#2328_WSLHD_CPH_YIR 2023_4A_WEB

HEALTH PROMOTION HEALTH PREVENTION

Designing healthy higher-density living for families and children A draft Guide has been developed in partnership with City of Parramatta and expert input from Cities for Play and Hayball Architects, to address the specific needs of families with children living in high density. It provides design advice and best practice examples of how to enhance health and liveable outcomes for this demographic. It will be formally launched in early 2024.

2023 outcomes: • Stakeholder Engagement on the Draft Design Guide (May-August). • 19 local Councils and

Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children:

Design Guide (draft)

Living well after lockdown Health & wellbeing tips

Addressing the health needs of families living in high density housing

Engagement period: May - August 2023

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholders provided feedback via six engagement channels Stakeholders could choose their preferred feedback method/channel.

Despite an increasing number of families living in high density housing, to date no Australian city has a policy on family-friendly high density housing which signals a substantial gap within planning policy. (1) A draft Design Guide has been developed to address the specific needs of families living in high density housing to provide design advice and best practice examples of how to enhance liveable outcomes for this demographic. This project is a joint initiative of Western Sydney Local Health District’s (WSLHD) Centre for Population Health (CPH) and City of Parramatta (CoP); with Cities for Play and Hayball Architects engaged to provide expertise and advice. During May - August 2023 , key stakeholder groups who are likely to use the Design Guide, were engaged to review the draft version. This included: State Government Agencies, Local Councils - Planners and Urban Designers, Health Professionals, Academics, Architects and NGOs. The constructive feedback received from stakeholders will be used to strengthen the Design Guide, prior to submission to CoP for endorsement, and to inform the next steps of implementation. Stakeholder engagement: When and who?

Online surveys (n=43)

Workshops & Presentations (n=9)

1:1 interviews (n=4)

309 stakeholders provided comprehensive feedback which is being incorporated to strengthen the Guide. • A dashboard of results was developed and circulated to all stakeholders who participated in the engagement process.

Responses received across all stakeholder segments

Academic UNSW City of Sydney Council Transport for NSW Urban Designer Specialist with industry experience

259 attendees in total 19 Local Councils engaged

Urban Design Forum Western Sydney Councils Health Alliance NSW Healthy Built Environment Network Workshops/presentations included:

Emails (n=7)

Submissions (n=3)

Seven responses received via email were from Academia, State Government Agencies, Councils, Public Health and Planning experts

Direct comments (n=2)

City of Parramatta Cumberland City Council The Hills Shire Council

Two responses via direct comments on the document

A 52-page document with two key sections: Building Scale and Neighbourhood Scale.

Types of Stakeholders engaged (n = 309)

90%

Other stakeholders were from the Education and Disability sectors, Environmental Health and Community Development. Department of Planning and Environment and Government Architect NSW. of stakeholders were Health Professionals/Health Policy Makers and Local Council - Planners and Urban Designers of stakeholders were from State Government agencies - Transport for NSW,

Results Dashboard

Health Professional/Health Policy

This dashboard reports results of the comprehensive stakeholder engagement for the Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: Design Guide (draft) and outlines recommendations for next steps.

Local Council - Planners/Urban Designers

3%

State Gov Agencies

Goal: Stakeholders understand the value of the Design Guide and provide constructive feedback.

Result: Achieved

Academia

Great post!

Industry/Architects

Stakeholder type

NGOs

496

100% Stated the Design Guide was helpful/very helpful**

100%

100% Agreed with the overall principles of the Design Guide**

31%

Other

Comments received about the Design Guide*

Of all comments were about ‘What is missing?’ from the Design Guide**

Reported the Design Guide would add value to their work**

0

20

40

60

Percentage (%) of stakeholders engaged

Tools of engagement

Capturing feedback

Objective: Stakeholders are identified and engaged appropriately about the Design Guide.

Result: Achieved

A FAQ was emailed to stakeholders with a PDF

Qualitative and quantitative survey responses were downloaded via Survey Monkey. Workshops, presentations and interviews were recorded, themed and analysed by two project officers. Comments from the survey, written submissions and all other engagement channels which related to specific sections of the draft Design Guide, were included in a corresponding spreadsheet. All “What is missing?”, positive and design/formatting related comments were respectively captured in separate spreadsheets.

For Design Guide Users

For Design Guide Users

of the draft Design Guide, and advice on how they could provide feedback. A 17 question online survey was emailed to key stakeholders. A Power Point presentation about the draft Design Guide was tailored for stakeholder groups.

