Emu Park (Brooks Reach Dapto)

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: JMD Design (of which Anton James is a director) designed a new park for property developer Stockland at Brooks Reach, Dapto, a new suburb in the Illawarra region of the New South Wales' south coast. The park was created in the undulating landform at the base of the Illawarra Escarpment. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: Play opportunities at Emu Park present themselves in the form of tricycle paths, customised play items, run around areas and a basketball court. Amenities encourage extended stay, while plant selection and a shade structure contribute to a comfortable microclimate. The design is integrated into the urban plan by providing pedestrian links through and around the site which will become a transitional destination between the proposed town centre and the school precinct to the northeast. The design responded to the brief prepared by the children of Dapto during Stockland's extensive consultation and engagement with the local school. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: In 2012, Emu Park, Brooks Reach won two awards from the Planning Institute of Australia New South Wales awards for planning excellence: the President's Award (the highest honour) and the Planning for Children and Young People Award. The PIA is the peak body representing professionals involved in planning Australian cities and towns. It acknowledged Brooks Reach as a pioneering development that engaged 150 school children in planning and research of a neighbourhood park. The park received wide media coverage including articles in 'The Sydney Morning Herald' (11 June 2012), 'The Daily Telegraph' (9 June 2012) and 'The Illawarra Mercury' (5 June 2012).