300,000 Streets: A Network for Change
Shownotes (Regenerative Streets Podcast: S1E1)
Aired: 17 November 2025
Guest: Nina Sharpe (Regen Melbourne)
Trailer, Regenerative Streets Podcast © 2025 by Laura Aston is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Welcome to episode one of the Regenerative Streets Podcast! On this show we explore how streets can become catalysts for community and ecological renewal.
In this episode, host Laura Aston speaks with Nina Sharpe, lead convenor of 300,000 Streets, an Earthshot project by Regen Melbourne.Together, they tackle a bold question:
How might we connect 300,000 streets into a network of regenerative communities?
Nina shares the origins of the 300,000 Streets Earthshot and why streets are such powerful units of change. They can be hyperlocal microcosms of the city, places where biodiversity thrives and democratic participation flourishes.
If we map streets to the Doughnut Economics framework, many dimensions of planetary boundaries and social foundations land here, making them spaces of complexity and opportunity. Yet, barriers persist: top-down governance, siloed decision-making, rigid funding models, and the difficulty of measuring lived experience. These challenges aren’t insurmountable, but they require imagination, collaboration, and new ways of thinking about agency and participation.
The episode dives into practical actions and experiments already underway. From micro-grant platforms like Hum that flip traditional funding on its head, to mapping underutilised public land for biodiversity corridors, to convening grassroots leaders in Melbourne’s laneways. These initiatives show what’s possible when communities are empowered. Nina emphasizes that regeneration isn’t a single intervention; it’s a networked approach that values stories, relationships, and shared visions as much as infrastructure.
This work needs all of us: citizens, planners, funders, researchers, and convenors to work together to transform streets from spaces of transit into places of life. Whether you’re a practitioner, advocate, or curious neighbour, this episode invites you to imagine what’s possible when we put life at the centre of every decision.
🎧 Read the full transcript
📩 Got a story to share?
Connect with Nina via her substack, Street Library, or by email (Nina@regen.melbourne)
Leave Laura a voice message
🌱 Join the Regenerative Streets Hub – our growing community of people sharing ideas and stories of street transformation.
📚 Learn more :
- Doughnut economics and planetary boundaries
This show is produced by Laura Aston (Wayfinder Labs) in connection with Better Streets and Regen Melbourne.
Music: Carefree Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License