Civic Trust - Awards & Brickbats

[Wayno]

hi all, nominations for the 2009 Adelaide Civic Trust "Awards & Brickbats" is open til end-August. Please share your ideas here and i'll compile on behalf of the S-A community.

Here's the 2008 awards & brickbats glossy document to give you ideas ==> http://www.civictrust.net.au/P01-P12.pdf (~10mins to read the entire document).

And here's the nomination guidelines:

AUSTRALIAN CIVIC TRUST INC.

INTRODUCTION
The Australian Civic Trust Incorporated was created in 1969 as the result of a public meeting of over 300 community leaders from South Australia and interstate to address the problems of urban blight and uncoordinated development.
The annual awards program was initiated and later enhanced by the brickbats, and since then the program has developed into an invaluable public forum for constructive public discussion and debate in the civic arena.
As a proudly independent and voluntary association, the Trust coordinates responses to community praise and concerns through panels comprised of community representatives, leaders and experts to encourage higher standards in the civic environment.

AWARD CATEGORIES
Human – Equity & inclusion, Community, Business, Culture and Education, for example:

• •Social planning and policy, including equity, intergenerational value, capital, inclusion and cohesion.
  •Community networks, including communication and consultation with the involvement of communities and stakeholders.
  •Community development, including plans, business involvement and social action (cultural, urban, resources, services and political empowerment).

Natural – Diversity, Resources, Natural productivity, Water and Ecological balance, for example:

• •Restoration or enhancement of biodiversity.
  •Conservation or re-use of resources.
  •Protection or improvement of natural features or landscapes.
  •Economic programs that enhance communities and their environment.
  •Clean and green food production that maintains genetic variety and contributes to public health.
  •Promotion of an ethic of care for the environment.

Material – Infrastructure, Design, Buildings, Heritage, Transport and Land use, for example:

• •Planning processes, including community and business involvement, effective land use, cultural & aesthetic design and support of the environment.
  •Infrastructure and services, covering integrated design, environmental issues, safety, support services, transport and its inter-relationships.
  •Buildings – adapted and new, relationships to services, adaptability to change, responsiveness to resource availability, climate and water and reduction of energy use.
  •Maintenance of valuable assets, both heritage and modern.

Nominations across categories are accepted. Note that the juries may choose to extend their deliberations beyond specific points raised in a nomination and hence may extend their comments to broader associated issues.

GENERAL CRITERIA
Awards are given for projects that:

• •Enhance the strength and evolution of the civic environment for present and future generations.
  •Assist in the restoration and preservation of the natural environment.
  •Improve the accessibility, quality and cultural sensitivity of the public realm.
  •Support social developments that enable greater social interaction between individuals and cultures and across generations.
  •Are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Brickbats are given for projects that detract from the civic environment according to these criteria.

BENEFITS OF NOMINATING

• •Successful award nominations raise the public profile of exemplary projects and present them as potential models for the future.
  •Brass plaques are available for awards winners at nominal cost.
  •Brickbat nominations identify problem areas to assist in the development of better solutions.
  •All nominations contribute to the ongoing discussions and the progressive development of a vision for our civic environment.
  •People’s Choice awards will also be given to the most popular nominations in the Awards and Brickbats categories.
  •The Awards & Brickbats process invariably attracts prominent media attention.

ELIGIBILITY

• •Nominations may be submitted by any member of the public. The criteria are guidelines only and are designed to encourage the nomination of any project seen as beneficial to the civic environment.
  •There is no entry fee.
  •The judges’ decision is final.

EXAMPLES (some of the previous projects that initiated prominent media coverage)

• •50th anniversary of the 1954 earthquake – reporting and seminar (public project)
  •Port Stanvac oil refinery site (brickbat)
  •Parliament House tower design (student project)
  •Victoria Square – lack of action (brickbat)
  •Australian Refugee Association’s Circle of Friends project (Award)
  •A number of water initiatives
  •A Public Vision for South Australia (Civic Trust project, launched in July 2007 and since then also pursued independently in a number of areas). The first stage was a proposal to develop sports, transport, accommodation and entertainment facilities in the Adelaide/West Torrens precinct

Go for it...

