Two Territories: Aboriginal Community Planning

The planning of Indigenous Communities crosses two
territories:

• development of settlements with services and facility to ensure quality of life;
• respect for and protection of Culture, within the context of Country.

The aim of the Papunya and Hermannsburg community planning projects was to create plans with the Community Traditional Owners and Senior Residents to facilitate progressive growth of the Aboriginal communities. The planning required the concurrence of the Department of Lands and Planning and the Central Lands Council.

To achieve endorsement of the Plans and avoid misunderstandings about the meaning and application of Area Plans and Zones, and the relationship to Country and inclusion of traditional Cultural attributes, warrants engagement of a reasonable representation of Senior Residents and those Traditional Owners that speak for Country.

At the community engagement level, it was necessary to ensure the Community Residents understood the purpose of the Area Plans and meaning of Planning Zones and Permitted Uses with each zone:

• What defines land use and its classification; and
• Differentiate Land Use and Cultural Activity, for example Multiple Residential accommodation areas compared to cultural activities within all areas.

urbanplan was able to successfully conclude the Papunya and Hermannsburg community projects by creating Plans for acceptance by the local Community Board for advertising purposes.