Regen Melbourne acknowledges and respects the Bunurong, Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation, which is now known as Melbourne. We extend these acknowledgements to all Traditional Owners across the State of Victoria. The knowledge, practices and deep wisdom of the First Nations people of this land guides, informs and drives our work.
This edition we are taking a peek at some global examples in Vienna and LA as well as learning how to find community in 2025 - it's worth the effort! Perhaps you'll find community if you head along to some of the suggested events in things to do? And you'll notice that we've had to move away from giving you just three things to do under each heading….there are too many others to limit things!
A shoutout to my colleague Yasmina Dkhissi for the photos of actual street libraries on the streets of Melbourne shared throughout. 📸
🔄 Melbourne Shifts
This is a new trial segment that we hope to have content for each edition so we know we are constantly seeing shifts in street transformation. Sharing the shifts that we can see on our 300,000 streets so we can monitor and measure change underway. This edition’s share is a big shift that can apply to the whole entire network - the speed zoning policy enabling easier implementation of reduced speed limits. Well done to the many who advocated hard to get to this wonderful result. 👏
📄 Speed Zoning Policy - Edition 3 - August 2025
5 Things to Read
1. What is Living Infrastructure
🌱 Why it matters: Understanding living infrastructure is crucial for creating resilient, sustainable urban environments that work with natural systems rather than against them. This resource explains how green infrastructure can transform our streets and communities, drawing from the LA context with much that could apply locally.
✨ Highlight: Living infrastructure provides multiple benefits simultaneously: managing stormwater, improving air quality, creating habitat, and enhancing community wellbeing through nature-based solutions.
2. Town Team Movement Quick Wins
📄 Quick Wins for Community Action
🏘️ Why it matters: Small, achievable actions can create momentum for larger community transformations. These quick wins show how communities can start making positive changes to their streets and neighbourhoods immediately.
✨ Highlight: Simple interventions like pop-up seating, community gardens, or temporary street art can activate spaces and build community agency without requiring major infrastructure investment.
3. Building Urban Oases
📄 Why would you take away a parking place? The city where anyone can build an urban oasis
🌳 Why it matters: This article explores how cities are reimagining street space, showing how removing parking can create community spaces that benefit everyone. It demonstrates the power of citizen-led placemaking.
✨ Highlight: Cities that prioritise people over parking spaces see increased social interaction, improved air quality, and stronger local economies as communities reclaim their streets.
4. Finding Community in 2025
📄 How to find community in 2025: 'The most important thing I've learned is I'm not alone'
🤝 Why it matters: In an increasingly disconnected world, building genuine community connections is essential for wellbeing and social resilience. This guide offers practical steps for finding and creating community in modern urban life.
✨ Highlight: The most effective way to build community is through consistent, small actions by showing up regularly, being vulnerable, and creating spaces where others feel welcome to connect.
5. Human-Centered Cities
📄 Urban Mobility as a System: From Car-Centric to Human-Centered Cities
🚶 Why it matters: This comprehensive look at urban mobility transformation shows how cities worldwide are shifting from car-centric to human-centered design, creating more liveable and sustainable communities.
✨ Highlight: Cities that prioritise walking, cycling, and public transport see reduced emissions, improved public health, and stronger community connections as streets become spaces for people rather than just vehicles.
3 Things to Hear
1. Citizen is a verb!
🗣️ Why it matters: This latest podcast from How to Save Democracy explores community building and placemaking strategies, offering insights into how grassroots movements can transform neighbourhoods from the ground up.
✨ Highlight: Successful community initiatives start with listening to local voices and building trust through consistent, authentic engagement with residents.
2. Rethinking Parking with Steven Burgess
🎧 Steven Burgess: Rethinking Parking
🚗 Why it matters: This podcast discussion between Get Around Caboolture and Steven Burgess challenges traditional approaches to parking and street space, exploring how communities can reimagine these areas for multiple uses and greater community benefit.
✨ Highlight: Flexible parking solutions that adapt to community needs throughout the day can significantly increase the social and economic value of street space.
3. The Kindest Soul I've Walked With
💝 The Kindest Soul I've Walked With
❤️ Why it matters: This touching podcast episode explores human connection and compassion in urban environments, reminding us that streets are fundamentally about the people who inhabit and move through them and that we are all connected in some way shape or form.
