Communicating important changes to city planning policy in an easy-to-understand way is never simple. Doing so in a way that engages citizens and gives them a mechanism for feedback is even more difficult.

That’s why we created PolicyScape, an affordable and scalable digital communication and feedback platform. PolicyScape has been used by dozens of clients across a range of policy scenarios including:

• land use rezonings
• updates to fine-grain controls such as flooding and vegetation overlays
• introduction of built form and other urban design controls
• precinct based policy relating to neighbourhood character and heritage.

When proposing updates to planning schemes, local environment plans, zoning ordinances, or other planning controls, all governments face significant challenges. Effective communication and consultation can be hampered by dense documentation, inefficient distribution methods, differing levels of community awareness and comprehension, and a lack of feedback mechanisms that are accessible to all members of the community.

Gaining community trust and buy-in requires awareness and understanding of the nature and impact of any new policy or change.

PolicyScape can be used in any context, from large-scale comprehensive changes that affect thousands of properties, to fine-grain, local changes that affect only specific properties and precincts.

PolicyScape helps grow citizen awareness by simplifying hard to understand information through property-specific reporting that:

• minimises the need for citizens to navigate complex documentation
• helps contextualise proposed changes through tailored information
• facilitates a better understanding of the potential impacts on properties.
• It also provides policy makers and city planners a tool to test proposed policy changes with the community by collecting feedback that gauges community support (and opposition) and identifies potential issues before adoption.

PolicyScape uses map-based searches to query information at a property level and identify which policies and controls affect each site. Site visitors simply enter their address, and the PolicyScape application returns a custom property report.

The property report informs citizens about what controls currently affect their property, as well as what new controls are proposed. Importantly, the report contains only the changes that affects that property, so users can avoid information that is irrelevant to them.

The content of the property report can be configured to include background information and content that explains and illustrates the potential impacts of the changes. Text, images, graphics and other dynamic media such as before-and-after sliders and videos can all be included in the report.

Here’s a few examples of how PolicyScape has been used:

A significant change to the state’s residential rezoning regime meant that all local governments needed to comprehensively review their local residential zones.

After significant analysis and planning, a new zoning scheme was proposed, and PolicyScape was used to inform thousands of affected residents.

Following the drafting of three important planning documents including a Housing Strategy, Neighbourhood Character Study and Activity Centres Strategy, the City of Hobsons Bay drafted a large-scale Planning Scheme Amendment that would affect all residential areas in the City.

PolicyScape is being used by the City to communicate complex spatial policy to residents, and includes detialed reporting and mapping that makes it clear how the zones will change and what neighborhood character area will apply to each property

In light of the changing nature of industrial activities in the city, Moreland City Council set out to update its industrial land use framework. The Moreland Industrial Land Use Strategy or MILS, presented a new vision for industrial land use which would affect the future of employment and the redevelopment of industrial land

PolicyScape was used to communicate the planning amendment which contained the proposed changes and made it easy for landowners and other interested parties to see how the changes would affect land within the municipality.

As a coastal community, the Mornington Peninsula Shire is particularly vulnerable to hazards associated with coastal erosion, flooding, sea level rise and storm surge. New mapping techniques allowed the Shire to develop more detailed and accurate flood mapping that would help minimise environmental risk and future proof its community.

The mapping resulted in changes to the Land Subject to Inundation Overlay, and PolicyScape was used to communicate information to affected properties. Importantly this contained a feature that let landowners view interactive ‘before after maps’ of the planning controls to provide a more detailed understanding of the changes.

View Flood Mapping in Mornington Peninsula

Setting up a PolicyScape for your project is fast and simple.

Once the application is set up, you can control the content with the easy drag-and-drop interface. This means you can make content changes any time you need, even up to the very last minute (and beyond).

For more information please visit the PolicyScape product page or get in contact.