Where community ideas and academic research converge.

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT PlaceLab acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the Eastern Kulin Nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University.

RMIT PlaceLab respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present, as the original and continuing Makers of Place.

What We Do

Shaping place.

RMIT PlaceLab is a new urban initiative that connects communities, shapes place, and takes a radically different approach to doing research and we want you to be a part of it.

We pair world-class researchers with you, world-class locals, to identify needs and address vital urban challenges alongside our local government partners.

We’ve freed research from the campus and taken it street-side, starting with two shop-front style Research Studios in Brunswick and Melbourne, so you can collaborate in person or online, with RMIT researchers. So, if you live, work, study or play near an RMIT PlaceLab, be part of transformative research that’s going to shape the future of your neighbourhood.

A cyclist riding past the PlaceLab Research Studio. A sticker on the glass window reads Hyperlocal.

 

Why We’re Doing It

The future is local.

Now is the time to rethink how we live, and the solutions needed to support a more liveable, adaptive, and inclusive future. RMIT is taking a fresh approach to doing research, one that’s more collaborative and informed by the people who know their neighbourhood best; that’s you.

Local’s where it’s at, and by seeking answers to the big questions, together we’ll find innovative solutions to diverse urban challenges. Working with the RMIT PlaceLab team, you’ll be key in helping create compelling, bite-sized research that can be developed into practical, actionable programs, projects, or policies that can be delivered together with our government and place-making partners.

RMIT PlaceLab’s journey has just begun. Join us to reimagine Brunswick and Melbourne’s future.

Four people walking towards the RMIT PlaceLab research studio.

 

Who’s Involved

Us, but also you.

Hello you. This is your chance to be a part of something new. An opportunity to explore, discover and follow your curiosity. All ideas are welcome. Together, we’ll tackle vital, real-world, urban challenges and seek innovations that evolve spaces into places. Join us in shaping the future of Brunswick and Melbourne.

If you have an idea or suggestion on ways to improve our city, we’d love to speak with you at one of our Research Studios.

Industry and Other Organisations

If you’re a business or organisation with an interest in Brunswick or Melbourne, RMIT PlaceLab is keen to connect with you. You are an integral part of the culture, community, and economy, and your insights and input are invaluable.

RMIT PlaceLab’s research projects will be tackling vital, real-world, urban challenges and seeking innovative, place-based solutions that build opportunity, adaptability, and resilience, to be delivered by local government and place-making partners. Contact us today to get involved.

Government

Imagine planning for the future of your municipality using place-based research that’s underpinned and informed by community ideas and specifically designed for practical application. The opportunities are expansive.

RMIT PlaceLab proves what’s possible when local community knowledge and expertise inform world-class research. Together, we’ll be tackling real-world, complex urban challenges and seeking innovations that improve liveability, community resilience, and connection and evolve spaces into places.

We’re already working with the Merri-bek City Council and City of Melbourne to transform Brunswick and Melbourne. If you’d like to learn more about RMIT PlaceLab, contact us today.

PlaceLab-ers

Staff

Advisory Group