Spatial Media’s Ziggy Narayan has been heavily involved in supporting major transport projects across Australia, learning first-hand how community engagement strategies can empower stakeholders, support design, manage communities, and inspire communities regarding their future mass and active transport opportunities.

We caught up with Ziggy to discuss how we help organisations connect their future transport solutions with the people and places they will support.

“Australia is a vast country with populations often located in extremely densely populated regions spread across the nation, so in many ways, we face an unusual challenge when it comes to our transport needs. We have to balance connecting great distances and increasing efficiencies in highly populated regions to create connections that allow us to move people and goods seamlessly around suburbs, cities, states and across the nation.”

“That gives rise to highly complex major transport projects that are among the most challenging on the planet as they must either cover great distances and/or travel over, under or through highly built-up environments. In both cases, community engagement is vital to their success as, by their nature, transport projects are disruptive even when being developed in a green field site.”

“When we started supporting transport programs almost a decade ago, community engagement strategies were a little less developed than they are today, and the technologies available to support engagement were limited in their capacity and ability to connect with users seamlessly whenever and wherever they seek information.”

Focused on traditional strategies, community engagement was all about mass communication, focus groups and committees, letterbox drops, workshops and public consultations, and on the ground, the group community and stakeholder managers.

“The original strategies worked well and still underpin much of what is best practice in engaging with communities in relation to major transport projects. However, what changed is community expectations based on mobility, connectivity and an always-on-society coupled with increased expectations relating to visuals, digital content and direct feedback”

“This meant that as technology changed, the approach we could take changed, enabling us to support projects with ways to cut through noise, connect with communities and support contractors working on the delivery of a road, rail, aviation, light rail and active transport projects.”

Therefore, Spatial Media’s key support for transport projects has changed over time to provide a more in-depth level of tools, strategies, and content management. Here’s the go-to list, based on our successes supporting clients such as Transport for New South Wales, Major Road Projects Victoria and the Department of Transport and Main Roads in Queensland.

• Work Activity Tools - Our Work Activity Tool revolutionises this process by allowing contractors to create digital work activity notifications in minutes, eliminating the need for physical notifications and reducing time spent on letterbox drops. This sustainable solution ensures your project team stays informed and engaged. Key benefits include precise location updates to ensure stakeholders receive accurate and relevant information, tailored notifications that meet unique project needs, and real-time updates that keep everyone informed about changing timelines. Additionally, the tool fosters community engagement by sharing valuable information with local residents, promoting awareness and support.
• Feedback and Comment Management – Our Comment Mapping Tool allows your audience and stakeholders to share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas with pinpoint precision by dropping a pin on a map, similar to Google Maps. Integrated into our Community Analytics (CA) platform, this tool captures all comments and contact information in one place, simplifying management, notification, and response processes. Key features include pinpoint feedback that visually indicates specific areas of interest or concern, centralised data management for streamlined engagement, and enhanced communication through easy management of notifications and responses.
• Digital EIS for Infrastructure Projects - We specialise in the digital display of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for infrastructure projects, ensuring critical information is accessible and engaging for community members. Our approach involves segmenting comprehensive EIS documents into various chapters and appendices, allowing community members to easily find relevant topics. We also utilise an interactive map to present all data and findings from the EIS report, transforming report data into dynamic layers with varying colours that users can toggle on and off. This method enhances accessibility, engagement, and understanding, promoting transparency and informed decision-making.
• Construction with Our Staging Videos – When people see a plan they can follow it. Construction staging videos that break down complex construction activities into simple, easy-to-understand steps. We understand that construction projects often impact communities, and it's crucial to keep everyone informed and engaged. Our videos bridge the gap between project teams and the community by explaining the intricacies of construction processes, ensuring community members understand why certain activities are necessary. Benefits include simplified communication, enhanced understanding of construction impacts, increased transparency, and effective engagement through visual storytelling.

“The technologies and tools we have developed add new possibilities for the transport sector in Australia to connect, empower and inspire communities about projects that will enhance their lifestyle and transport options long into the future.”

“But perhaps more than that, each solution has been proven in the field on major projects and have been trusted by clients, contractors, communities and stakeholders to connect billions of dollars of transport investment with the communities each new project serves,” said Ziggy.

To learn more about how we can support your next transport projects, visit https://spatialmedia.io/case-studies or connect with Ziggy for a discussion about your future community engagement needs.