Melbourne on the Front Foot!
Want Melbourne to be green and healthy into the future?
Interested in the built fabric of the city, the magic of planning?
Looking for a fun, friendly Saturday afternoon walk?
Annie Bolitho facilitates discussion about the ideas that shape our city, starting at the 8-hour day memorial, and on down to RMIT, Elizabeth Street and Melbourne Central. We’ll take a peek into different initiatives that are set to make a difference to Melbourne. We’ll walk in the light and shadow, and finish on time! Bookings http://bit.ly/1QbvAkK
Jane’s Walk. A walking conversation led by urban enthusiasts around the world, to honour the ideas of legendary urbanist Jane Jacobs. Free. Fun. This year, I’m having a go at an evidence-based approach to climate engagement.
From my invitation, do you get a picture of the future looking good?
Great! The evidence is that people want to relate to potential, positives and possibility, rather than to climate change information.
Feel as if it might be an easy going community conversation? Yay! the evidence is that less top-down, more person-to-person helps people engage.
RMIT Design Hub, a conversation about Talloires?
The evidence. Many cities have set out to engage with ordinary people about future changes associated with climate change and adaptation over the past five years. Titles of strategies and projects reveal the value of framing strategies and projects in positive, future oriented terms. Check out City of Geraldton 2029 and beyond a multi-award winning engagement. Then there’s City of Edmonton, Canada in the traditionally climate change conservative state of Alberta ‘The Way We Green’. Check out Bristol Green Capital, with its motif LovetheFuture and focus on high quality of life for all.
I’m pretty sure Melbourne’s one of the cities that’s most on the front foot of all. Engagement on the Urban Forest puts the focus on trees and citizen foresters, rather than technical issues of urban heat island effects. 1200 Buildings supports building owners to engage, make change and learn from best practice. Running right now, Future Melbourne explores trends. Climate change is one, along with urban growth and density, digital city, citizens and governance. You can hear from the City’s special climate change ambassador, Kate Auty. Ambassadors are highlighted in research as playing a strong role in climate engagement, showing that our future is a matter of people. Check out the amazing range of ambassadors Bristol engaged.
Hope you can join me for the walk on 7 May! The story draws on my personal interests in Australian place and politics, and will weave the built fabric of the city with climate initiatives at RMIT and City of Melbourne. I welcome any feedback on the ideas or the walk – we need more and better ways to engage in this area.
Photo credit featured image of 8 hour memorial & crane: Rob Walls