Mapping Australia’s Place-Based Frameworks: A Growing Movement for Community Change
Place-based approaches are gaining momentum across Australia as communities, governments, and organisations recognise their power to create lasting positive change. Dr. Chad Renando’s recent analysis reveals the rich landscape of place-based initiatives and frameworks shaping our regional communities.
Key Insights
- Growing Field: Place-based frameworks provide structured, collaborative approaches for building thriving communities in defined geographic locations
- Shared Vision: These frameworks emphasise partnering, shared design, shared stewardship, and collective accountability for outcomes
- Impressive Scale: Currently, there are 34 programs operating across 192 locations throughout Australia
Major Programs Include:
- 75 Communities for Children Facilitating Partners Program locations
- 10 Stronger People Stronger Places communities
- 40 Connected Beginnings program locations
- 11 Our Place locations
- 11 Queensland Connects locations
- 8 Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program locations
Common Focus Areas
Most programs concentrate on two primary impact areas:
- Youth and families
- Indigenous communities
Some unique approaches include The Community Plate’s focus on food and healthy communities, and Queensland Connects’ emphasis on entrepreneur ecosystems.
Why This Matters for Regional Australia
While our vast geography and dispersed population might seem challenging, Dr. Renando suggests this presents a unique opportunity. Australia’s experience in rural place-making could become one of our most valuable contributions to global community development.
Looking Forward
The growing interest in place-based approaches from Australian philanthropy and government agencies signals positive momentum. However, we must be mindful of potential challenges identified in recent research, including:
- Program overlap in some regions
- Competition for resources
- Need for better coordination
- Importance of moving from talk to action
Ready Communities’ Perspective
As co-founders of Ready Communities, we’re excited to be part of this evolving landscape. Our approach integrates economic development with community practice, building on decades of collective experience and research. We believe in learning from and contributing to this growing body of knowledge as we work towards our vision of thriving regional communities.
Want to Learn More?
Join us at our upcoming Social Impact in the Regions webinar and annual wrap up on 13 December at 3pm (AEDT) where we’ll explore how place-based approaches can create lasting positive change in regional Australia in the context of the first year of the Ready Communities program. Register via this link.
This summary draws from Dr. Chad Renando’s comprehensive analysis of place-based frameworks in Australia. Dr. Renando is co-founder of Ready Communities and Research Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland.
