The first full year of Regen Melbourne has rolled out in the context of the continued disruption of COVID-19. In this period, we have moved from a collective response to the pandemic, marked by rolling economy-wide lockdowns, to an individualist response that has shifted the impacts to singular organisations and households. This has resulted in our economy beginning to reboot, while illness and hardship has continued to create difficulties for all. We have also experienced extensive flooding in 2022, impacting Greater Melbourne and surrounds in profoundly difficult ways. 

In this shifting context, the original driver for Regen Melbourne remains: how can we re-organise our system in order for a more resilient, thriving and regenerative economy to emerge?

Over the past 12 months, we have experimented broadly, learned a lot and continuously revised and renewed our strategy and approach. Just like there is an intricate ecosystem of inter-connected roots, nutrient layers and mycelium networks below ground, we have spent much of our time on this systems work, network building and storytelling. We have been building the foundations of a new layer of social infrastructure to bridge us above the ground. Excitingly, this has begun to yield early seedlings; evidence that this new way of organising will bring deeply impactful research and projects to life.

Regen Melbourne is emerging as a platform for ambitious collaboration, in service to Greater Melbourne.

We do this by harnessing place-based research and catalysing wildly ambitious collective projects. Over the past 12 months we have grown to become an alliance of almost 150 organisations and countless individuals working towards a thriving Melbourne within planetary boundaries. Our little team has grown to 5 dedicated and wonderful staff, supported by many volunteers and contributors along the way.

We have convened countless workshops, research forums, round tables and community events, each attended by diverse representatives bringing professional and personal expertise and imaginations into the collective vision for the future of Melbourne. And we have begun to coalesce our energy around a series of wildly ambitious collective projects; tangible and inspiring “earthshot” goals to propel our city into the safe and just space of the Melbourne Doughnut.

One example of a wildly ambitious project is making the lower reaches of the Birrarung/Yarra River swimmable again by 2030. Our pilot has created a new alliance of partners, co-developed a clear vision, convened workshops, integrated research, delivered a project incubator, catalysed renewed government interest, convened a Design Forum, and unlocked new philanthropic capital. What was once deemed a crazy idea is slowly gathering momentum. 

We are now exploring a range of other wildly ambitious projects in the areas of food systems, street homelessness, participatory democracy and regenerative streets. And we would love you to help us find our next wildly ambitious project. 

Over the next 12 months, our aim is to activate our alliance around key research initiatives including continuing our work with the City Portrait Measurement Project, and to establish 3-5 earthshots, or wildly ambitious demonstration projects. Together, we will retain our transformative ambition, holding true to the founding mission to move Melbourne into the safe and just space of the Melbourne Doughnut. 

We’re just getting started; we can’t wait to continue our work together, in 2023 and beyond.