It’s easy to talk about what good engagement should look like.
It’s harder to see what it looks like in practice.
The Port Phillip Urban Forest Strategy, delivered by Port Phillip City Council, offers a clear example of how engagement can move beyond consultation and into something more meaningful.
Faced with the long-term challenge of urban heat, climate resilience and canopy coverage, the project required more than input — it required community alignment.
What stands out is not just the scale of engagement, but how it was approached.
Rather than treating engagement as a single phase, it was embedded throughout the process — creating multiple opportunities for the community to contribute, respond and shape the direction over time.
This reflects a broader shift in practice.
Good engagement is no longer defined by participation alone.
It is defined by how that participation influences outcomes.
Award-winning projects like this demonstrate what that looks like when done well — where engagement is structured, sustained and clearly connected to decision-making.
It moves beyond gathering feedback, and into building shared ownership of the outcome.
And that’s where engagement starts to have real impact.
Explore the case study here.
Core Values Awards 2025 Interview Series | City of Port Phillip
