As she continues to explore emerging governance practices in her role as New Urban Governance Lead, Caroline Sanz-Veitch has been spending time in the field, learning from community and cultures close to her (as well as some a little further away). Here, she shares some of the insights she’s started to glean — and the importance of understanding how different people and groups relate to a place. 

Caroline Sanz-Veitch shares the maturing of Participatory Melbourne into cross-cutting work focused on New Urban Governance (aka how we enable better relationships between communities and our democratic systems). Caro reflects on the insights from the last year and what led us to the realisation that we must pave a new path through the lens of participation as an enabling condition, not a stand-alone project.

In her latest audio Field Note, Caroline speaks with Nina about the points at which Participatory Melbourne and Regen Streets overlap, and interviews Dylan O’Donnell from Irregular festival about what a hyperlocal festival is (and why it matters). Listen below.

As Participatory Melbourne moves into the Organising phase of the SOIL methodology, Lead Convenor Caroline Sanz-Veitch pauses to ask a handful of close colleagues and collaborators how we might reframe (and re-name) the project to better capture the work and ambitions.

All the things we’ve heard and found in phase one, and what we think is needed going forward.

Introducing our new wildly ambitious goal: Participatory Melbourne.