Finding Common Ground

When did you last actually talk to your neighbour?

Not wave. Talk.

Team 808 · Melbourne · 2025
Did You Know

In Australia, 7 million people live in urban neighbourhoods. Only half know their neighbours by name.

Heather is one of them. She's 45, lives alone in Melbourne's inner suburbs. She passes the same faces at the letterbox every morning. She has never once spoken to them. Heather isn't unusual. She's the norm.

Community belonging · city-wide · 2023
64.3 / 100
Flatlined for 5 consecutive years. No progress.
Volunteering rate · 2018 → 2023
43% → 32%
People stopped showing up for each other.
Lowest belonging scores · inner Melbourne
60–62 / 100
Carlton, CBD, Southbank, Docklands — the four suburbs with the weakest community ties in the city.
Most affected demographic
Ages 25–44
Lowest belonging scores of any age group. Living alone in dense suburbs.
Empty park green in inner Melbourne
Market Validation

Melbourne residents are already asking for this. We listened.

From Participate Melbourne consultations 2022–2024. North Melbourne Community Hub, Southbank, Kensington, Docklands and more.

80%+
of respondents in the North Melbourne Community Hub consultation prioritised green open space, community-responsive design, and inclusive social gathering space.
818 comments requested
Amenities like shade, seating, picnic areas, outdoor furniture and informal social areas — not more landscaping.
What residents want most
Trees & shade, informal seating, BBQ & picnic areas, community gardens, open lawns, social gathering areas — in that order.
Where this is being raised
Southbank · North Melbourne · West Melbourne · Docklands · Kensington · Footscray — the exact suburbs our data flags.
The bigger picture
Melbourne's densification is outpacing its social infrastructure. Residents want human-scale spaces to gather, linger and connect.
Source: Participate Melbourne consultations 2022–2024 · data.melbourne.vic.gov.au
Community members joining hands in a circle
The Solution
Finding Common Ground logo

Finding Common Grounds gives neighbours a simple way to turn forgotten green spaces into thriving community gardens — where they can grow food, run events, and actually get to know the people next door.

Neighbours playing croquet on a park lawn
Person carrying a basket of fresh produce
Hand resting in dewy grass
Why This Matters

A community garden isn't just about growing vegetables.

It becomes a shared reason to show up, week after week. People meet. Conversations happen. Events form around it naturally. It's one of the few interventions that addresses social isolation without feeling like an intervention.

The early warning system
When someone in the crew hasn't shown up for two weeks, four other people notice. That costs nothing and saves lives.
The circular economy
When produce is surplus, it circulates within the postcode. Local food security built street by street.
The resilience flywheel
Fun → familiarity → trust → resilience. Built on a Tuesday morning in a garden, not in a crisis.
Community garden harvest
What We're Asking For

Help us activate the first 10 parks.

Starting across Melbourne's most disconnected inner suburbs — Carlton, the CBD, Southbank and Docklands.

Bunnings partnership
Tools, seedlings, and in-kind support as our founding sponsor. The brand that helps Australians build things — helping communities build themselves.
Council co-contribution model
A small per-registered-member payment that ties council investment directly to community uptake. The more people join, the more council invests.
Platform fee
A small annual fee from users covers ongoing operations and keeps the platform sustainable. Community-funded from day one.
City of Melbourne intro
We're looking for a warm introduction to City of Melbourne to activate the first 10 parks across Carlton, Southbank, Docklands and the CBD.
"Community-funded. Council-backed. Commercially viable from day one."
Finding Common Ground · Melbourne · 2026
Harvest from a community garden
Thank You

Finding Common Ground

Thank you.

Team 808 · Melbourne · 2025
finding-common-ground-pitch.lovable.app
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