WeCare

Participatory Data + Storytelling for a Precinct with Purpose?

Universities have evolved in recent years as major urban landowners, holding significant real estate clout but also a strong voice in the 'innovation precincts' agenda. Many position themselves as 'living labs' for future industry innovation, creating platforms for future engineering, technology, health and climate resilience.

At Melbourne's RMIT campus, the urban innovation agenda comes with a strong focus on the idea of university precincts as platforms for common growth. The concept of 'common growth' weaves its way through the DNA of the university's 'Knowledge with Action 2031' strategy, which adopts the language of civic partnerships and civic health as a framework for social innovation, signalling a shift away from commercial innovation as being a singular priority.

Driving this vision is leading policy innovator Tom Bentley, Strategy Director at RMIT and driver of RMIT's City North Social Innovation Strategy, who comes to the role with significant expertise in policy reform as an adviser to former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a former adviser to UK think tank Demos.

The concept of a 'social innovation precinct' which acts as a platform for common growth brings with it all kinds of novel opportunities for collaboration, knowledge creation and partnerships. Indeed, this is the kind of thing that gets the people of Civic Interplay excited!

But what, exactly, could this mean? Could it mean that platform urbanism - a way of seeing cities as increasingly shaped by the commercial agenda of digital platforms - is open for deliberation? How can a platform for common growth actually work, and how could it drive urban innovation in Melbourne?

Being a precinct for common growth, it felt only right to open this question up to others. To open up the 'brand' of RMIT's social innovation precinct as a multi-vocal one, one expressive of different points of view.

As part of a one day workshop, We Care invited a mix of participants to explore the concept of an innovation precinct through the lens of Care and Common Growth. We wrote stories of the future together, we shared a silent walk together, we submitted ourselves to the AI-version of our shared conversation, to see how participants felt about a 'co-intelligent' partner shaping our future visions.

The Workshop also invited participants to contribute to a participatory storytelling showcase, designed as a shared creative project from the day. Introducing a creative work to this program created a kind of 'breadcrumb' that traces us all back to a shared moment, when we gathered together to imagine a place that might be different.

We Care won't change the world, and it might not even influence the masterplan for this innovation precinct. But it does remind us of the role of participatory storytelling helping to create and nurture multi-vocal perspectives of place.