This blog exists for two reasons; to share information I find,  and to hear from you of your doings and thoughts.

Here are two thoughts by others.

Firstly, the writer who blogs about property on the Sydney Morning Herald, Carolyn Boyd, has written about the pleasures and surprises to be found from her road garden and has mentioned the ecopops I’ve designed in the same story, here.

Secondly, an email from Cameron Schmelitschek in Melbourne tells a beaut story of energy and renewal in new road gardens he and his Council, Darebin Council, are building in his streets:

Hi Michael,

Just thought I’d drop you a note to say thanks for writing your excellent book.  I purchased it earlier this year after a review (in the Age I think) and have now passed it on to neighbours.

We have approval from our local council (Darebin, Melbourne) to officially trial planter boxes on the verge.  The Council are even funding the first boxes.  The trial is running under a program for safer streets – mainly focused on traffic slowing methods.  The thinking is that getting more foot traffic our on the streets will slow drivers down.  We’re already an area that has high foot and bike traffic and is comparatively well serviced by public transport.

We’re to set up two boxes and then survey local residents in a few months to confirm their acceptance to the visual impact, the community inclusiveness aspects and so on.   The aim is that Council will officially sanction practice of verge growing after that.  As you point out very few councils have policy on the practice.

Your book has been a great help in allowing us to be very clear about what we plan to do, how the beds will work and so on.  We were able to jump at the the funding because there was a budget to be spent this financial year and since we knew what we were doing the proposal was easy to approve quickly.

I plan to visit your Chippendale streets next time I’m in Sydney.

Regards,

Cameron