Ecosystems
Ecosystems that are healthy, thriving and safe are critical to the survival of the Earth's species. We work on ways to sustainably manage the use of natural resources.
The critical role of urban nature is starting to be a focus of government. Greening of indoor and outdoor environments is identified to provide benefits such as increased air quality, staff productivity and property value, yet strategies to actively engage private sector stakeholders in urban greening remains under-researched. At the global scale, urban drought and flooding are critical challenges for the Thrive Research Hub.
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Bull Street Terraces
Bull Street Terraces by Crosby Architects is a medium density development in the Victorian town of Castlemaine. It has been designed to achieve the Living Building Challenge certification.
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Co-seeding the future
How can co-creating community green spaces with children enhance wellbeing and generate custodianship?
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Living Shorelines: Innovative Design Topologies for Coastal Landscapes
This project challenges current ‘adaptation measures’ and planning strategies for sea-level rise, inundation and coastal erosion. The site of focus is the Bellarine Peninsula, stretching from Point Henry East of Geelong to Port Arlington, In Victoria, Australia.
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Place Week Melbourne
Place Week is a week‐long series of activities that support and celebrate the work of those seeking to transform our public spaces into places where communities can come together.
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Placemaking Sandbox
Placemaking Sandbox is a collaborative project focused on the theory and practice of placemaking. The project aims to build capacity, test theory, experiment with processes and identify methods to evaluate placemaking decisions in order to create vibrant, citizen engaged, public spaces and ultimately, better cities.
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Plant Life Balance Meta-analysis and App Process
For over 50 years research has demonstrated that plants deliver benefits for urban citizens by reducing air pollution and supporting well-being. As cities in Australia increase their density it is important to understand how plants can benefit people in denser spaces, such as apartments.
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Regenerative development in action
Regenerative development creates the capacity within a system for it to be vital, viable and able to constructively adapt to change. Critical to this is the engagement of people. This series of five short videos made by award winning videographer Alexander Melck demonstrates regenerative development in action in design, business and education.
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Running Wild
Running Wild was conducted in collaboration with Polyglot Theatre and Mahogany Rise Primary school to reveal social and ecological narratives of ‘place’. The project culminated in a collaborative and interactive art installation and performance in the children’s local reserve and examined how ecological values and stewardship can be communicated through art and science.
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Seacombe West – Australia’s First Regenerative Community
Seacombe West, located to the southern edge on Lake Wellington, Gippsland Lakes system, aspires to become a Regenerative Community for all of the future stakeholders of the area.
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Smart Villages
Construction of affordable housing and related infrastructure for ‘Smart Villages’ Communities in Assam, India
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The Living Pavilion
The Living Pavilion is a collaboration between the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, Thrive Research Hub, The Living Stage, AILA Vic and The University of Melbourne’s New Student Precinct. It will be a temporary event space for CLIMARTE’s ‘ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2019’ festival (23rd April - 19th May 2019).
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The Living Stage (Lorne)
The Living Stage is a recyclable, biodegradable, edible and biodiverse installation and performance space. Part theatre, part garden and part growing demonstration, the work features a portable plant-lined stage amongst a corridor of suspended botanical sculptures.
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Urban green space and sense of place
There is increasing recognition of the substantial role of urban green space in placemaking for cities. Green spaces provide the physical locations for community participation, social cohesion and neighbourhood exchanges.