New Urban Governance

Our work in New Urban Governance is made up of a Learning Portfolio that includes projects based within our Earthshots, giving them specificity and place-based context in Melbourne. At the same time, we are exploring some governance-related questions more broadly, where working in collaboration with partners at a conceptual level is important. The Learning Portfolio responds to three interconnected themes, each underpinned by supporting how-to learning questions.

Melbourne is a metropolitan city without a metropolitan governance layer, which generates ongoing challenges in planning and responding to challenges that do not respect municipal borders. This theme focuses on the structures and practices that can help bring greater coherence to decision-making at a Greater Melbourne scale. Our learning questions within this theme include:

• What might new forums or institutions look like that can allow us to make better, community-informed and systems-oriented decisions about the future of Greater Melbourne?
• How might we scale up democratic activity at a local level to the city level, to realise the vision of a safe, just and regenerative Greater Melbourne?

A future oriented towards regeneration requires new leadership formations and capabilities, moving beyond existing power structures and dynamics. This theme focuses on identifying and shaping new types of leaders and leadership and building connections across these to affect change at a city scale. Our learning questions within this theme include:

• How might we identify and foster new forms of leadership required for regeneration?
• How might we foster connection and coherence among community leaders across the city to amplify and embed new forms of leadership and the change they inspire?

Our individual and collective wellbeing depends on the effectiveness of our democracy and its ability to respond to the needs of people and care for place - including and beyond elections. This theme focuses on both the health of our democratic systems and the ability of diverse people and communities to participate in them. Our learning questions within this theme include:

• How might we work across the diversity of our communities to develop shared visions for a regenerative city?
• How might we help people to better understand, navigate and shape our local, state and national government decision-making processes?
• What tools, forums or institutions might make it easier for people to engage in decision-making, meeting citizens where they are?
• How might we create opportunities for democratic participation at multiple scales (street, suburb, city) that rebuild trust in our democracy?