Overview
Landcom’s Healthy & Inclusive Places pillar is focused on a leadership goal to ‘enhance Landcom’s international status for delivering world class liveable places, founded on equity, affordability and inclusion by 2036’.
This leadership goal was developed to reflect our commitment to meaningfully contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals1, and reduce the impact of shocks and stresses to communities and infrastructure, as identified by Resilient Sydney2 (part of the Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities Program).
Within this pillar Landcom focuses on how well a place delivers quality of life to its communities and the resilience of those communities. It encompasses economic prosperity and affordability, social stability and equity, accessibility, education, health and wellbeing, and integration of culture and heritage.
Liveable communities are healthy and inclusive. A well-designed community takes into account the needs of people today, and the needs of our future generations. We consider where people will work, learn, spend their leisure time and how they move from place to place.
Landcom also believes that the built environment should incorporate green spaces and retain a connection to our natural habitats for the benefit of the environment and our communities.
Landcom addresses liveability through the following focus areas:
- Health, Equity & Inclusion, Community Connection and Safety
- Affordability and Diversity
- Design through Engagement.
Each of these focus areas includes a suite of targets to measure our success.
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Management Approach
Landcom adopts a holistic approach to the delivery of healthy and inclusive places founded on equity for people of all ages and abilities.
For new projects we undertake social needs assessments to understand what amenities, services or programs are currently available to the immediate and surrounding community, and what gaps may need to be filled. We use this information to inform our future planning for infrastructure and community development programming.
As residents begin to live onsite we commence a continuous feedback loop by gathering data from residents of Landcom communities to measure satisfaction with quality of life. We have adopted performance targets for this, and strive for continuous improvement to meet the quality of life expectations of current and future residents.
Since 2018, Landcom has utilised our Healthy and Inclusive Places survey (HIPS) as the primary measure to determine the drivers of satisfaction across communities, and track performance. From FY23 onwards we will replace the use of HIPS with Place Score. This is an independently managed liveability census. Read more about Place Score here. Landcom has chosen to align with Place Score to benefit from their nation wide data and analytics. Results reported prior to FY23 will not be directly comparable to results henceforth.
For our FY23 performance results measured by our new HIPS, see Health, Equity & Inclusion, Community Connection, and Safety (p.36).
Landcom’s Housing Policy sets targets to drive the delivery of diverse, affordable and accessible homes. The Policy is a clear reflection of Landcom’s commitment to create more affordable and sustainable communities. We focus on enabling affordable Rental Housing managed or owned by a Community Housing Provider1 (CHP) and housing products which improve housing affordability more generally, such as private market housing affordable2 to moderate income households or first home buyers and housing delivered using design or construction techniques that lower the purchase price.
We also address housing diversity and accessibility. For example, we advocate for and sometimes contractually require homes are designed using Universal Design principles and are Livable Housing Australia (LHA) certified so that any person, irrespective of age, level of mobility, or condition of health, can be comfortable.
When we adopted the Sustainable Places Strategy, Landcom did not have a Housing Policy and housing affordability and diversity was a lower priority issue for the NSW government. This has now become a significant focus and our maturity in addressing the matter has also refined. Landcom now has a comprehensive Housing Policy with clear targets. As these are subject to change on a regular basis we have made the decision to move our reporting on housing affordability and diversity to our Annual Report.
We will still address resident perceptions of affordability and diversity in our Sustainability Report, and share our efforts and achievements in reducing the cost of living for new residents.
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1 Not-for-profit organisations that build and/ or manage housing for eligible people on very low, low and moderate incomes or who are unable to access appropriate housing in the private market.
2 Mortgage repayments not more than 30% of the median income.
We maintain a commitment to excellence in design and meaningful stakeholder participation from all those who have a stake in the evolution of our cities, including the communities which know them best.
Landcom has an established Design Review Panel (DRP). The DRP operates under a Charter, and provides advice to Landcom on strategies to achieve design excellence and quality of urban design outcomes across our project portfolio. The DRP consists of experts across specialities such as architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and urban planning. They provide expert review of projects in concept or masterplan design, with the aim of achieving design excellence.
