Neighbourliness, multiculturalism and resilience in Melbourne during the pandemic
SOcial Impact Advisory & Strategy • FACILITATION
Working to support community development in the ‘most locked-down city in the world’ was a complex and challenging task, particularly as the very idea increasing community connection required social isolation and serious public health risks. However, for much of Melbourne the many long lockdowns increased communities’ sense of belonging, through engaging with local businesses, services and with old and new neighbours.
Following the last of the city’s major lockdown, there was however anecdotal evidence emerging that those in new, peri-urban communities - where local infrastructure is often lacking and where neighbourhood connections can take time to bind - disproportionately experienced social isolation, loneliness and mental health issues - and there were of course concerns that these would have longer term impacts for local residents.
In that immediate aftermath there was need for a more structured understanding about these communities’ experiences, so Steven and Matilda drove a new opportunity with one of Lendlease’s existing partnerships - Relationships Australia - to help to better understand the real impacts of the long lockdowns on the new communities in outer Melbourne areas including Melton South, Werribee and Epping North.
Relationships Australia, the lead organisation behind Neighbours Everyday (formerly Neighbour Day), promotes connection and neighbourliness to combat the negative health and wellbeing impacts of loneliness. They were already working with an inner city local government to research these impacts, so Matilda and Steven worked with their researchers too adapt their methodology to provide an additional study lens study on these peri-urban communities, noting how important the study’s outcomes would be for future community development planning.
A series of focus groups were designed and promoted via Lendlease’s existing channels, through local community groups and organisations, as well as the relevant local governments. The results of these, alongside detailed desktop research, was fed into a final research report (which can be accessed here.)
The research provided fascinating results which both highlighted the benefits of being able to access ‘open nature’ and more easily achieve ‘social distancing’, alongside some of the more pronounced difficulties faced by young parents managing small children and newer communities from culturally diverse backgrounds. They also highlighted the vital importance of early delivery of accessible community infrastructure so that communities can feel connected and supported.
The research was adapted to be used by Lendlease to provide targeted direction for infrastructure planning and future social impact work, including programming and local partnership development.
