The group will define the goals and priorities for the city which will form the draft Warrnambool 2040 community plan. In April 2017 Warrnambool City Council started a community conversation about the aspirations and expectations for Warrnambool as a place to live, work and play over the next 20 years.

The 100 community members have reviewed the responses to a survey, and will help shape the future plan.

Urban futurist Stephen Yarwood presented to the council on Friday, and will be the keynote speaker at today’s event at the Emmanuel Centre.

Mr Yarwood consults internationally on future city trends, urban innovation, leadership and creating positive change.

“The community are the world experts on Warrnambool,” he said.

“Don’t ask what your council can do for you, but what you can do for the city.

“We must move from the expectation that local, state or even federal government is doing things for us, to creating an environment where people want to improve their own community.”

Mr Yarwood said he would help the Warrnambool 2040 panel ask the right questions.

“We are seeing a lot of changes,” he said.

“Technology has driven our cities over the past 20 years and that is accelerating. We need to have a conversation about what the technology can enable and how it can be embraced and how it can flourish.” 

He said the plan was about making decisions about “our preferred future”.

“While (some ideas) might sound silly now, it’s about creating a desirable vision of the future that we want to try and achieve,” he said.

The council’s community policy and planning manager Lisa McLeod said the W2040 process had been positive so far.

“The response from the community has been mind-blowing,” she said.