Last month, Northam hosted the successful Town Team Movement's People, Places and Planet Conference. People from diverse backgrounds and places gathered to share a common purpose - making the world a better place through placemaking.
Placemaking is a philosophy and collaborative process designed to create vibrant public spaces where people feel connected and safe. In partnership with the Town Team Movement, the Road Safety Commission empowers Western Australian communities to reduce speeding in their towns through placemaking. Examples of community-led initiatives to slow down traffic include street art, pop-up seating, community gardens and street festivals.
Hon Darren West MLC represented the Road Safety Minister David Michael at the conference.
Darren said that while the government was spending millions on improving regional roads, advertising campaigns and enforcement, without the community on board this would not be enough to reach the state's zero road deaths target.
'The Government is proud to support Town Teams and local community-led placemaking initiatives. We believe in the power of the community to create and deliver locally relevant ideas to reduce speeds on our roads to make communities safer,' he said.
Town Team Movement organisers said that the conversations, questions and ideas shared on the day would have a positive ripple effect, sparking a new wave of creativity and collaboration in WA communities. At an organisational level, they said they had been energised by the expertise and insights of the line-up of distinguished speakers.
Commission staff were also impressed by the conference, which provided an opportunity to showcase the benefit Road Safety Commission grants can bring to local communities. Twenty permanent planter boxes with road safety messages are currently being built along the main street of Northam as part of a Road Safety Commission Community Project Grant. The artwork for the planters was created by local community groups as a reminder of the importance of road safety.
The Road Safety Commission has invested almost $500,000 in local community-led placemaking initiatives via Town Teams since 2020 to manage local speeds.
For more information on RSC Community Grants, visit our community grants portal.
Image: Participants joining in the Street Mural Workshop as part of the 2024 Town Team Movement People, Places, and Planet Conference
