Rivermark recognised by the Planning Institute of Australia
November 18, 2022
Hesperia’s commitment to creating places of enduring value has been recognised at Rivermark, with our first master planned community receiving the Planning with Country Award at the 2022 WA PIA Awards for Planning Excellence.
The award recognises projects which celebrate Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander knowledge, culture and tradition and their application to planning and land management.
Located on the banks of the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River), Rivermark is a place of cultural significance for Whadjuk Noongar people.
To ensure the Noongar history of the site was celebrated and embedded in the design of Rivermark, Hesperia engaged cultural specialists TheFulcrum.Agency (TF.A) and Karrda Design. Both consultancies have close connections with the Noongar community in Perth.
Working together, the team facilitated meaningful engagement with the Noongar community, researched background information and developed a cultural narrative to guide all phases at Rivermark, from initial concept creation through to design guidelines and public art.
An ‘Elders First’ approach was taken, with TF.A and Karrda drawing on the Noongar philosophy of ‘Right People, Right Place’ when identifying the appropriate people to speak for Country.
Rivermark demonstrates how early engagement and reconciliation can play a formative role in the master planning process. Hesperia’s Managing Director Ben Lisle believes the business has a responsibility to support reconciliation and empowerment for our Aboriginal and First Nations people.
“We wanted to ensure that the First Nations experience of the site, both historical and contemporary, were embedded in the development from the outset,” Ben said.
“I am proud of the knowledge and meaningful relationships we have developed. I look forward to working with TheFulcrum.Agency and Karrda Design on future projects.”
Thank you to the Planning Institute of Australia for this recognition and TheFulcrum.Agency and Karrda Design for your contributions in developing the story at Rivermark.
