Effective Community Consultation: Designing Playgrounds with the Community in Mind

At Moduplay, we know that the best playgrounds are created with the community, for the community. Engaging local residents in the design process creates a space that reflects their identity, meets their needs, and fosters pride and ownership. Achieving these outcomes requires a well-thought-out and collaborative consultation process.

Why Community Consultation Matters

• Building Ownership and Pride: Involving the community transforms the playground into a shared achievement, encouraging care and increased use.
• Tailoring Designs to Local Needs: Consultation ensures the design caters to the unique ages, abilities, and interests of the community.
• Maximising Budgets: By understanding residents’ priorities, funds can be directed to the features they value most.
• Creating Unique Play Spaces: Local input helps Moduplay design playgrounds that reflect the culture, identity, and character of the area, making each space one-of-a-kind.

Principles of Effective Community Consultation

1. Start Early

Engage the community in the initial planning stages, allowing their feedback to shape the project’s direction from the beginning.

2. Prioritise Local Voices

Focus on gathering genuine input from local residents by using tools that verify local participation, such as street surveys, pop-up booths, or validated online platforms like SurveyMonkey.

3. Empower Decision-Making with Expertise

While the community’s voice is critical, retaining final decision-making authority ensures the playground meets safety, durability, and budgetary requirements.

The Pitfalls of Poor Consultation

While community input is invaluable, ineffective consultation can lead to disappointing results. Here are some common pitfalls:

• Late Engagement: Engaging the community too late in the process can limit their input to surface-level decisions or create frustration if their ideas cannot be incorporated.
• Insufficient Information: Without clear and transparent communication, the community may provide feedback based on incomplete or misunderstood details about the project’s scope and constraints.
• External Influence on Online Voting: Online voting platforms without safeguards, such as postcode verification, risk results being influenced by non-genuine voters, including those with conflicts of interest. Ensuring the integrity of the process is key to its success.
• Misplaced Decision-Making Authority: Placing key design or expenditure decisions entirely in the hands of the community can lead to impractical outcomes, such as designs that neglect long-term durability, whole-of-life costs, or compliance with safety standards.

At Moduplay, we believe consultation should guide and enrich the process rather than dictate it. Balancing community feedback with professional expertise ensures the best outcome for everyone.

Community Consultation Tools

Here are some practical tools and methods we recommend to help our clients achieve meaningful engagement:

Digital Tools

• SurveyMonkey: Create targeted surveys to gather detailed and actionable feedback. Features like local postcode verification ensure genuine input.
• Typeform: An interactive tool for engaging, visually appealing surveys that encourage participation.

On-the-Ground Methods

• Pop-Up Engagement: Set up booths at local markets or events to interact with residents face-to-face.
• Walking Tours: Walk potential playground sites with community members to inspire meaningful, context-driven discussion.

School Partnerships

• Organise design workshops with students to gather creative input and involve families.
• Facilitate art projects or surveys to spark engagement with younger residents.

Interactive Events

• Host games and activities at local parks or schools to collect feedback in a relaxed and fun setting.

Existing Channels

• Use websites, newsletters, telephone messages, and social media to raise awareness and encourage participation.

Best Practices for Success

• Define Clear Goals: Set expectations about what the consultation process will achieve and its scope.
• Be Transparent: Communicate how feedback is being used and provide updates on the project’s progress.
• Celebrate the Outcome: Host a grand opening event to recognise the community’s contributions and showcase the results.

Why Moduplay?

At Moduplay, our mission is to bring play to the world by creating spaces that inspire joy, connection, and pride. We combine decades of expertise with meaningful community collaboration to design Australian-made playgrounds that enhance the lives of those who use them.

By working together, we can create a playground that truly reflects the spirit of your community. Let’s build something extraordinary.