Wired Community @ Collingwood
Wired provides residents of the Collingwood public housing estate in inner-Melbourne an opportunity to obtain a network-ready computer at no cost, along with the establishment of an ICT training hub, estate-wide intranet and communications network, email and affordable internet access for residents.
The project was launched in August 2008 and focuses on the 620 households in three buildings and 367 flats in the Collingwood public housing estate.
The $3.6 million Wired Community@Collingwood initiative is the largest project of its kind in Australia and includes $1.9 million funding from the Victorian Government and $1.7 million from in-kind and philanthropic contributions.
In 2009 the project won the ZDNet Australia Community Award at the iAwards, Australia's ICT industry awards. The global management consultants A T Kearney found the initiative in Collingwood, as well as a previous project on the nearby Atherton Gardens Estate in Fitzroy, delivered great social, economic and health benefits. View their report here.
The WIRED project aims to:
- improve the social, economic and environmental circumstances of the public housing estate in Collingwood;
- strengthen the capacity and cohesiveness of the community and its networks, and;
- provide access to information technology for those usually excluded from its benefits, that will lead to an increase in the skills and educational opportunities of housing estate families.
It takes a whole of community approach to community building and economic development using new technologies as tools to provide equal access for all residents to local community and world-wide communications, alongside education, skills development, improved health and well-being, access to health and community services and employment opportunities.
It includes components such as:
- development of intranet and appropriate communication management systems;
- involvement, coordination and integration of government, service providers and businesses;
- development, coordination and provision of training for residents;
- provision of access to information technology for residents, including provision of appropriate computer hardware, software and user support;
- a community development model that enables the transition to resident involvement in the development of a social enterprise through training, support, systems development and business management;
- evaluation of its outcomes; and
- examination of the public-private partnership options.
- Wired Community @ Collingwood:
- strengthens and develops new partnerships and relationships between residents of the Collingwood Estate, community service providers, government at all levels and the business community;
- uses a community-development approach that encourages and develops community understanding, ownership and ongoing management of the project;
- facilitates a community strength-based approach to the development of community responses to local issues, concerns and needs; and
- mentors and supports the implementation of coordinated, ‘grass-roots’ approaches to the provision of services and facilities for residents so that they are empowered to control their own lives.
It adopts a direct-action strategy to address issues of affordable access to information technology; economic development of the Collingwood community; increasing user IT skills; the creation of web-based content that is relevant and the inspiration of local communities to life-long learning.
It mirrors another project that Infoxchange Australia is successfully running, Electronic Atherton Community Enterprise (e-ACE) that is located in Atherton Gardens Housing Estates, Fitzroy.
About Collingwood Estate
The Collingwood Public Housing Estate was announced as a Neighbourhood Renewal site in November 2002. Neighbourhood Renewal is bringing together local residents, businesses, services and government to collaboratively explore and pursue opportunities for enhancing skill, capacity and leadership within the community. Community members are effecting tangible change, creating a positive and improved environment on the estate.
The Collingwood Public Housing Estate is centrally located; it is close to the city, public transport, schools, health services and shopping strips. It is home to approximately 1600 households from a diverse range of backgrounds. Over thirty languages are spoken amongst community members. The most numerous ethnic groups are Vietnamese (26.9%), Chinese (4.2%), and Turkish (4.4%).
The Collingwood estate occupies a tract of land between Hoddle Street and Wellington Street. The estate was developed subsequent to the demolition, in 1958 by the then Housing Commission, of cottages near Johnston and Hoddle Streets. It consists of three high-rise tower blocks and 367 walk-up and town house style properties. Two high-rises are situated in Hoddle Street between Johnston and Vere Streets (Numbers 229 & 253) and one is situated in Wellington Street (Number 240). These twenty storey high were built between 1968 and 1971 and are each home to between 180 and 209 households. Between the Wellington and Hoddle highrises, Harmsworth, Perry, Emerald and Vere Streets border the 367 low-rise properties. These low-rise properties were built between 1957 and 1971. These properties were substantially redeveloped between 1984 to 1990.
Download the Preliminary Evaluation Report [ PDF, 127kB ]
