The beautiful beach backdrop of Port Macquarie played host to an Asia Pacific placemaking summit where Port Macquarie Hastings Council (PMHC) won an award for its popular annual ArtWalk.
At the 2025 Place Leaders Awards, PMHC was awarded the Placemaking for Prosperity Award for ArtWalk, now in its 10th year, and received a Highly Commended for Place Engagement for Mrs York's Garden.
Delegates from across Australia attended the three-day 2026 Place Leader's Asia Pacific Urban Leaders' Summit, which brought together place-makers, designers, planners, cultural practitioners and community builders to discuss the importance strategic placemaking has on local communities.
The summit was held at the Glasshouse and showcased our region and community-led placemaking was top of the agenda, with the 2026 theme being "Place Engagement".
Mayor Adam Roberts opened the summit, telling delegates across government, academia, community and industry sectors that "great places aren't just designed, they're co-created".
"Our approach to placemaking begins by listening to local voices and celebrating the unique character of our Port Macquarie Hastings area," Mayor Roberts said.
"The community is proud to be Summit Partner while at the same time showing off our stunning natural assets of pristine coastlines, bushland and waterways, and vibrant town centres.
"Instead of being stuck in lecture halls, our local landscape became the classroom with delegates being given ample opportunity to immerse themselves in our beautiful surroundings while learning from local, national and international experts."
PMHC staff led walking tours that included Port Macquarie Town Centre, Phillips Lane, Mrs Yorks Garden, Town Beach Reserve and visits to Tacking Point Lighthouse, Sea Acres Rainforest Centre and Wauchope Farmer's Markets.
General Manager Robert Fish added that several PMHC experts in planning, community engagement and economic development presented to delegates, using local examples of placemaking and activation.
"I'm really proud of the expertise of our team at Council and how they were invited to present on projects that have made a positive difference not only to residents in Port Macquarie and the Hastings area, but to our visitors," Mr Fish said.
"We are committed to ensuring that the community has a voice in shaping our places and spaces and have actively invited feedback on numerous plans, the most recent being the City Heart Strategy and Master Plan which was adopted by PMHC in February."
At the conference, delegates heard from PMHC's Group Manager, Liveable Communities, Lucilla Marshall about the highly successful ArtWalk, plus presentations on engagement-led placemaking by:
• Jack Devenish, Project Manager, Beach-to-Beach Universal Access
• Alex Gray, Community Engagement Officer
• Kat Boulet, recreation and Community Strategy Coordinator
• Vivien Mitchell, Senior Cultural Officer
• Alex Henley, Economic Development Manager
The award recognition further highlights PMHC's leadership in placemaking and its commitment to delivering meaningful outcomes for the community.
Throughout the summit, PMHC had the opportunity to highlight work delivered across the region and the depth of staff expertise, demonstrating the passion and professionalism that underpins this success.
"We had a fantastic opportunity to reimagine how spaces like Phillips Lane can be used and to share PMHC's placemaking experience," Mrs Marshall said.
"Reflecting on the work and partnerships we've built with our community over the past 10 years is something we are incredibly proud of."
