In this episode of The Belonging Shift, host Mantej Singh speaks with Dean Cracknell, Co-Founder of Doing Co and Creator of Placemaking Education, about community-led placemaking, belonging and the leadership shifts needed to create places where people feel connected, welcome and able to contribute. Dean shares why placemaking is more than murals, events or physical design. At its best, it is a mindset and process that helps people connect, contribute, lead and feel proud of the places they call home. The conversation explores how leaders can move from doing things for communities to working with communities, why trust and collaboration matter, and how reframing risk can help institutions become braver in involving people.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Belonging and Doing Co

02:04 Defining Belonging: A Personal Journey

04:11 Shifts in Placemaking: From Design to Connection

06:10 Understanding Community Engagement in Placemaking

09:00 Successful Community-Led Projects: A Case Study

12:24 Barriers to Progress: Misunderstandings in Placemaking

15:16 Practical Steps for Leaders in Community-Led Placemaking

17:40 The Broader Vision of Placemaking

21:14 Key Shifts for Leaders in Placemaking

Dean’s advice for leaders and practitioners for #BelongingShift

Shift 1: Start small, but start

Shift 2: Collaborate instead of trying to do it all yourself

Shift 3: Trust communities to contribute, shape and lead

Shift 4: See placemaking as a journey of learning, not a fixed destination

Shift 5: Build cultures where more leaders can emerge

Guest Bio

Dean Cracknell is Co-Founder of Doing Co and Creator of Placemaking Education. Dean loves helping people to create positive civic, social, economic, environmental or organisational change. He shifted from being an urban planner working in local government and local doer volunteering in my local neighbourhood to being a Doer, Dreamer, Enabler and Connector of people and ideas. He works in the gaps in between: people and places, local governments and local communities, community organising and action, social, economic and environmental improvement and top-down and bottom-up.

Host Bio

Mantej Singh is the Founder and Principal Consultant for Belonging Co, a social and cultural inclusion consultancy based in Sydney with a belonging lens. Belonging Co helps leaders drive participation, trust and engagement. The consultancy delivers strategies, engagement, and programs for organisations and leaders wanting genuine impact across cultural inclusion, community participation and social cohesion.

He founded Belonging Co in 2025 to enhance the capability, confidence, and understanding of leaders and organisations regarding inclusion and community participation. Mantej has over 20 years of experience across community engagement, placemaking, and inclusion, emphasizing that belonging is foundational to thriving communities and effective institutions. For more information on Belonging Co visit www.belongingco.com.au and www.linkedin.com/in/mantejs

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