A Defining Moment for Community-Led Development at the Sydney Build Expo
NEWS

A Defining Moment for Community-Led Development at the Sydney Build Expo

Pauline Turner Presents on Community Development

On Wednesday the 29th of April 2026, Pauline Turner, Woodlea’s Community Development Manager, took the stage at Sydney Build Expo, Australia’s largest construction and design event.

Pauline’s presentation focused on a challenge many large-scale projects continue to grapple with: how to meaningfully integrate community development into the earliest phases of planning and delivery.

Learn more about the Expo

From Concept to Practice

A key focus of Pauline’s presentation was the Community Builders Program, a Woodlea-first initiative designed to support residents in forming connections, leading activities, and contributing to the identity of their community from the outset.

The program reflects Woodlea’s long-term commitment to building not just homes, but thriving, connected communities.

Supporting this model is the GROW framework, an adaptable approach that guides communities through four key stages:

  • Gather: Understand the community, its people, strengths, and needs
  • Reveal: Uncover ideas, passions, and opportunities
  • Own: Support residents to lead and deliver their own projects
  • Weave: Build connections and networks so initiatives can be sustained and enriched

While developed within the Woodlea context, Pauline emphasised that this framework is not place-specific. Its strength lies in its scalability, offering a transferable model that can be applied across current and future developments facing similar challenges.

Why Community-Led Development Matters

A central theme of the session was reframing how the industry defines “infrastructure.” Beyond roads, utilities, and built form, Pauline argued that community itself is critical infrastructure – one that directly influences project outcomes.

“To have neighbourhoods that truly thrive, we need to design for connection, invest in people, and recognise that community is not a byproduct of development, it is the foundation of it.”

This perspective positions community development as both a social and economic asset. It challenges traditional models that treat community as an afterthought, instead advocating for approaches that integrate social outcomes from day one.

In doing so, Woodlea continues to demonstrate a forward-thinking approach – helping to set a benchmark for how large-scale communities can be planned, delivered, and sustained.

Read Pauline’s Perspective

Pauline expands on these ideas in her accompanying opinion editorial, where she reflects more deeply on the thinking behind the Community Builders Program and the broader role community plays in shaping successful, enduring places.

Her perspective offers both strategic insight and practical observations, drawing on real examples from Woodlea to illustrate how community-led initiatives can influence long-term outcomes. It also highlights the opportunity for developers, planners and policymakers to adopt more intentional approaches to social infrastructure.

Read Pauline’s Full Piece