Client: City of Kingston, VIC | Project timeframe: 2020-2027
“Place Score’s Liveability Study data will be an important component of our panel’s deliberations. It has provided valuable insight into what the community values most in their neighbourhood and will help identify priority areas for Council investment. The Liveability Study also has some really rich data that is of benefit to the wider organisation, and all the relevant departments at Council now have access to the online dashboard to mine the data further.”
Michelle Devanny, Communications Advisor, City of Kingston
The problem
The City of Kingston needed a clear, community-backed evidence base to support its four-year strategic review and Health and Wellbeing Plan, and to inform longer-term policy, sustainability, and investment decisions.
As Kingston moves toward more consistent, ongoing community engagement, there was a need for a reliable approach that could capture changing community priorities and support meaningful, evidence-led impact over time.
The solution
Place Score delivered 2 rounds of LGA-wide liveability research in both 2020 and 2024, collecting over 16,000 responses from the community over the two engagements. An organisational leadership workshop provided an essential opportunity to embed the community values and priorities across departments, aligning the organisation around shared goals for improved outcomes.
The outcome
Kingston recorded a PX score of 69 in 2024, compared to 71 in 2020, whilst following the overall national trend of dropping liveability, Kingston has consistently outperformed the national benchmark. This is a strong result worth celebrating, particularly as it sits alongside clear improvements in addressing long-standing community priorities.
In 2020, Environmental Sustainability emerged as a key priority theme, with the community expressing concern around Sustainable urban design and Protection of the natural environment. While community values continue to evolve, the data shows that Council has actively responded to these priorities. Performance across these metrics has been maintained, with modest but meaningful improvements recognised by the community in 2024.
Clayton South improves liveability with targeted investment
Clayton South, one of the lower-performing suburbs in 2020, identified clear priorities around the natural environment and sustainable design. In 2024, improvements were recorded across both individual metric scores and the overall PX Score, which increased from PX59 to PX64, making Clayton South one of the most improved suburbs over this period.
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