Update 29 September 2024

Outcome of our zoom meeting on Friday, call for articles on housing issues.

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Sep 29, 2024

Thanks to all who attended the Zoom meeting on Friday. Also thank you for enduring my brain-dump about the presentation I’m preparing on how Doughnut Economics and Strategic Doing fit together. Part of that was a reminder of the nature of Regen Brisbane.

A Loose Network, Not An Organisation

Regen Brisbane is a loose network, not an organisation. Networks and traditional hierarchical organisations are very different. Neither is better - it depends on what you are trying to do. We need both, and they need to find ways of working together.

We hear a lot about networks, movements, and shared leadership in environmental groups but, unless they are managed well, they can become very chaotic. The tools we have to hold networks together to make change are a shared purpose and managed conversations. That is why we draw on Strategic Doing - a discipline for loose networks where nobody can tell anyone else what to do.

table showing hierarchies and networks listing strengths and weaknesses — The differences between hierarchies and networks, adapted from Strategic Doing by the Shady Lanes Project.

If you look at the visual above, you can see why councils are, and must be, hierarchical, while verge gardeners and groups like Regen Brisbane are networks. Understanding the difference, shapes our expectations and activities.

Regen Brisbane’s Shared Purpose:
What would it be like if the Greater Brisbane area transitioned to a Doughnut economy - staying within the planetary boundaries while meeting the needs of all the people within?
What would that future look like?
How might we contribute towards making that happen?

Using Doughnut Economics as the framework gives us more context and precision than words like regenerative and sustainable.

Review of our Transport Articles

The purpose of these articles is to expand and enrich the public discourse around the complex challenges we face - beyond the media bites, political slogans, and social media battles.

We write articles on a chosen theme on our own substacks and then we create a single article to bring them together on the Regen Brisbane substack.

For the first one, we discussed the outcomes of the transport 50c fare article and whether we needed to adapt the process.

Public Transport and the 50c Fare Trial

Regen Brisbane

Sep 11

In August, the Queensland Government started a six-month trial of 50c fares for public transport as part of their cost-of-living relief package and in the hope that it will encourage more people to make the transition from private cars to public transport. (

Read full story

We agreed that it worked well, with likes and comments on both the original articles and the core article. It was shared on LinkedIn and Facebook. Headings worked well, but a graphic that shows how the articles interlink could be helpful. Everyone thought the questions at the end of the article were effective.

The process is also helping everyone develop their own individual substacks. Comments on the articles kept the conversation going and provide support for the writers. This is much easier when done as a group rather than a solo writer. We learn from each other, and also get to know each other better.

Our next topic is housing - a very wide topic that could include housing affordability, housing design, urban design, density, development, redevelopment, and so on. There is no simple solution and there are many competing factors. How can we approach the issue from the broader Doughnut framework?

Housing articles to be published on our own substacks before the next meeting on 11^th October. Please publish your own as soon as you are ready.
Articles on the other topics (health, cost of living, crime, etc) can be done at any time in preparation for the next topic.
Next meeting on ZOOM Friday 11^th October 2:30pm - register here.