[Wayno]

Some rough ideas to whet your appetite:

Awards
* Panda Enclosure & Zoo upgrade (not quite complete, maybe too late for nomination this year)
* The Govts Mining P.A.C.E. Initiative (directly responsible for the majority of new mining activity in SA)
* Wayville Showgrounds (Agricultural Society) leading the way with a massive underground water tank (3.5million litre capacity, savings approx 7 million litres of water annually)

Brickbats
* Adelaide Airport Curfew
* Land Management Corporation (go stumpjumper)
* Demystifying CBD building height limitations based on air safety restrictions

[Will]

I would like to award a brickbat to the ACC DAP.

[Wayno]

I would like to award a brickbat to the ACC DAP.

Yes, i believe there is strong evidence for some sort of brickbat here. Maybe the brickbat should go to the dysfunctionality shown by both the ACC DAP & Govt DAC. Both sides behave in extraordinary ways, almost at opposite ends of the spectrum - a case of collective bipolar disorder perhaps? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder).

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, manic depressive disorder or bipolar affective disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if milder, hypomania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or mixed episodes in which features of both mania and depression are present at the same time. These episodes are usually separated by periods of "normal" mood, but in some individuals, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, known as rapid cycling. Extreme manic episodes can sometimes lead to psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia, and other types, based on the nature and severity of mood episodes experienced; the range is often described as the bipolar spectrum.

[Wayno]

hi guys, can someone please share the list of ACC DAP rejected buildings later approved by the DAC. thanks...

[Will]

hi guys, can someone please share the list of ACC DAP rejected buildings later approved by the DAC. thanks...

CCT8

Freedom Space Apartments

The office building on Light Square

The 4 level building on the corner of Union Street and Rundle Street


In addition, you could also mention the delays imposed on the 199-200 North Terrace and peak on Andrew developments because of ACC interference.

[Wayno]

thank Will. I suppose we can mention the North Adelaide Le Cornu building as well - the govt used major project status instead of the DAC, but same same...

[Wayno]

Brickbat created due to SensAdel submission!
Hi all, well the 2009 Civic Trust 'Awards & Brickbats' process is complete, and SensAdel successfully had a brickbat nominated against the Govt DAC vs ACC DAP process!

The awards ceremony was held at Old Parliament House last week. In attendance was the Civic Trust members, led by Darian Hiles (Chairman) and yours truly (that's me!). There was also representation from local and state govt (including Paul Holloway), the RAIA (Assoc of Architects) as well as the media (ABC TV News and The Advertiser). Also a few other attendees who i failed to place.

The Civic Trust receives nominations across March-Sept each year, and uses a volunteer jury to determine awards & brickbats. Not all nominations get an award and/or may evolve during the jury process (e.g. a material-category award nomination for a chosen property development may evolve into a human-category award for the architect firm in general).

The jury is comprised of notable South Aussies and this year included; Darian Hiles (Convenor), Mr Michael Talladira (Consulting Engineer), Ms Carolyn Wigg (Past President, RAIA), Mr Miles Kemp (Journalist), Ms Lynette Russell (Social Worker), Mr Stuart Hart (Stuart Hart Award only), Mr James Hayter, (Landscape Architect), Professor John Mayo (Colonel Light Estate)

Here's what we (SensAdel) nominated this year:

Project - ACC DAP & Govt DAC – CBD Development Approval Process
Category - Human - Brickbat
Location - ACC Domain, predominantly CBD & North Adelaide
Description -
Recently the State Govt DAC took ownership of approving CBD development greater than $10m. This brings SA in line with practices used effectively in other states (e.g. Victoria).

The rationale being the State Govt is better positioned to strategically decide on large-scale matters than the Adelaide City Council (ACC) who are conflicted between satisfying their constituency vs the wider SA population.

