‘Field Notes’ is a fortnightly column in which Regen Melbourne’s Lead Convenors provide on-the-ground updates and insights from their work and focus areas.

We know that thriving neighbourhoods will require the combined efforts of community leaders from across Greater Melbourne. As part of the Sensemaking process, Regen Streets lead convenor Nina Sharpe has been meeting with these leaders to better understand the challenges and opportunities they face, and the role Regen Melbourne can play in helping bring their bold and hopeful visions to life. 

During this sensemaking phase of Regen Streets we are seeking to make sense of the current environment in relation to the streets of Greater Melbourne, how we use them and how they serve us for future generations. Sensemaking reveals the network patterns that exist in our current environment and is the necessary precursor to strategic action, action that transforms the landscape in which we’re operating rather than replicating activity that doesn’t work.

This process involves many conversations with people across different sectors, site visits to witness the work that is already underway and a series of forums seeking specific feedback on the current state of play. Each person I meet introduces me to another two. There is a groundswell of effort pointing us in the right direction and there is, without  doubt, a desire for regenerative change on our streets. 

We know that this change will take efforts from multi-layered stakeholders across all sectors of society; but today I want to shine a light on our community leaders. 

But this work comes with its challenges. 

To explore these challenges, this month we brought together 15 Melbourne-based community leaders across two online sessions and asked them to share their local experience. From North Melbourne to Rosebud, from community activists to long-time cycling advocates – we had a room full of knowledge. The questions were simple: What does a regen street mean to you? What barriers get in the way of your good work? And what needs to change to allow this work to happen at the scale and urgency required? 

“Melbourne is seeking something different and new. And within the city we have the knowledge and skills to step up and drive the change.”

Together, these leaders described a vision for a place that makes you feel welcome. A lively place where the people are deeply connected and feel hopeful for the future. Kids can play safely and people are free to move and experience their neighbourhood, no matter who they are. They imagined beautiful green spaces with a thriving natural environment, a low-carbon life where we shift away from car centricity and towards generous spaces in which we could be together.

There are many barriers that get in the way of this good work. Much of the work is run by volunteers who frequently burn out, can be too busy to become involved and sometimes struggle to imagine a better outcome. The projects themselves are difficult to enliven, as even simple ideas can take a big amount of effort due to blockers. In turn, those involved lose momentum. 

There are challenges in working with all levels of government. Some of those in power don’t want to hear from the community at all, while some in the community won’t take action themselves as they expect the government to do it all. There are policy barriers, planning restrictions, unhelpful bureaucracy and wicked systemic blockers that prevent good work from progressing.

And then there is money – it isn’t flowing to these wonderful people and the ideas they have for their streets. 

There was, however, much hope within the group. While these challenges are felt deeply and frequently stunt progress, the group had many solutions to suggest:

• Find the allies – work with the right people on the inside and create partnerships in many places 

• Engage peak bodies and Government – have close ties with peak bodies and at all levels of government to work towards providing flexibility in regulation and bureaucracy

• Share – information to support each other, to speed things up, to show what is possible and to measure and evaluate our wins and fails so we can learn from one another 

• Build community capacity – develop strong leadership and value this role in the overall shift we are tackling. Give support to forming groups and allow them to work towards building a critical mass. 

• Set the vision – allow the broader community to imagine what is possible by supporting them to set a vision. 

• Outside these forums, I have met some incredible leaders defying the odds to create new conditions in their neighbourhoods. These inspiring people are cutting through the red tape and carving new pathways towards regeneration, and they are dotted across the city.  

People like 81-year-old Mary Stringer from the City of Banyule in Melbourne’s northeast. 

Mary has been instrumental in bringing the Transition Towns movement to Melbourne, and in strengthening the ties between other Transition Towns nationally and globally. Mary started this work back in 2009 when she attended a workshop the UK Transition Towns team were running as part of a global tour to empower others to start their own movement. It was the emphasis on the heart in the delivery of the workshop that won Mary over. This, combined with her training with Joanna Macy back in 1998, is what has shaped her leadership style in working with communities and has kept her going for the past 15 years.

During this time Mary has motivated the people of the City of Banyule to be part of the various activation projects (community gardens, events, talking circles) or to step up and lead in their own suburb. She speaks to the power of focusing efforts in one suburb and the power of hyper-local energy to make great progress and actually get something done. To Mary, collaboration is everything. She has many stories to tell and believes that if we connect people deeply (away from social media), we can build an effective catalyst for change. 

Melbourne is seeking something different and new. And within the city we have the knowledge and skills to step up and drive the change. Across the landscape, community voices are getting louder and making an impact on the decisions that are made for our Streets. We celebrate the leadership that exists, and have a desire to inspire and enable many more to come so we can collectively work towards our regenerative goals. 

If you’d like to jointhe conversation, join our online event Regen Streets: What works and what doesn’t? on Tuesday 7th May at 5pm to share your experiences and thoughts on what a regenerative street means to you.

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