Davina Lomas from Mission Australia Housing in NSW introduces us to a housing accomplishment they're very proud of – Midtown MacPark – a place where community is being built "with purpose and intent".
Late in the evening, at Midtown MacPark, there are lights twinkling in 389 beautiful brand new social and affordable dwellings that people now call home.
It is like the buildings have come to life. The streets are buzzing with children on bikes and families talking, and with people from all walks of life laughing and sharing. It is diverse and inclusive. There is a sense of energy and hope, a sense of authenticity and a feeling of home. The youngest person was born just two days after moving in and the oldest recently celebrated their 100th birthday.
But that is today.
Let’s go back a step…
Midtown MacPark was conceived from a bold vision of integrated community and housing with a focus on people that has seen the transformation of an 8.2-hectare social housing estate in Macquarie Park (Ivanhoe Estate), in Sydney’s northwest, into a vibrant master-planned community with a mix of social, affordable and private homes.
"Midtown is being developed into 3,300 new homes, of which 950 will be community housing and 130 affordable housing, over 10 to 12 years.”
A partnership between Mission Australia Housing, Frasers Property Australia and Homes NSW and as part of the NSW Government’s Communities Plus program, Midtown is being developed into 3,300 new homes, of which 950 will be community housing and 130 affordable housing, over 10 to 12 years. It will include a town plaza, shops, cafes and restaurants; 2.8-hectares of open space with green parks, a skate park and a playground; a primary school, childcare centres and a new bridge over the creek running through the site.
A strong emphasis on community building aims to establish a cohesive, inclusive, empowered and resilient community, nestled as part of the wider community. There is a commitment to achieving better outcomes for social housing residents with a focus on wellbeing, independence and creating pathways for people to move out of social housing enabled by education, training and employment initiatives.
And so, in late 2023, in readiness for the Stage 1 projected completion date of early 2024 and the handover of 259 social and 130 affordable units, the very tiny seeds of community were planted.
Presenting… Midtown!
Previous residents of the Ivanhoe Estate were the first to be given the opportunity to return, invited to a morning tea. Old friends and new acquaintances mingled together, gathering information about the new units and community. This joyful morning tea was the first of many – the beginning of an extraordinary, exciting and extremely busy few months.
Pre-leasing had started. What followed was a whirlwind of activity, thousands of phone calls, hundreds of hard hat tours, display unit viewings, lease information sessions, unit viewings, open for inspections, lease signings, and of course loading docks, removalist trucks, unit orientations and keys!
"Building organic community was done with each and every interaction, with purpose and intent.”
Community is the heart of Midtown, and a project of this the scale and complexity brings significant opportunity for fostering relationships. Building organic community was done with each and every interaction, with purpose and intent. Neighbours were introduced, people met on hard hat tours, cups of tea were shared, building rules discussed, a sense of shared belonging and ownership started.
People feel part of a journey. There was never a quiet moment in the lifts!
Here come the removalists
The welcome extended as people moved in – orientation of the unit and grounds, helpful information and how to connect services. At the end of their move-in day, residents received with their final keys, as well as a little housewarming gift – a jar of midtown honey, a coffee voucher to share a coffee with a new friend and a note of welcome (excerpt below):
Dear Resident,
Today is the first day in your new home.
We hope you feel a sense of home as you find your way through the gardens and walkways, and into the lobby of your building. And a sense of warmth and welcome as you take the lift to your floor and open the door to your unit and breathe in the greeting of freshly painted walls and new carpet. We hope you feel a sense of inspiration at such beautiful buildings – with such quality in the design and finishes.
As you start to unpack your furniture and your belongings to make your unit your own space, may you feel a comradery alongside your neighbours as they do the same….
For today, we wish for you and for each and every person that this be a place of new beginnings – a place of friendship and neighbours and connection and community. Our hope for you is that you feel part of this place, that you find belonging.
May you laugh long and live proud.
It’s all about connection
The connections continue to build as residents are invited to weekly 'Chatty Café' and fortnightly 'Midtown Eats' – a vibrant and regular street barbeque with over a hundred people routinely in attendance.
This is truly a model of integration; it sees quality and thoughtfulness in design, safe and sustainable housing, community at its heart and people at its centre. The sense of home and togetherness are foundational to success. As Midtown looks to its enormous challenge ahead, the vision is extraordinary:
- What if neighbours from everywhere were friends from somewhere?
- What if housing were both forever homes and for now homes?
- What if the community helped to heal trauma?
- What if the paths were pathways to independence?
For this moment, it is a place of community, of safety, respect, pride and friendship. It is indeed a moment in a story not at the beginning and yet to be told, the story of each and every resident, the story of Midtown…
Share This Article
Other articles you may like