Western Sydney Local Health District

309

259

43

19 Local Councils across NSW participated in engagement activities

Frequently asked questions Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: Design Guide [DRAFT]

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Estimated number of stakeholders who participated in engagement activities

People attended nine workshops and presentations

Responses to the online survey

Information for stakeholders who may use the Design Guide

FAQs & Answers

5. Who is the Design Guide [DRAFT] for?

8. What will happen with my feedback? Stakeholder feedback will be reviewed and incorporated into the final Design Guide with the intention to submit the document to City of Parramatta Council for endorsement. Pending council approval, the final draft Design Guide will go on public exhibition. The final draft will reflect the feedback gathered from stakeholders and the broader community during this current consultation period. Following public exhibition, any further feedback will be considered and incorporated into the Design Guide before being returned to Council for final endorsement. 7. What stage is the project at? The project is now in the stakeholder engagement phase. We are seeking feedback from a variety of stakeholders who may use the draft Design Guide. Feedback is being collated using different methods, including an online survey. Part Two (Neighbourhood Scale), provides guidelines relating to neighbourhood scale of high density developments, which includes streets, public spaces and outdoor infrastructure. 3. Heenan, R. “Healthy Higher Density Living For Kids: The effects of high density housing on children's health and development: A literature review to inform policy development in Western Sydney”, Report No. 149. Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, 2017. 2. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Table Generated Using Dwelling Characteristics, Dwelling Structure and Family Composition Databases, Findings Based on Use of ABS 2016 Census Data in Table Builder Basic. 1. Krysiak, N. Design and Planning Policy for Family-Friendly Apartment Living. Sydney: Policy Futures: A Reform Agenda; 2021. Part One (Building Scale) , outlines key design guidelines relating to the building scale which includes the apartment building and communal space. The document has been structured into two parts, and includes diagrams and photos to help illustrate key design concepts: References Advocating for improved high-density living environments for families with children. Informing the planning system via amending Development Control Plans (DCPs), state guidelines and/or other regulatory mechanisms. The draft Design Guide is intended to assist multi-unit residential developers, architects, urban designers, planners and consent authorities in the planning and design processes through: 6. What is in the Design Guide [DRAFT]?

1. Krysiak, N. Design and Planning Policy for Family-Friendly Apartment Living. Sydney: Policy Futures: A Reform Agenda; 2021. *Approximate total number of all comments from stakeholders about the draft Design Guide via all engagement channels. **Stakeholder online 17 question survey, N = 43

2

There is currently no Australian Design Guide to showcase best practice examples and provide guidelines to support the health of children and families living in high density housing. In Sydney, over 25 per cent of apartment households are families with children under the age of 15. These trends are visible not only in inner-city areas but also satellite cities such as Parramatta, where 45 per cent of pre school aged children live in high density housing. With more families raising their children in higher density housing (three storeys or more), designing liveable high-density environments suitable for children has never been more important. 2. Why do we need a Design Guide for Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children? 3. How does housing impact the health of children? Housing and the built environment are fundamental to human health and can directly impact a child’s early development. A child’s early years (0-5), are a critical time for physical, cognitive, social and emotional health and experiences during this time have been shown to have long term impacts on their health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is important to design environments that consider and apply all known protective factors, enabling children to thrive. 4. Who developed the Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: Design Guide [DRAFT]? Building on the results of the Healthy High Density for Kids study, the draft Design Guide has been developed in a partnership between the Centre for Population Health, Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD); City of Parramatta (CoP); and Natalia Krysiak, Cities for Play (formerly from Hayball). 1 2 5 3,4 The draft Design Guide aims to showcase best practice projects and provide guidelines to support the health of children and families living in high density housing. The draft is currently being reviewed by people and organisations who may use the Design Guide in their work and/or are impacted by them. 1. What is the Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: Design Guide [DRAFT]?

Results dashboard A dashboard reported results of the comprehensive stakeholder engagement for the draft Guide and outlined recommendation for next steps.

Children are a kind of indicator species, if we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for everyone.

Experiences in a child's early years (0-5), is a critical time for physical, cognitive, social and emotional health. 5

Enrique Penalosa (Former Mayor of Bogota)

Stakeholder feedback to improve and strengthen the Draft Design Guide. lives of families living in higher density housing and environments. Designing spaces that can improve the

For more information:

Centre for Population Health Western Sydney Local Health District

Email: WSLHD CentreForPopulationHealth@health. nsw.gov.au

5. NSW Ministry of Health, The First 2000 Days, Conception to Age 5 Framework, Sydney: NSW Government, 2019. 4. Dockery A., Kendall G., Mahendran A., Ong R., & Strazdins L. Housing and children's development and well-being: a scoping study. AHURI Final Report No.149. Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, 2021.

Scan the QR code, or click here to do the survey once you have read the Design Guide [DRAFT] or attended a workshop.

Phone: (02) 9840 3603

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WSLHD Centre for Population Health Year in Review 2023