G21 had to be regional, not city focussed
What is a region? And how does it differ from a city? The answer is simple...
A region is a large and defined area of land. A city or town lives in a region. In fact, a region could have a number of cities or towns. And each region is governed by a local council. A regional area could also consist of more than one region.
A key feature recognised by G21 was that geographical boundaries no longer determine regional issues or opportunities. As a community, we live, work and play in different cities and regions. And from a service perspective, we shop, do business, are educated and receive health and utility services from groups that may not be located in our residential area.
So - in G21 terms, the Geelong Strategic Alliance's 'Geelong region', is the area of land governed by the five independent councils belonging to G21. This region is also referred to as the Barwon region.
The five councils of the Geelong region are: the City of Greater Geelong, Colac Otway Shire, Golden Plains Shire, Borough of Queenscliffe and Surf Coast Shire, who each shared a vision for the future, and joined the G21 initiative with the aim of developing a regional approach to planning.
It is important to understand that G21 is not a project focussing singularly on the City of Greater Geelong. While the City of Greater Geelong identified the need for a 'strategic direction plan' in early 2001 and developed the initial concept to aid improved community well being in the future across multiple industries, it was rapidly acknowledged for the plan to work, it needed multi-regional expansion and support.
Delivery of a long-term strategic plan for the Geelong region was catalysed in the evolution of the Geelong Region Alliance (G21). Today, G21 is supported as a partnership initiative of the wider Geelong region - consisting of council, business and community representatives.
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