Lane Cove and Willoughby councils have jointly developed a program to strengthen social connections in apartment buildings. The program includes a meet your neighbours toolkit for residents, building managers and strata committees. It offers lots of ideas about how to get people from the same building together.
The kit includes a resilience tool for vertical communities to assess their social connections, preparedness for emergencies and the resilience of the building and infrastructure. Residents work on this assessment together and identify actions to reduce risks and build resilience. As part of the pilot program, Lane Cove council organised the Red Cross to hold emergency preparedness sessions. These proved to be very popular as a meaningful way to connect with neighbours.
The councils are now offering funding to support more vertical communities who are interested in joining the program. The guide and tool kit are available online for councils to use.
Lane Cove Council, Willoughby City Council, Australian Red Cross, Department of Premier and Cabinet