Both the Govt DAC and ACC DAP committees make decisions based on the same documented guidelines (http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/deve ... -plan.html) but neither appear content. The ACC appear restricted by the guidelines while the Govt are happy to largely ignore them. The ACC own the documented guidelines but appear incapable (or unwilling) to enhance beyond small-scale change. This is not a productive way to invigorate South Australia nor promote a worthy image to ourselves and the world at large.

It seems the current Development Plan itself (or the process used to amend the plan) may be the root cause of the problem.

The result is that the ACC DAP often rejects development applications (and receives “reputation damaging” howls of protests from many quarters) only to have the Govt DAC overrule and grant approval for the projects to proceed (which receives applause from some segments of society and sighs of exacerbation from others, including the ACC).

A few recent examples of developments rejected by the ACC DAP and overruled by the Govt DAC:
* CCT8
* Freedom Space Apartments
* 74-80 Light Square
* North Adelaide Le Cornu site

Clearly, this dysfunction should not continue, and the Development Plan should be amended to provide clear guidance to the Govt, ACC, the SA population, and the wider investment community including property developers. The benefits of clarity in this respect will be immense.

And here's how the brickbat appears in the Civic Trust booklet http://www.civictrust.net.au/P01-10.pdf

dac-vs-dap-brickbat.JPG (63.33 KiB) Viewed 1789 times

Most interesting was Paul Holloway's response to this brickbat. He was most upset with his own Govt (and the ACCs) inability to work together and get things right. He did not point fingers but remains keen to 'clean up' the process, esp given his obvious excitement about TODs and the critical need for collaborative govt - otherwise they truly risk failure.

So what's next? Well i'm unsure what the Civic Trust now does to encourage further civic improvement beyond handing out the awards. They got some good media exposure, but your average South Aussie is probably none the wiser about the Civic Trust and the fact it's been around for 40yrs and is continuing to grow it's sphere of influence - but maybe that's deliberate?

I'll report back here as i discover more - and as news comes to hand.

PS. Purely talking from a SensAdel perspective, this was a good exercise in promoting awareness of our group. Quite a few industry and govt people stayed to chat after the awards ceremony (wine and cheese provided). Many have visited our website and are starting to realise that we are not just a random blog. The phrases "intelligent public voice for SA" and "SensAdel could be a good litmus test for ideas" were mentioned a few times. An excellent outcome indeed.

[monotonehell]

Good work there Wayno. If only we could get everyone communicating more. People in office often get blinkered by workload.

[Will]

Thanks for posting Wayno, I'm feeling a bit chuffed with a brickbat being awarded to the DAC and DAP.

[Wayno]

Thanks for posting Wayno, I'm feeling a bit chuffed with a brickbat being awarded to the DAC and DAP.

I'm sure the news will make its way into the corridor conversations of the ACC very soon...

[Omicron]

Wine and cheese? Why in the blasted hell wasn't I in attendance? Brickbat = Omi.

[Prince George]

Wine and cheese? Why in the blasted hell wasn't I in attendance?

Come on, Omi, tear yourself away from the fridge - you won't find happiness there. Learning to love yourself; it is the greatest love of all.

Nice work, Wayno, way to represent. Full list of awards/brickbats is up on the Civic Trust's site here.

There seems no reason why a better approach could not be developed, for example a combined Council/State Government 2-stage process that gives a basic approval to function and envelope prior to a second-stage approval of detailed design. Such a solution would involve both levels of government and give more certainty to the process.

Hmm, that last paragraph reminds me of something we threw about at the start of the year

[Wayno]

There seems no reason why a better approach could not be developed, for example a combined Council/State Government 2-stage process that gives a basic approval to function and envelope prior to a second-stage approval of detailed design. Such a solution would involve both levels of government and give more certainty to the process.

Hmm, that last paragraph reminds me of something we threw about at the start of the year

i'm in favour of leveraging good ideas...

