Some thoughts on why I got involved in Regen Brisbane

I have seen – and sometimes myself been involved in – networks, groups and initiatives which start out as a hive of activity. There is lots of excitement and big visions. But then after six months, twelve months, the desired results are not really being achieved. Activity and engagement plateaus ... then it ultimately folds.

Or projects duplicate existing work already going on, with only a slight degree of difference, diluting impact.

Or an organisation becomes beholden to funding bodies, becoming stuck in the cycle of seeking funding and concerned about the future – getting drawn away from their important working of making impact.

Or …

I could go on, however, I know this is starting to sound cynical. “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good”. But these are some of the common trends I have noticed of some well-intentioned initiatives and organising – ultimately, these pitfalls can limit or distract from the actual potential of the radical work we require.

The crises our cities are facing demand we get organised, collaborate better and find solutions to our shared challenges.

Regen Brisbane offers something that is agile, flexible and scalable

Regen Brisbane

is positioning itself as something different. A decentralised network, founded on the principles of Strategic Doing and Doughnut Economics.

Strategic Doing is method to direct a shared purpose and collaboration towards complex challenges. Practice is guided by the conversations we have in our network(s) and enabled by deploying our existing assets.

In particular, I am interested in the application of Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics principles to reimagine our ways of ‘doing’ in our city – the ways we plan, design and build. But also on a deeper level, how we connect, engage and ‘be’ in the city. Ways which:

ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials and […] ensure that humanity does not collectively overshoot the planetary boundaries that protect Earth's life-supporting systems (Doughnut Economics Action Lab).

Doughnut Economics can be a means to a city which enables us to live well and thrive. Live well as individuals, live well within our communities and live well with the planet.

In practice, it requires us to think and operate in systems. To understand and leverage the interconnected nature of the work and organising we do for a thriving Brisbane that exists within its planetary bounds. These ‘practice principles’ of systems and distribution are some of the elements I am keen to explore as Regen Brisbane evolves.

I do not think there is a perfect model to organise the work required to respond to the polycrisis we face in our city. But with a regenerative vision and foundations in action-oriented collaboration (Strategic Doing) and post-growth principles (Doughnut Economics), Regen Brisbane ticks a lot of boxes for me.

The Regen Brisbane network has been humming away for a couple of months now, regularly meeting online and connecting with others who want to co-create a better city. I am looking forward to how this group of individuals evolves and how its impact might grow.

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This post was inspired by

Saskya Hunter

’s own post about why she became involved in

Regen Brisbane

.

Regen Brisbane - why am I here?