As part of our management approach all projects are required to present to the DRP as they progress through the masterplan and design stages.
| We aim to be: |  Collaborative |
 Purposeful |
 Proactive |
 Accountable |
 Inclusive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This means: | Working with stakeholders with an interest in delivering positive project outcomes | Planning and resourcing engagement to support project delivery | Engaging stakeholders early and throughout project planning and delivery and making it easy for them to participate | Being clear about the purpose of engagement, level of influence and how the influence has shaped recommendations and decisions | Engaging stakeholders with different needs and interests |
For our FY23 performance against our Design through Engagement targets, see Design through Engagement Performance Results.
| Current | New |
|---|---|
| 90% of residents report high quality public, active and sustainable transport options to key amenities, services and employment | Residents report their community access to high quality amenities, services or employment. |
| 90% of residents report high physical and mental health, reflecting project design, programs or events that encourage active, social and healthy eating lifestyles | Residents report high physical and mental health. |
| 90% of residents report overall satisfaction with the integration of culture and heritage | Residents report their community has a sense of character or identity unique from other neighbourhoods. |
| 90% of residents report community cohesion, by fostering the integration of community networks and facilities in our projects | Residents report a sense of belonging and support from their community. |
| Achieve a culture of safety through our organisation and on Landcom projects by striving for 90% of residents reporting feeling safety | Resident satisfaction with personally feeling safe. |
| 5-10% Affordable Housing across Landcom portfolio | Transitioned to the Annual Report, for reporting against Landcom’s Policy and Ministerial commitments. |
| 20% Liveable Housing Australia silver certification | |
| New projects to deliver 10-15% diverse housing | |
| All new projects undergo peer review through the Landcom DRP | Residents report a diversity of housing types, sizes and tenures to meet a range of needs. |
| All new projects to confirm with the community engagement policy, Join-In Framework, aligned to industry best practice for stakeholder engagement | All projects have an engagement plan. |
| NEW: Residents report their community is a 20-minute neighbourhood. | |
| NEW: Residents report the design of their community is resilient and best practice. |
Performance Results
See below our performance results for each of the reporting areas within our Healthy & Inclusive Places Pillar.
Health, Equity & Inclusion, Community Connection & Safety
Targets
Performance
2036 Goal: 90% of residents satisfaction with quality of life
Performance
FY22 Performance
82%
Targets
90% of residents report high quality public, active and sustainable transport options
Performance
FY23 Performance
75%
Targets
90% of residents report high physical and mental health, reflecting project design, programs or events that encourage active, social and healthy lifestyles
Performance
FY23 Performance
87%
Targets
90% of residents report overall satisfaction with the integration of culture and heritage
Performance
FY23 Performance
74%
Targets
90% of residents report community cohesion, by fostering the integration of community networks and facilities in our projects
Performance
FY23 Performance
84%
Targets
Achieve a culture of safety through our organisation and on all Landcom projects, striving for 90% residents reporting feeling safe
Performance
FY23 Performance
91%
During the reporting year we continued to implement our community development approach by leveraging strategic partnerships to deliver initiatives that foster community connection and focus on health and wellbeing.
As in previous years, a strong emphasis was placed on projects where Landcom partners with Land and Housing Corporation to deliver social and market housing, in order to drive greater equity and access to programs and services. We also maintained a strong place making program at Sydney Metro Northwest Places.
Activities undertaken in FY23 that supported community health, equity and inclusion included:
- Live Life Get Active free fitness classes at Hillcroft in Claymore, Newbrook in Airds, Renwick, Macarthur Heights, Tallawong and Bella Vista
- National Theatre for Children – mental health programs at Hillcroft
- Keep Australia Beautiful – education programs at Hillcroft
- Learn to skate workshops at Bella Vista
Impact reports for Live Life Get Active fitness class members show health improvements across for all five Landcom supported camps. Key indicators includes reduced risk of health issues like pre-diabetic risk and obesity.
We also continued our focus on mental health awareness with the first National Theatre for Children live theatre performance ‘Mind Masters’. This is a mental resilience education program.
Activities undertaken in FY23 that supported community connection and the integration of culture and heritage include:
- movie night at Macarthur Heights
- creative writing workshops for students at Kellyville
- Pound Paws Doggy Day Out at Bella Vista
- Sydney Youth Orchestra workshops at Bella Vista
- seasonal community events including a Holi and Diwali celebrations and Spring Fair at Macarthur Heights and Hillcroft
In FY23 Landcom continued to support two resident-led community associations at Macarthur Heights and Renwick with seed funding to enable their operations and facilitate the delivery of a range of community events.
