Imagining Eco-Neighbourhoods

Imagine a future where eco-neighbourhoods flourish. Plan C board member Alessandro Pelizzon has been building on the collective insights of Plan C’s CEO, Jean Renouf, Plan C board member Richard Hil and and a group of visionary experts from seven universities. Together, they've been exploring what it would mean to design neighbourhoods grounded in principles of regeneration, community, and respect for Country.

This collaborative group has crafted a theoretical framework for eco-neighbourhoods, encompassing insights from social scientists, architects, designers, Indigenous knowledge keepers, food security experts, and more. This framework draws from global examples, including lessons from eco-villages around the world, reimagining them as open, inclusive neighbourhoods rather than closed communities.

In the spirit of expanding this vision, there is potential for a book and future conferences, opening the conversation to a national and international stage. The team has also begun preliminary discussions with local councils to identify potential sites where eco-neighbourhoods could one day be piloted, guided by principles of respect, reciprocity, affordability, accessibility, and most importantly, a deep connection to Country.

This vision of eco-neighbourhoods may take many forms, but at its core is the dream of communities that are both regenerative and accessible, inspiring us all to imagine new ways of living together in harmony with the land and with each other.