Where community ideas and academic research converge.

A group of three students standing beneath a yellow architectural structure.
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 to connect communities, shape place, and take a radically different approach to research, and we want you to be a part of it.

We’re pairing 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 photo shoot of two people doing an interview in a park.

 

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 a chance to be a part of something new. An opportunity to explore, discover and follow your curiosity. All ideas are welcome. Together, we’ll be tackling vital, real-world, urban challenges and seeking innovations that evolve spaces into places. Join us to shape 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

Placelab-er
A man smiling, wearing a striped jumper.
Luke Gebert

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

he/him

Placelab-er
A woman smiling with curly hair.
Rachel Iampolski

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

she/her

Placelab-er
A woman smiling with long hair.
Hayley Thompson

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

she/her

Placelab-er
Somaieh Ebrahimi

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

she/her

Placelab-er
A man smiling, wearing a striped jumper.
Luke Gebert

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

he/him

Placelab-er
A woman smiling with curly hair.
Rachel Iampolski

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

she/her

Placelab-er
A woman smiling with long hair.
Hayley Thompson

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

she/her

Placelab-er
Somaieh Ebrahimi

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

she/her

Staff

Staff
A woman smiling wearing a striped shirt.
Kiri Delly

Program Director, Creative Partnerships at RMIT University

Staff
A man smiling wearing a t-shirt and blazer.
Brock Hogan

Program Director, Place Activation at RMIT University

Staff
A woman smiling with short hair.
Frances Gordon

RMIT PlaceLab Coordinator

she/her

Staff
A woman smiling wearing a striped shirt.
Kiri Delly

Program Director, Creative Partnerships at RMIT University

Staff
A man smiling wearing a t-shirt and blazer.
Brock Hogan

Program Director, Place Activation at RMIT University

Staff
A woman smiling with short hair.
Frances Gordon

RMIT PlaceLab Coordinator

she/her

Advisory Group

Advisory Group
A woman smiling with straight blonde hair
Dr Louise Dorignon

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in urban geography and housing studies based at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University.

RMIT Staff Profile LinkedIn
Advisory Group
A man smiling with short hair.
Simon McPherson

Director at Global South, an independent, collaborative, research-focused and public-oriented urban practice based in Melbourne.

Global South
Advisory Group
A smiling man wearing a suit and tie.
Ralph Horne

Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation for the College of Design and Social Context at RMIT University.

RMIT Staff Profile
Advisory Group
A smiling man wearing a suit and tie.
Martyn Hook

Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Strategy and Innovation Professor of Architecture for the College of Design and Social Context at RMIT University.

RMIT Staff Profile
Advisory Group
A woman smiling with short hair and glasses.
ML Nardella

Experienced in local government economic development programs, including the Brunswick Design District and is a practising visual artist.

Advisory Group
A woman smiling with wavy hair.
Bonnie Shaw

Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer at Place Intelligence, a data analytics studio delivering advanced insights about people and places.

Place Intelligence
Advisory Group
A woman smiling with straight blonde hair
Dr Louise Dorignon

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in urban geography and housing studies based at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University.

RMIT Staff Profile LinkedIn
Advisory Group
A man smiling with short hair.
Simon McPherson

Director at Global South, an independent, collaborative, research-focused and public-oriented urban practice based in Melbourne.

Global South
Advisory Group
A smiling man wearing a suit and tie.
Ralph Horne

Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation for the College of Design and Social Context at RMIT University.

RMIT Staff Profile
Advisory Group
A smiling man wearing a suit and tie.
Martyn Hook

Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Strategy and Innovation Professor of Architecture for the College of Design and Social Context at RMIT University.

RMIT Staff Profile
Advisory Group
A woman smiling with short hair and glasses.
ML Nardella

Experienced in local government economic development programs, including the Brunswick Design District and is a practising visual artist.

Advisory Group
A woman smiling with wavy hair.
Bonnie Shaw

Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer at Place Intelligence, a data analytics studio delivering advanced insights about people and places.

Place Intelligence