GOAL
Western Sydney University commissioned JOC Consulting to prepare a Campus Activation Strategy for its Parramatta campus, supporting the broader Place Strategy led by Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects and the Cultural Masterplan prepared by Djinjama in consultation with Darug. With student numbers projected to grow over the next decade and feedback showing students and staff wanted greater vibrancy on campus, Western’s goal was a practical framework for bringing culture, life and activity to the plazas, parks, ovals, river walks and building edges across campus, day and night.
SOLUTION
JOC Consulting developed an evidence-based activation strategy that builds on extensive consultation, research and best practice. This included:
- Engagement with more than 1,100 students, staff and key stakeholders, including a campus pop-up, breezeway wall activation and partner roundtables;
- Mapping of cultural spaces, transformation areas and existing activity across campus, prepared with Hill Thalis;
- A SWOT analysis of cultural activation opportunities and constraints, identifying strengths from active student societies to underused natural assets like the Parramatta River and campus oval;
- Development of five guiding principles with supporting strategies and a staged ten-year action plan (short, medium and long term);
- Alignment with the Place Strategy’s five transformation areas and with the Cultural Masterplan’s commitments to Darug and Country;
- Measures of success spanning experience and use, participation and engagement, culture and identity, and delivery and coordination.
OUTCOME
The Activation Strategy gives Western a practical, ten-year framework for bringing the Parramatta campus to life through culture, creativity and community connection. It complements the longer-term spatial planning of the Place Strategy by offering short to medium-term opportunities for activation, experimentation and partnership. As Parramatta continues its transformation into the cultural and ceremonial heart of Western Sydney University, the Strategy positions the campus as a vibrant, welcoming destination, embedded in the City’s public life and activated across the day and into the night.