Manningham Liveable City Strategy and Doncaster Hill Strategy Review

Manningham City Council is seeking assistance in building a whole of municipality Vision for the next 20 years that tackles the opportunities and challenges associated with future population growth, congestion and climate change. Council’s drive to be innovative and future thinking has led to our engagement as leading a team of consultants to prepare a new municipal urban design framework referred to as the Liveable City Strategy and a review of the existing Doncaster Hill Strategy.

To deliver this large piece of work, we have partnered with MGS Architects who are undertaking the Doncaster Hill Strategy review and the preparation of a new Framework Plan. As two leading urban design firms, our partnership ensures the project benefits form a rich source of high-level urban design ideas, and robust testing of those ideas. The Liveable City Strategy offers the opportunity to set a new benchmark for attractive yet sustainable suburban living, with a focus on its long term character, appeal and function and quality of the urban design. 

The Doncaster Hill Strategy presents the opportunity to position the activity centre for transformative change through the introduction of an SRL station.

Both projects are supported by economic inputs from MacroPlan, transport and traffic inputs from Movement & Place Consulting and landscape inputs from TCL.

Why have we changed our name?

kinetica was formerly known as David Lock Associates (DLA).

David Lock Associates (Australia) Pty Ltd changed its name to Kinetica Studio Pty Ltd on 21 February 2020 to reflect the significant reinvention of the business.

Starting with the crystallisation of our vision and values, continuing with a transformation of our planning offer, and culminating in our move to a ‘grown up’ office in the CBD, we are no longer the business we were.

Paralleling these changes, we agreed with David Lock Associates Limited (the English business which gave birth to DLA Australia) that it is time to undo our formal corporate ties, while retaining a strong informal relationship.

This reinvention of the business needed to be expressed outwardly and we began the process of refreshing our graphic identity. DLA has been predominantly known for urban design expertise, and the name reflects our history as a satellite of an English business. A new name offered the opportunity to establish a refined brand, based on a home-grown organisation featuring planners and urban designers trusted for their expertise and independence.

Our new company name, kinetica, reflects our passion for change.  We facilitate and shape changes in the use, ownership and development of land to create a better lived experience.

kinetica retains the best of DLA—highly regarded independent urban design expertise—and combines it with highly regarded independent planning expertise.