Cockburn, WA
City in Western Australia
Australia
Cockburn, WA experiments with accessible information boards at Aquatic and Recreation Centre
Six communication boards were installed near frequently used amenities at the Cockburn ARC. Diagrams on each board show how patrons can communicate needs including illness, hunger, and emotional states to ARC staffers. The boards were placed at heights accessible by children and adults in wheelchairs. Cockburn seeks user feedback on board design and placement with an eye toward installations at other park facilities.
Cockburn, WA
Australia
Cockburn, WA counters coastal erosion with an Australian-first artificial reef pilot
Local and state officials funded this project after spending $500,000 AUD to replace 50 meters of lost beach over the past 20 years. The 135-module manufactured reef was placed off the coast of C.Y. O'Connor Beach. Researchers from the University of Western Australia are monitoring the reef's impacts on coastal erosion over three years. Coastal councils throughout Australia will use pilot results as they deal with rising sea levels.
Cockburn, WA
Australia
Cockburn, WA combines audits with incentives to promote responsible waste and recycling bin use
The council conducts biweekly bin audits in eight suburbs during the two-month review period. Cross-contaminated bins are tagged with indicators of how to avoid errors in the future. Households that properly use all three of their bins qualify for entry into a drawing for five $200 AUD vouchers. Multiple entries are possible per household with vouchers redeemable at local businesses.
Cockburn, WA
Australia
Cockburn, WA addresses landfill contributions by food producers with Commercial Food Waste Trial
The city recruited restaurants, grocers, and other food sources for the three-month pilot. Participants received bins and liners for food waste collected by waste management teams. Project partner Richgro uses anaerobic digestion to turn discarded food into fertilizer and biogas electricity for community use. Cockburn reduced 41,000 kilograms of emissions and cut down on landfill contributions during the pilot.
Cockburn, WA
Australia
Cockburn, WA CoSafe Community Security Service combines advanced tools with local expertise
The CoSafe team of local security officers respond to non-emergency calls including graffiti, excessive noise, and suspicious acts. Cockburn trained four team leaders to de-escalate situations that may not require police intervention. CoSafe patrols rely on a network of 800 fixed and mobile CCTV cameras to monitor neighborhood activity. The service's control room uses an AI platform to analyze footage and alert patrols in the area.
Cockburn, WA
Australia
Cockburn, WA reaches a new level of website accessibility with WCAG 2.0 AA certification
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) certification means council websites are accessible by users regardless of ability. Cockburn's main and recreation center websites are fully compatible with screen readers and voice-activated technologies. Any website user can navigate pages using tabs, arrow keys, and special shortcuts rather than mouse and keyboard. Council IT personnel designed the websites to convert maps into text for low-vision users.
Cockburn, WA
Australia
Cockburn, WA turns a car park into a pop-up forest with Greening Greenslade project
An 880 square meter lot in Hamilton Hill was turned into an urban forest for a 12-week demonstration. Greening Greenslade reduced the urban heat island effect in the area and provided shade for pedestrians. Council officials organized a Demonstration Day to encourage exploration of the space by local residents. Cockburn developed the pop-up forest concept with The Forever Project and Urban Impact Project as part of its Urban Forest Plan.
Cockburn, WA
Australia