Bringing the spirit of this 21st Century community alive this Christmas

01/11/2005 - Canberra

Bringing the spirit of this 21st Century community alive this Christmas

Good news for those living in Melbourne Docklands this season. VicUrban, the management authority for this vibrant new waterside development has appointed the award winning digital communications agency Reading Room to spread a little festive cheer. They will be responsible for designing and developing the Docklands Community Intranet.

Working together, the two organisations will launch the far-reaching, high impact communication and marketing campaign in time for Christmas. The idea of the campaign is to keep everyone in Docklands informed and included - everyone from residents and retail outlets to workforce and visitors. The Intranet will become the main communication hub for the area and will build on the vibrancy of Docklands and the diverse range of lifestyles and interests present in the area.

The user friendly Community Intranet will be a benefit to existing and new residents alike. Those new to the area will be able to feel like part of the community within minutes rather than weeks or months because they'll be able to find new friends or facilities right at their fingertips. Whether the Intranet is used for discovering information about local services; identifying a golf partner, reading about businesses, forming a book club, looking for a new restaurant or yoga class, checking out the latest urban art, ordering a takeaway, or finding out about events and sporting fixtures, the Intranet will have immediate value. Or it could be something closer to home; finding out about services in the building (like rooftop gardens, swimming pools and gymnasiums), getting in touch with the resident manager, registering a maintenance fault, booking a community meeting space, listing things for sale, or merely making contact with neighbours and friends online. Whatever people use it for; the Intranet will surely prove to be an invaluable source of help.

Community members will be able to tailor the Intranet to their own needs, giving prominence to the features that are personally relevant. As a result, there will be a positive effect on the development of the community as people start chatting and getting involved.

Over the past few weeks the Reading Room team has been out and about around Docklands getting ideas and thoughts. Three well attended information meetings have targeted residents, community groups, local businesses and retailers. Visitors are also being canvassed for their views and opinions.

A survey is currently online to capture ideas and suggestions at http://community.docklands.com/surveys/survey12/.

Following the successful Information Meetings a Project Reference Group (PRG) has been established with 30 interested members onboard. The PRG is the 'voice' of the local area, and represents the community's needs and wants. It is providing advice and direction, acting as a sounding board to the Reading Room team on the design and build of the Intranet.

A new project website has been launched for locals to register their interest in the project - check out http://community.docklands.com for more information.

Watch this space for more news on this exciting project.