Activists on how to 'reimagine and reclaim local streets'

RMIT Open Press recently launched the book Reclaim the Streets at a special event in the Swanston Library Rocking Chair Lounge.

This event brought academics, students and members of the wider community together to celebrate a remarkable example of open pedagogy in action. Reclaim the Streets is one of the new open educational resources (OER) published by RMIT Open Press.

About Reclaim the Streets

Co-created with activists on the ground, Marco Amati and Lisa de Kleyn survey urban projects and campaigns in cities around the world. Researching across Colombia, Spain, Mexico, India, New Zealand and Australia, they reveal how residents reclaim streets and public spaces in response to the social and environmental challenges of contemporary urban life.

View the full event gallery on Flickr

About the launch event

The event opened with an introduction from Associate Professor Cathy Oke, Director of the University of Melbourne's Centre for Cities, before guests heard from the book's authors: Professor Marco Amati, Dr Lisa de Kleyn (La Trobe University), and Purnima Melon, a student collaborator and contributor to the project.

Reclaim the Streets grew from a Master of Urban and Regional Planning coursework assignment that invited students to engage with activists involved in reclaiming public streets and urban spaces across different parts of the world. The resulting publication captures these diverse perspectives and extends its global reach through the translation of selected chapters into both Hindi and Spanish.

More than a book launch, the event celebrated the power of collaboration, open pedagogy and the role of open publishing in making knowledge accessible to wider audiences. The project exemplifies the Library's commitment to supporting innovative forms of teaching, learning and scholarly communication that connect academic inquiry with real-world impact.

13 October 2026

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Activists on how to 'reimagine and reclaim local streets'

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RMIT Open Press recently launched the book Reclaim the Streets at a special event in the Swanston Library Rocking Chair Lounge.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples