What are some good marketing ideas for an apartment community?

How do we establish and build a sense of community; Your ideas? experience?

• I own an apartment in a new area of Melbourne known as "Docklands". It is reclaimed ship docking area as the name suggests that has been left to dillapidate for near a hundred years. Its redeeming feature is that it is right next to city of 3.75 million and on the waters edge. It is undergoing massive development and improvemnet which is primarily based on a line of tall skyscraper apartment towers and a line of upmarket retaurants and bars; so far proving extremely successful. For those in USA there is apparently something very similar on the west coast( I think) which was similary transformed from coastal wasteland to apartments and restauarants/ bars etc. The question I am pondering as a new member of the newly formed residents association is " how do we ensure that before masses of people move in and the place becomes similar to some other cheap tourist meccas with no sense of belonging for residents , can we establsih and build a real sense of community in this new suburb. We want to avoid at all costs what happened to our tropical playground, The Goldcoast" where all sorts of fly-by-nighters and various other short stay business people came in so that today there is almost no sense of community there at all!! People there are isolated in their dwellings and reportedly very little comunity activities, get-togethers etc are in place there. Again how can we, the brand new residents of Docklands avoid this and get something going, whether it be activities, newsletters, formal meetings, competitions etc.

• Answer:

  Hello johnfrommelbourne-ga: Your situation sounds promising, but frustratingly isolated at the moment, all right. But you're correct: there are things a small group of volunteers can do to build a sense of community and neighborhood. A good place to start is the "Making Sense of Place" page, at: http://www.makingsenseofplace.org/resources/community.asp which will link you to a number of organizations. One of the best links there is Empowerment Institute/Global Action Plan: http://www.globalactionplan.org/ which emphasizes human interaction in creating a sense of neighborhood & belonging. That main page will link you to the "Living Neighborhood Program," which delineates how to build a community that is: "Safer Healthier Quieter Prettier Friendlier More entertaining More economical Better places to raise kids Kinder to the environment . . ." Posterity (livable neighborhoods pass on priceless gifts) " You can even purchase a community building workbook from the site at: http://www.globalactionplan.org/Files/EI_Frameset3.htm The workbook instructs community activists on creating such programs as: team welcome wagon/ team housewarming; dispute resolution; planning a block party; planting community (flower and vegetable) gardens; forming food cooperatives; making your neighborhood greener and cleaner, and providing cooperative baby-sitting/ daycare. (In order to pull off these great ideas, you'll need a few other people to join you in forming a community enhancement planning team for Docklands.) This academic research paper, "Building Community Initiatives in Rural, Coastal Communities," http://www.aae.wisc.edu/www/cced/952.pdf explores how residents of a small Green Bay town named Oconto decided to rehabilitate their old waterfront. You'll have to wade through some academia-ese until you hit plain English, around Page 8. A good general interest site is the U.S. Government's NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)'s Web page, "Living On The Coast': http://www.csc.noaa.gov/smartgrowth/ which contains tips for" balancing coastal communities' needs for economic growth, environmental protection, and social health and well-being." While I was searching for coastal communities, I stumbled upon this article on one "community school": "A Steadiness from Within: Building a Sense of Community at The Community School," which happens to be in the beautiful coastal town of Camden, Maine. (The films PEYTON PLACE and IT HAPPENED TO JANE, were filmed there, btw.) For general background on community schools, see http://www.communityschools.org/ You might also want to consider such things as group "bluffs trails hikes" -- I'm thinking you might have bluffs in Docklands? Group hikes can be fun and are a good way for residents to nurture budding friendships. If you'd like to learn about getting help to create trails, or if you don't have any flora and fauna nearby and you want establish a committee to develop community parks, look for possible help for funding at "Grant Programs: Funding and Support for Heritage Conservation": http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/4A25676D002853CA/BCView/4EAA7D9B39DF91E8CA256CE0000FF286?OpenDocument Another good idea is to form a historical society to preserve the area's heritage. If funding for such a program is problematic, a local school might want to start a "history club" (there's one at my local school) and let the kids gather, organize, and catalog historical photos and other memorabilia.The local library may be able to house and display such items until a formal historical society can be established. Learning local history also makes kids more appreciative of, and in involved in, their community, too. You may also want to startup a community newsletter or news and information Web site. See the UK "Grass Routes" site: http://www.quest-net.org/grass.asp?mode=newsletters for some ideas. You may be able to get grant money, or local businesses may be willing to pay for ads that will sustain a free monthly newsletter or a community Web site. Once you begin meeting your neighbors at those community block parties and yard (jumble) sales you're going to be enjoying soon, you may meet some retired reporters (or semi-retired, now stay-at-home, moms who used to be writers or reporters), willing to volunteer time and effort to a newsletter. Btw, There are several "planned communities" in coastal Florida that I've heard of, but I couldn't find quite what you were referring to re: coastal U.S. city. You may be thinking of Baltimore, which did a wonderful job of rehabilitating its old docks district back in the 1980s. There's a lot you can do, and cheers to you for caring enough to try and make Docklands into a real neighborhood! Search Strings: "building sense community" "funding parks development Australia" "coastal communities 'community planners'" "coastal community renewal" Regards, nancylynn-ga