Presented at the Town Team Movement’s Festival of Doing on Friday 8 May, the award recognises innovative place-based projects that strengthen communities, improve public spaces and encourage local participation.

The Wattle Grove Community Dog Park grew from a community petition calling for a dedicated enclosed dog exercise space in the area, reflecting strong local demand for more dog-friendly community infrastructure.

At the same time, the City had recently undergone an organisational restructure which saw the creation of a new Place team - expanding on the City’s existing community development approach and embedding stronger place-based thinking, collaboration and community-led delivery models across projects and initiatives.

The dog park became the first major project delivered through this new approach, providing an opportunity to trial a more community-enabled model that empowered local residents, the Wattle Grove Town Team and project partners to help shape, design and deliver the space together.

Mayor Margaret Thomas said the award was a proud recognition of what can be achieved when local government genuinely empowers its community.

“This project was community-led from the very beginning and reflects the passion, creativity and commitment of local residents who wanted to create something meaningful for their neighbourhood,” Mayor Thomas said.

“What made this project stand out was not only the collaborative way it was delivered, but the personality and local identity built into the space itself. Rather than a standard off-the-shelf dog park design, the park includes colourful community-inspired elements such as painted play features, agility elements, artwork, landscaping and a community-created stick and ball library.

“Many of these ideas came directly from local residents through workshops, design days and community build activities, which helped create a genuine sense of ownership and pride within the community.

“The project also demonstrated a different way of working by reducing barriers and supporting the community to help shape and deliver the space together, while still maintaining important safety and governance requirements.”

Since opening in November 2025, the enclosed dog park has attracted around 100 weekly users and built an engaged online community of more than 3,000 followers.

The project was recognised for its innovative engagement approach, strong community ownership and collaborative delivery model.

The City thanked the Wattle Grove Town Team, Town Team Movement, project partners, volunteers, local residents and City staff who contributed to the project’s success.

For more information on the City of Kalamunda’s place-based approach and community-led projects, visit www.kalamunda.wa.gov.au/placemaking