Last week walkshop participants braved Melbourne’s unpredictable spring weather to engage with a place audit process, unpacking their own experience of safety through the lenses of lighting, design, amenity, wayfinding and activation.

We were pleased to host the event in collaboration with the ULI’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) and The University of Melbourne Women of Architecture, Building and Planning Alumni Network.

Co-design specialist and planner Nicole Dennis of Cobalt Engagement briefed participants on the place audit process, stressing that each person was an expert in their own experience of the city.

NH Director Emily Kilvington shared some insights from our forthcoming book ‘Decoding Urban Metrics: Melbourne’, due for release next month. She outlined our approach to the 10-year research project, undertaken alongside RMIT Architecture. ‘We wanted to analyse and unpack why some places seem to be vibrant and activated and some aren’t so that we can build this back into our design work’ she said. She shared some of the studies from the book which explore the permeability, scale and materiality of Melbourne’s laneways.

The walkshop participants were highly engaged in the audit process, despite the rainy conditions and collected data that will be compiled with similar studies in Sydney to further our understanding of experiences of safety in our cities.