The FY23 results for satisfaction with Community Connection saw a significant uplift from previous years to 84% resident satisfaction. Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction against community connection factors such as; sense of belonging, mix of diversity of people, community activities, sense of connection and feeling support from neighbours or community.
We also saw a positive shift in result for the Integration of Culture and Heritage (74% satisfaction). Respondents rated their satisfaction against elements such as; sense of character or unique identity, cultural and/or artistic community, local history, historic features and unique public space design.
In FY23 residents reported high levels of overall perceived safety (91%) in their communities. Place Score respondents were asked to consider:
- Sense of personal safety (for all ages, genders, day or night)
- Sense of neighbourhood safety (from crime, traffic, pollution etc.)
Throughout the design process we continue to adopt best practice Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.
Affordability & Diversity
Increasing affordability challenges across NSW are inextricably linked to sustainable development and we are looking at innovative ways to increase the equity and inclusivity of our communities.
As Landcom’s housing targets are subject to frequent fluctuation under Ministerial guidance, reporting on progress has been moved to the Annual Report. You can see our latest results here (Lead in affordable housing)
While the supply and delivery of affordable and diverse housing is essential, the lived experience is also an important factor that Landcom seeks to measure. For many years we have collected resident feedback on the diversity and affordability of Landcom communities via our Healthy & Inclusive Places Survey. Following are the average results reported by residents1:
- 78% residents report good diversity of housing in their community
- 56% of residents report good affordability in their community.
In FY23 we also continued to fulfil our Sustainability Rebate at Macarthur Heights. The $15,000 sustainability rebate helps residents building new homes achieve BASIX 90 home energy ratings. The incentive aims to help make homes more resilient and lower the cost of living for new home builders in our communities.
Overall we estimate homes that opt into our rebate and achieve a BASIX 90 score will save money each year on the running costs of their homes. By also requiring that these dwellings are all electric they are set up for the decarbonising economy and are more resilient to the energy demands of the future and generally experience lower energy bills.
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1 Average of results from Landcom’s Healthy & Inclusive Places Survey 2018-2022.
Design through Engagement
Targets
Performance
All new projects to undergo peer review through the Landcom Design Review Panel (or equivalent)
Performance
Delivered:
FY22 Performance
100%
FY23 Performance
100%
All new projects to conform with the community engagement policy, Join-In Framework, aligned to industry best practice for stakeholder engagement practice
FY22 Performance
100%
FY23 Performance
100%
Our approach to working with the people, groups and organisations that have an interest, that will be directly impacted, or have an ability to influence our projects is guided by our Join In stakeholder engagement framework. The framework outlines our commitment to stakeholder engagement and to continued learning and improvement in our engagement practice to help create more affordable and sustainable communities.
In FY23 there were 11 projects with up to date and fit for purpose communications and engagement strategies in place. This includes a plan for the Sydney Metro Northwest Places program, which covers the Cherrybrook, Hills Showground, Bella Vista and Kellyville station precincts, which will provide around 10,000 new homes once complete.
We also had plans in place for our Austral, Fennell Bay, Macarthur Gardens North, Panorama at North Wilton, Schofields, Guntawong Road (Tallawong), Bulli and Wentworth Point projects, outlining how we would inform local communities and stakeholders about project planning and, where appropriate, invite community feedback to help shape plans for new neighbourhoods in those areas.
During FY23 we undertook a number of proactive and meaningful community engagement campaigns to gather community feedback. This included engagement to inform concept planning at Bulli, engagement at Macarthur Gardens North to gather feedback on the detailed design of play and fitness spaces, and engagement at Panorama at North Wilton to build relationships with the local Indigenous community.
During FY23 all projects within our business development portfolio, or active projects undertaking masterplanning or reviewing design and delivery options, presented to the DRP. Within our active project portfolio this included new projects at Bulli and Rooty Hill, as well as Panorama at North Wilton.
The DRP provides expert review of projects in concept or masterplanning design, with the aim of achieving design excellence.