People and Place Mapping: Why Understanding Lived Experience Strengthens Every Project

Most projects start the same way: a map, a spreadsheet and a neat list of “stakeholders”. It feels comprehensive, but it rarely captures the realities of a place – how people move through it, what they depend on, and what change will mean for them.

People and place mapping brings this blind spot into focus. It draws together local insight, lived experience and on-the-ground observation to give project teams a clearer picture of who is affected and why. In property and infrastructure, this early clarity often determines whether a project earns community support or grapples with resistance.

Why People and Place Mapping Leads to Stronger Outcomes

Every project impacts people and place during planning, construction and long after the project is complete. It changes routines, access, atmosphere and sometimes identity. When community engagement relies only on demographic data or high-level stakeholder lists, project teams can miss the nuances that shape local sentiment and community.

People and place mapping fills this gap by:

• revealing nuances of how a place really functions – the behaviours, patterns and deep values a map can’t show
• identifying affected groups and voices that traditional methods can easily miss
• creating deeper stakeholder insights that guide design and communication
• removing the biases we so naturally let creep into project planning
• surfacing social and cultural dynamics early to reduce project risk
• strengthening community engagement with more relevant conversations

Lived Experience is a Powerful Form of Data

Technical desktop assessments only tell part of the story. To understand how a place really functions, you need to be in it – talking to people, observing how they move, and noticing the patterns of everyday life.

Think about a street you know well: the route you naturally take, the shady spot where people wait to cross, the worn shortcut through the grass. These are the things you only learn by being in place.

It is the same with a project. People’s lived experience reveals what they rely on, what they value and where change might create tension. Once work begins, people and place mapping becomes increasingly important, as it keeps pace with an evolving project and how its impacts are experienced over time.

The Groups Traditional Stakeholder Engagement Often Miss

Relying on the most visible or vocal stakeholders can create blind spots that weaken project planning, design decisions and communication strategies. Many projects overlook the people whose perspectives are essential for robust stakeholder engagement and solid project outcomes.

Commonly overlooked and underrepresented groups include:

• traditional owners with deep local knowledge of place
• shift workers, small business owners, carers, older residents in aged care, or people who cannot attend in-person events or rely on online or print options to receive information
• people with disabilities, language barriers, neurodivergence or gender diversity who may feel that traditional engagement approaches create barriers
• renters who never receive mailed notices addressed to property owners
• people with no fixed address who rely on places for safety and can easily be displaced
• children and young people who will live longest with project legacies and have unique insights

Recognising these lesser-heard voices strengthens community engagement, builds trust, helps reduce the risk of project pushback and creates better project outcomes for all.

A More Attentive Approach to Community Engagement

People and place mapping widens and deepens the frame. It encourages teams to look beyond the obvious, question first impressions and notice what sits in the background: the routines, social dynamics, local values, political signals and cultural patterns that influence how a project will be perceived and unfold.

And while no engagement strategy can reach everyone in dynamic, changing communities, every strategy can start from a truer understanding of who is really there, how they live and what they value.

When project teams approach engagement with curiosity and care, the result is clearer insight, better decisions and projects that are better aligned with the communities they affect.

If you are planning a project and want a deeper understanding of the people and place it will shape, our Communications and Stakeholder Engagement team can help. Get in touch to start the conversation.