| Step
3. Where Are We Going?
3a. Analysing Trends
Community directions need to be
informed by demographic, economic and social trends and
changes in the council area. The issues that influence communities
range from global to local as follows:
Scale
of Trends |
Examples |
| Global |
Climate change, increasing technology and communications |
| National |
Ageing population, Changes to volunteering, a shift
to services in the economy, increasing cultural diversity |
| State |
Population growth, infrastructure provision, access
to water, increasing privatisation of government services
|
| Regional |
Rapid development in tree change and sea change communities,
patterns of development |
| Local |
Community identity, impacts on volunteering, local
access to public transport etc. |
Some issues are uniquely local, but many
issues involve the local implications of global, national
and state trends.
Trends and
issues can be identified by extending community profiling
so that:
- Change over time is presented.
For example, data can be shown as the proportion of people
in different age groups. However, it is more meaningful
to show the change from say the 2001 and 2006 census.
- A summary of key issues and
trends is provided. Many profiles are a large collation
of statistics. It is better to summarise the main trends
and highlights of the information at the beginning of
the profile.
Profiles need to be produced at the appropriate level of
detail. They can range from being quite general to very
detailed. The level of detail should be determined by what
would be most meaningful in identifying issues and trends
for consideration in planning.
3b. Existing Information
A range of existing plans, reports and
information are often available describing national, state,
regional and local trends.
Key sources are:
3c. Consideration during Community Engagement
National, state, regional and community
trends need to also be outlined/considered during community
engagement. This is usually during the identification of
community opportunities and challenges. Community members
consider the trends identified in the community profile
and other information and identify local impacts. |
