Measuring what Matters: A City Portrait for Melbourne

At the time that Regen Melbourne formed - in the midst of COVID-19 lockdowns, on the heels of the Black Summer bushfires - it felt as though the planet was finally saying, 'enough is enough.' With multiple crises compounding, and exposing other, persistent vulnerabilities, it was clear that we needed a new way of defining our aspirations for the city.

Through a series of workshops, Regen Melbourne explored Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth's framework for a new 'compass' for the 21st century. The Doughnut reorients us away from economic growth as our primary goal. It acknowledges that we must establish a strong social foundation while respecting the planet's ecological ceiling, effectively creating a doughnut-shaped 'safe space for humanity'.

Reimagining the future of Melbourne is both exciting and necessary, but what exactly does it mean to be 'in the doughnut', in the safe and just space for humanity? How do we measure that? And how far are we from it?

Cities all over the world are asking this question, and many have started to create a 'City Portrait' to take an honest look at themselves. The City Portrait is a tool for helping to communicate how a place is performing socially and ecologically.

Regen Melbourne is now developing a City Portrait. The purpose of this is to bring together data and community voice to paint a picture of where greater Melbourne stands in relation to the safe space inside the Doughnut.

Over time, our goal is to create a Living City Portrait, a collectively owned platform that can guide policy and decision-making in support of a thriving city.

We invite all who are interested to join us in upcoming conversations, identifying what a thriving Melbourne means to you and diving into what needs to change to get there.