Palmerston North project trial
Project trial: using the qualities
Purpose and process
The project trial was the first stage of a project to create an urban design strategy for Palmerston North. It aimed to identify a range of qualities and attributes that would help define urban amenity at the local level.
The project trial involved a series of focus group workshops where participants discussed ‘liveability’, the qualities that underpin liveability, and the attributes that make up those qualities.
Participants invited to the workshops represented a range of interests, (such as property developers, councillors, and iwi representatives) but did not represent a cross-section of the community.
Identifying qualities and attributes
Before the workshops began, participants received a brief discussion document about ‘liveability’ and the qualities that underpin it. The Council included the qualities Sense of Place, Legibility, Amenity, Diversity and Choice, Robustness/Fit/Responsiveness, Accessibility, and Efficiency.
The workshops were facilitated by an urban designer and council staff. The workshops had a structured but informal format, and began with a slide presentation. Discussion then focused on identifying the qualities and attributes that make Palmerston North a good place to live. Participants had a set of ‘liveability keywords’ to aid discussion.
Participants felt that the qualities were a useful framework for thinking about liveability, and that the physical attributes that made Palmerston North a good place to live were easily matched with those qualities. As the workshops progressed, the qualities were refined a little, but not radically changed.
Lessons learned
The workshops provided a useful way to identify the qualities and attributes that make a city a good place to live. Circulating background information and using keywords at the workshops helped to focus the discussion. Keeping the workshops ‘non-academic’ encouraged direct and meaningful feedback.
Resource: Letter, discussion document, keywords list [Word doc 224kb]
