Local Economic Renewal — Case Studies
Image credit: Renew Australia
Renew Australia Location: Australia-wide Leader: Renew Australia
Renew Australia is a national social enterprise designed to catalyse community renewal, economic development, the arts and creative industries across Australia. It works with communities and property owners to take otherwise empty commercial and public buildings, shops and offices, and make them available for short-term use by artists, creative projects and community initiatives. Renew Australia is based on the intellectual property and experience of Renew Newcastle, an enormously successful low-budget DIY urban renewal scheme. In less than two years, more than 70 new creative businesses and initiatives were
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established in Newcastle, leading to global media attention and a Lonely Planet listing as one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit in 2011. Renew Australia has expanded beyond the urban model of Newcastle. Empty Spaces Project took on the rural and regional settings of Creswick, Clunes and Talbot in Victoria, while Greensborough Comes Alive and Renew Leichhardt are suburban examples. The former industrial area of Melbourne’s Docklands is being revitalised with Docklands Spaces. Renew’s projects follow a similar model, but by involving communities each project produces unique outcomes that create more connected and characterful neighbourhoods.
TACTICAL URBANISM VOL 4