James Cook University has been contracted to help improve the Atherton Tablelands town of Milaa Milaa.
The area has been doing it tough since last years torrential rain cutting off major highways, and decreased tourism to the region.
The head of JCU’s Tropical Urbanism and Design Laboratory (TUDLab) Associate Professor Lisa Law says staff and students will help produce a master plan for developing the town.
“Thanks to a grant from the Tablelands Regional Council, the Millaa Millaa Progress Association has contracted JCU to help produce a master plan for the town.
“We will be asking the community questions about what they want their town to be and then designing the master plan around what we are told.”
She says unlike architecture, which focuses on the design of individual buildings, urban design looks at the larger scale of groups of buildings, streets, public spaces, neighbourhoods, districts and entire towns and cities.
“Urban design draws on different disciplines to make connections between people and place, and between nature and things built by humans, to craft a strategic vision for an area.
“The goal of urban design is to make urban areas functional, equitable, attractive and economically viable.”
“The final plan will include suggestions for placemaking, streetscape and landscape improvements, infrastructure needs, environmental and community sustainability, accessibility, as well as considering cultural heritage and the tourist experience,” said Dr Law.
JCU will hold community engagement sessions across the day of Monday 17 June 2024, at the RSL Hall in Oak Street, Millaa Millaa.
