Design students target Eyre Peninsula towns

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

Local towns on Eyre Peninsula will receive new insight into their natural resource management, planning and design potential thanks to design students from the University of Adelaide.

The students will visit six towns - Arno Bay, Streaky Bay, Wudinna, Kimba, Coffin Bay and Thevenard - in a bid to assess the opportunities available to each town.

The project has the strong support and involvement of the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board and the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association.

Planned for March 2009, the students will work on a comprehensive evaluation of each town's landscape, architecture and planning potential, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and helping to enhance a sense of community.

"This program is now in its 11th year and has become an important part of our studies," says Associate Professor David Jones, Director of the Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Adelaide.

"The fact that the program has been running for 11 years - and has been earning a good reputation wherever the students go - helps to demonstrate the kind of impact this has on local townships and people."

Associate Professor Jones says that as an education and community outreach exercise, the program has been highly successful on a number of fronts.

"It gives students an opportunity to learn from and engage with local communities, and provides them with a practical education that has positive outcomes for the local area," he says.

"Our previous experience shows that rural and regional South Australia is full of fascinating people who want to make things happen. When the students come in, they bring with them fresh ideas, new insights, and help to challenge the current thinking, but they do it in a way that has the community's best interests at heart.

"Community consultation is an important part of the process, and we would urge members of the community to get involved and to speak to the students about aspects of their town that are worth highlighting."

"The Eyre Peninsula has significant natural resource management and land use planning issues confronting it and it is hoped that the students will directly contribute to local debate and discussions about forward planning," says Brian Foster, Chair of the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board.

"This is a very important initiative to be involved in and several of the Association's members have heard positive reports about previous work by the students in the Mid North region," says Diana Laube, Executive Officer from the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association.

 

Contact Details

Associate Professor David Jones
Email: david.jones@adelaide.edu.au
Director, Landscape Architecture Program
School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 4589
Mobile: 0414 668 567


Media Team
Email: media@adelaide.edu.au
Website: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/
The University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8 8313 0814