Mackay Place Strategy: From Vision to Activation

The Context

Mackay’s City Centre and Waterfront were facing a common regional challenge: despite significant investment in infrastructure, the public realm lacked the “stickiness” required to drive economic activity. The opening of a nearby major shopping centre and changing consumer habits had drained life from the streets.

The Mackay Regional Council and the Queensland Government required more than just another master plan; they needed an actionable implementation roadmap to bridge the gap between the built form and community use, specifically for the Mackay Waterfront Priority Development Area (PDA).

The Collaboration & Deep Engagement

This project was a strategic collaboration between POMO, Fourfold Studio, and Mackay Regional Council. While Fourfold led the engagement process, POMO’s role focused on ensuring the outcomes were grounded in delivery reality, bridging the gap between high-level urban design and on-ground activation.
To ensure the strategy was truly community-led, the team delivered a rigorous engagement program across two rounds. This moved beyond standard consultation to genuine co-design involving youth, businesses, and council officers. The process generated significant community buy-in, evidenced by key metrics:

  • 4,800+ “Dotmocracy” votes cast by the community to prioritise specific initiatives.
  • 200+ attendees across targeted workshops and group sessions.
  • 27 stakeholder meetings with key landowners, developers, and business leaders.
  • 1,400+ website visits and over 1,300 ideas submitted online and in person.

A highlight of this phase was the SPARK Wood Street event, a real-world activation delivered during the engagement period to test ideas for street closure and night-time activity, providing immediate “proof of concept” data for the final strategy.

Delivering the Strategy: The Implementation Process

The core innovation of the Mackay Place Strategy is its shift from “planning” to “doing.” We developed a bespoke framework that empowers stakeholders to take ownership of the public realm through a staged delivery model.

The “Shape, Activate, Manage” Framework

To ensure the strategy resulted in tangible outcomes, we structured the implementation into three distinct streams:

  • Shape: Physical interventions that improve comfort and identity (e.g., greening the streets, creative lighting).
  • Activate: Programming and events that drive visitation (e.g., night-time economy trials, pop-up youth recreation).
  • Manage: Governance and capacity building (e.g., streamlining event permits, establishing a “Public Art Champion” within Council).

Action-Oriented Toolkit

Unlike traditional reports that sit on a shelf, the strategy functions as a user manual for revitalisation. It includes:

  • 27 Prioritised Actions: A clear checklist ranging from “micro” interventions (charging stations for rough sleepers) to major capital works (riverside incubator hubs).
  • User Personas: Detailed profiles of key demographics—from “The Local Family” to “The Grey Nomads”—ensuring every intervention targets a specific economic driver.
  • Staged Activation Strategy: A “Seed, Sprout, Flower” model that guides the precinct from temporary trials (Phase 1) to permanent infrastructure (Phase 3), de-risking investment for the Council.

Defining the Place Identity

We moved beyond generic “beautification” to define four rigorous place themes that guide all future design and delivery:

  • Active Blue Water Lifestyle: Leveraging the Pioneer River.
  • Art Deco Sugartown: Celebrating the city’s unique architectural heritage.
  • Tropical Urban Creativity: Integrating lush planting with street art.
  • Multicultural Prosperity: Telling the stories of Mackay’s diverse migration history.

The Impact

The strategy was unanimously endorsed by the Mackay Regional Council, providing a unified vision that aligns business, community, and government goals. By providing a clear “implementation” roadmap, the strategy has unlocked momentum for the precinct.
It has empowered the community to move from “having a say” to “getting involved,” with thousands of residents actively voting for the initiatives they wanted to see built. The result is a governance tool that not only directs capital works but actively builds the social capital required to sustain them.

Project Credits

Thanks to the hard work of the Mackay Waterfront team for championing this project Chrissy Evangelou, Veanna Joiner, Aletta Nugent, Shahli Wright, and in her former role, Justine Goddard and all of Mackay’s councillors and Mayor who unanimously endorsed the strategy. Thanks to the team at Four Fold Studio for leading.

This project shows what’s possible when councils, communities, and placemakers come together to reimagine a place. Collaboration builds momentum — and Mackay is leading the way.

The final strategy is available for download here.

Sustainability Outcomes

Social Sustainability Outcomes

  • Deep Community Ownership and Empowerment: The strategy’s foundation is built on extensive engagement, including workshops, surveys, and pop-up events. By actively gathering over 200 ideas from the community and stakeholders, the process empowers residents and ensures the final vision is not imposed, but co-created. This fosters a powerful sense of ownership and responsibility for the future of their city centre and waterfront.
  • Alignment and Social Cohesion: A key outcome was creating a shared vision that aligns the goals of businesses, community members, and the council. This process builds trust and social capital, creating a unified front where different groups understand their role in the city’s revitalization. This shared purpose is crucial for long-term project success and community harmony.
  • Building Social Capital and Capacity: The methodology of engaging with diverse groups, including young people and various community organizations, strengthens the social fabric. It builds networks and relationships between individuals and groups who might not otherwise interact, enhancing the community’s capacity to collaborate on future projects and challenges.

Environmental Sustainability Outcomes

  • Integrated Climate Resilience: The strategy explicitly incorporates principles for creating climate-resilient initiatives. This means that future projects developed from this plan will be designed to withstand and adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events or sea-level rise, ensuring long-term viability and safety for the community.
  • Promotion of Sustainable Transport and Public Health: The core principle of “creating life on the streets” directly promotes environmental sustainability. By making the city center more inviting, walkable, and active, the strategy encourages a shift away from car dependency towards more sustainable modes of transport like walking and cycling. This not only reduces transport-related emissions and traffic congestion but also promotes a healthier, more active lifestyle for residents.

Ready to turn your masterplan into action?

Contact POMO to discuss how we can unlock the community to help build a renewal and activation strategy for your precinct.



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