Community Engagement
Community Engagement
Existing Town Centre
Existing Town Centre
The project
Churchill Town Centre serves the regional community of Latrobe City in Gippsland, Victoria. Latrobe City Council engaged Ratio to undertake an urban design study and define a clear vision to guide the Centre’s future growth and revitalisation.
The study presented an opportunity to build on Churchill’s identity as a university town with a strong community spirit, and to create a town centre that reflects the people who call it home.
Our work
Our urban design, landscape architecture and transport teams brought a cohesive, place-based approach to the project from the outset.
We began with a detailed analysis of existing planning controls, strategic policy documents, traffic conditions, car parking supply, and built form. This work identified opportunities to improve legibility, strengthen arrival sequences, and enhance the public realm across the Centre.
Community engagement was central to the process. Working alongside Council, we facilitated an on-site design charrette, stakeholder workshops and broader consultation through Council’s digital channels. The community’s voice directly informed the Centre’s emerging vision and priorities.
A recurring theme was the desire for a central gathering place, somewhere to connect, to rest, and to take in the surrounding rural landscape. In response, the vision proposes a primary public space at the heart of the Town Centre: a flexible, welcoming environment that supports social interaction and celebrates Churchill’s unique setting.
The study delivers a suite of strategic recommendations to improve navigation and legibility, strengthen the sense of arrival, guide built-form outcomes, and foster a stronger sense of community within the Centre.
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