Phone: +61 3 9650 0080 or email: info@villagewell.org

Our Approach

Village Well is committed to (re)connecting people with place by assisting people to establish a sense of belonging to a place and creating opportunities for their active or passive participation in the public and cultural life of their communities.

We create a platform for neutral and meaningful dialogue and weave a connection between many disciplines, nourishing community and stakeholder shared ownership in decision-making processes along the way.

Village Well focus on how the soft infrastructure shapes the hard infrastructure, detailing how the subtle and evolving touches of people, processes and our environment informs the manifestation of the physical form.

We look to awaken stories of the past and present to inspire a contemporary reimagining of place narratives in order to flame the passion and innovation of individuals and organisations and reasserting their connection to place.

We are agent provocateurs, seeking and developing out-of-the-box creative solutions to build community capacity and vibrant well-loved places.

5Ps of Placemaking

Village Well’s robust placemaking lens has been proven on many projects ranging in scale and complexity. The model includes a critical analysis of place from five perspectives: people, physical environment, product, program and planet – these are our 5Ps of placemaking.

People

People

Considering the ‘place audience’ as the collection of a diverse community of users and their social interactions in a place

Physical Environment

Physical Environment

Recognising how the landscape and built form informs people’s patterns of movement and willingness to engage in the activation of a place

Planet

Planet

Understanding the role of communities and organisations in implementing sustainable practices and the shared commitment to preserve the natural resources of a place

Product

Product

Appreciating the mix of uses, diversity of spaces and the 24-hour and seasonal cycle of uses that enhance the sense of comfort, safety and belonging to a place

Program

Program

Reflecting the rituals, behaviours and gatherings that enliven places and encourage active or passive, organised or informal participation in a place

Our experience

23
Years

1000+
Places

1200+
Clients

2500+
Projects

Some of our recent work

What our clients say about us

  • Mathers Place, our first project with Village Well, is often being referred to as the showpiece for the City of Hobart, and an example of how by using a placemaking methodology the outcome can be much more successful and have strong ongoing ownership by the community.
    Kimbra ParkerManager Community & Cultural Programs, Hobart City Council
  • The great gift of Village Well and Gilbert was the ability to bring together the traders in the laneways and inspire a greater shared vision...to this day there has been nothing like it
    Johnny VakalisOwner Journal Café, Flinders Lane
  • I admire [Village Well’s] passion, enthusiasm and innate ability to bring the community together to identify the unique qualities and essence that make our desert town  
    Ann JacobsExecutive Director Regions, Department of Lands and Planning
  • Village Well provided outstanding leadership and insight ... Council was able to develop an outstanding dialogue with our community, and thereby distil a vision for our city which was seamlessly integrated into our structure plan process
    Jeff Pulford Director, Destination & Economy, City of Ballarat
  • Village Well has worked with local Councils for many years and it is not hard to see why they are regarded as being one of the world’s great community development organisations,  
    John HennessySector Development at Municipal Association of Victoria
  • Inspirational, transformative and provide a great service in helping us begin the long journey of transforming our place into something for people, the planet and all our futures.
    Mike MouritzDirector City Futures, City of Canning

Some of our clients