[Wayno]

Hi all, nominations for the 2010 Australian Civic Trust "Awards & Brickbats" is open til end-August. Please share your ideas here and i'll compile on behalf of the S-A community.

Here's the 2009 awards & brickbats glossy document to give you ideas ==> http://www.civictrust.net.au/P01-10.pdf (~10mins to read the entire document).

And here's the nomination guidelines:

INTRODUCTION
The Australian Civic Trust Incorporated was created in 1969 as the result of a public meeting of over 300 community leaders from South Australia and interstate to address the problems of urban blight and uncoordinated development.
The annual awards program was initiated and later enhanced by the brickbats, and since then the program has developed into an invaluable public forum for constructive public discussion and debate in the civic arena.
As a proudly independent and voluntary association, the Trust coordinates responses to community praise and concerns through panels comprised of community representatives, leaders and experts to encourage higher standards in the civic environment.

AWARD CATEGORIES
Human – Equity & inclusion, Community, Business, Culture and Education, for example:
•Social planning and policy, including equity, intergenerational value, capital, inclusion and cohesion.
•Community networks, including communication and consultation with the involvement of communities and stakeholders.
•Community development, including plans, business involvement and social action (cultural, urban, resources, services and political empowerment).

Natural – Diversity, Resources, Natural productivity, Water and Ecological balance, for example:
•Restoration or enhancement of biodiversity.
•Conservation or re-use of resources.
•Protection or improvement of natural features or landscapes.
•Economic programs that enhance communities and their environment.
•Clean and green food production that maintains genetic variety and contributes to public health.
•Promotion of an ethic of care for the environment.

Material – Infrastructure, Design, Buildings, Heritage, Transport and Land use, for example:
•Planning processes, including community and business involvement, effective land use, cultural & aesthetic design and support of the environment.
•Infrastructure and services, covering integrated design, environmental issues, safety, support services, transport and its inter-relationships.
•Buildings – adapted and new, relationships to services, adaptability to change, responsiveness to resource availability, climate and water and reduction of energy use.
•Maintenance of valuable assets, both heritage and modern.

Nominations across categories are accepted. Note that the juries may choose to extend their deliberations beyond specific points raised in a nomination and hence may extend their comments to broader associated issues.

GENERAL CRITERIA

Awards are given for projects that:
•Enhance the strength and evolution of the civic environment for present and future generations.
•Assist in the restoration and preservation of the natural environment.
•Improve the accessibility, quality and cultural sensitivity of the public realm.
•Support social developments that enable greater social interaction between individuals and cultures and across generations.
•Are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Brickbats are given for projects that detract from the civic environment according to these criteria.

BENEFITS OF NOMINATING
•Successful award nominations raise the public profile of exemplary projects and present them as potential models for the future.
•Brass plaques are available for awards winners at nominal cost.
•Brickbat nominations identify problem areas to assist in the development of better solutions.
•All nominations contribute to the ongoing discussions and the progressive development of a vision for our civic environment.
•People’s Choice awards will also be given to the most popular nominations in the Awards and Brickbats categories.
•The Awards & Brickbats process invariably attracts prominent media attention.

ELIGIBILITY
•Nominations may be submitted by any member of the public. The criteria are guidelines only - submit any project seen as beneficial to the civic environment.
•There is no entry fee.
•The judges’ decision is final.

EXAMPLES (some of the previous projects that initiated prominent media coverage)
•50th anniversary of the 1954 earthquake – reporting and seminar (public project)
•Parliament House tower design (student project)
•Victoria Square – lack of action (brickbat)
•Australian Refugee Association’s Circle of Friends project (Award)
•A number of water initiatives
•A Public Vision for South Australia (Civic Trust project, launched in July 2007 and since then also pursued independently in a number of areas). The first stage was a proposal to develop sports, transport, accommodation and entertainment facilities in the Adelaide/West Torrens precinct

Go for it!