Draft Smart Community Roadmap

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is committed to the development of a ‘smart community’ to improve local services, increase local opportunities and enhance economic, social and environmental outcomes.

What is a ‘smart community’?

A ‘smart community’ is a city, region or community that leverages digital technology, data and innovation to improve liveability, sustainability, collaboration and economic opportunities. Technology and innovative practices are focused on addressing a clear problem, objective or outcome and people are at the centre of planning and development. A smart community works actively to deliver high-quality services to everyone who lives, works or invests in the region.

The Port Macquarie-Hastings’ draft Smart Community Roadmap has been developed to guide Council and the local community towards a smarter future.

The draft Smart Community Roadmap provides an overview of where we are today as a smart community, where we are going, and how we aim to get there. The Smart Community Roadmap is closely aligned with Council’s existing corporate strategies and plans, including the development of the THINK 2050 Community Strategic Plan, and is also consistent with the recently released NSW Smart Places Strategy.

The draft Smart Community Roadmap outlines smart community aspirations, priority focus areas across the decade to 2030 and a framework to ensure high value smart community initiatives can be identified and supported. The draft Roadmap will guide smart community investment and target Port Macquarie-Hastings Council (PMHC) resources to initiatives which produce smart outcomes for our community.

The development of a smart community requires coordinated effort and collaboration across the Port Macquarie-Hastings community.

To ensure a draft Smart Community Roadmap that reflects local community and industry needs, Council engaged with community members and relevant stakeholder across May 2020 through a series of digital workshops, an internal Council staff survey, and a community survey. Engagement activities informed Council of the vision and needs of all stakeholder groups and identified community priorities and challenges that can be improved through the integration of digital technology and innovation. It also ensured an understanding of the capacity and capability of Council’s workforce and areas of strength and weakness in Council’s innovation and smart community capability and processes.

You’re invited to review the draft Smart Community Roadmap and provide your feedback. All comments will be considered before finalising the draft Smart Community Roadmap for presentation to the Councillors for endorsement at a future Council meeting.

Have your say

The Draft Smart Community Roadmap will be available for comment until Sunday 13 September 2020. During that time, the document can be downloaded from the Document Library (to the right or below if viewing this page on a mobile device).

Please share your thoughts with us on the draft Smart Community Roadmap:

• Complete a submission via the survey below; or
• Send an email to council@pmhc.nsw.gov.au; or
• Post your response to Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, PO Box 84, Port Macquarie NSW 2444.

Your feedback should be received no later than Sunday 13 September 2020.