embraces truth telling and the rich culture of First Nations people.
What was the impact?
In terms of good planning, the greatest capacity to influence the built environment occurs in the initial project phases when the constraints and decisions have not been fully investigated (or resolved). As this project demonstrates it is enormously beneficial to ensure that Indigenous guidance and spatial knowledge is embedded at the beginning of a project’s life cycle and not at the end.
Furthermore, an exchange of knowledge between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal technical consultants and cultural experts should take place between everyone involved in the project. Connecting with Country is as much about transforming practice as it is about designing spaces.
In 2022, this project won the Planning with Country Award at the WA Planning Institute of Australia Awards!