✨ Highlight: Small acts of kindness and genuine human connection can transform not just individual experiences but entire neighborhood cultures and street-level social dynamics.
Things to Do
1. 🍩 Purpose: A Wellbeing Economies Movie Night, Regen Melbourne event
📅 Date: Thursday 16th October
📍 Location: 8 Ballarat Street, Yarraville Victoria 3013, Australia
🔗 More Info: Purpose Movie Night
📝 Description: A community screening and discussion exploring wellbeing economics and how we can create more purpose-driven, sustainable local economies. The event includes facilitated discussion about how these principles apply to neighbourhood-level change and street-scale interventions.
2. 🌱 Regenerating Community: Community Development in Victoria
📅 Date: Thursday 16th - Saturday 18th October
📍 Location: Footscray
🔗 More Info: Regenerating Community
📝 Description: A comprehensive program exploring community development practices across Victoria, focusing on regenerative approaches that strengthen local resilience and democracy. Sessions cover practical tools for neighbourhood organising, participatory planning, and creating lasting community-led change. You might see a special appearance from the Regen team here!
3. 🌱 Kitchen Garden Foundation Training for Schools
📅 Date: Thursday 18th September, 4-5pm
📍 Location: Online Webinar
🔗 More Info and register: Kitchen Garden Foundation Training
📝 Description: Professional development training for educators interested in implementing kitchen garden programs in schools. This comprehensive training covers curriculum integration, garden design, and community engagement strategies that can extend learning into street-level food systems and neighbourhood connections.
4. 🌏 Reworlding City North
📅 Date: Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October, 10am-5pm each day
📍 Location: 26 Cardigan Street, Carlton
🔗 More Info: Reworlding City North
📝 Description: An immersive experience exploring future visions for North Melbourne through creative mapping, community visioning, and collaborative planning. Participants will engage with local streets and spaces to imagine and design more sustainable, connected neighborhoods. Another special appearance from the Regen team here!
🌟 Streetlight on Place
Swanston Street: A Pedestrian Revolution
How do you feel about Swanston St? Like it or not, thousands of people use this busy city street every day in many ways. But step back thirty years, and you'd find a very different story unfolding on Melbourne's most iconic thoroughfare. As I walked down this street on a busy Friday afternoon last week, I was conscious of how I experienced the street. I stopped to purchase The Big Issue from a local vendor, passed by the City of Melbourne guides dotted on multiple street corners, zig-zagged through the dense pedestrian traffic and crossed roads at various points to avoid roadworks. But the thing I notice the most is - this street is ALIVE!
Once choked with 60,000 cars daily, Swanston Street was little more than a congested highway for commuters cutting through the CBD. Most weren't stopping to shop, eat, or linger but rather just passing through, leaving behind pollution and noise while contributing nothing to the street's vitality. The transformation we see today didn't happen by accident.
Rob Adams, during his Postcode 3000 tenure with the City of Melbourne, had the foresight and made brave decisions that shaped how this street flows today. When the street closed to through traffic in 1992, skeptics predicted chaos. Instead, newspapers ran headlines like "Cakewalk" as traffic flowed smoothly around the city while Swanston Street began its transformation into a pedestrian paradise.
The street's evolution reflects a deeper understanding of city shaping; that streets aren't just conduits for vehicles, but the very fabric of city life. Today's Swanston Street, with its widened footpaths, dedicated tram lanes, bluestone paving, and custom lighting, demonstrates what happens when we design for people first. The street has become a showcase of how public space can be reclaimed and reimagined.
Yet challenges remain. The Lord Mayor's recent conversation starter about pedestrian etiquette highlights both our success and our growing pains. When pedestrian behavior becomes a concern, it signals that we've successfully created spaces people want to use……lots of people.
What can we learn from understanding how people use streets every day? That good urban design isn't just about moving traffic efficiently; it's about creating spaces where communities can flourish. Swanston Street proves that when we design streets for people, not just cars, we don't just change traffic patterns, we transform cities.
Global Designing Cities share a detailed overview of Swanston St as a case study here.
🚶 Got an idea, story, or initiative that reshapes how we think about streets, community, or regeneration?
We'd love to hear it! Whether it's a local project, cutting-edge research, or a spark of inspiration, share it with us to feature in our next edition. Let's amplify your vision together! 🌟
Send us an ✉️ at nina@regen.melbourne