High level research.
Street level engagement.
Next level solutions.

Living Lab Northern Rivers is a space where research and community come together to create the solutions that will allow our region to thrive in uncertainty.

A collaboration between two universities and the NSW government, our strength comes from the diversity of people we bring to the table.

What’s on

  • Tracing the Past, Shaping the Future exhibition

    5 Nov 24 — 6 Feb 25

    Tracing the Past, Shaping the Future is an invitation to discover how Indigenous Knowledge and cultural land management can shape a more sustainable future.

    This exhibit contrasts the Bundjalung people's Country-centred worldview with today’s Eurocentric approaches, examining changes in our physical environment from pre-colonial times to now. Through the lens of plant communities, we invite you to reflect on how we can learn from the past to guide our stewardship of the land moving forward.

    Learn more

  • Living Memory: Stories and portraits celebrating North Lismore pop-up photobooth

    Living Memory is a community project exploring the stories, history and memories of North Lismore. At the heart of this work is the desire to creatively support a community experiencing a massive transformation — to tell their stories in their own words. 

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  • Circular Timber

    Apr 2024—Feb 2025

    Could valuable timbers from buyback homes across the Northern Rivers be diverted from landfill and transformed into something new?

    A collaboration with local reclaimed timber experts, this project will explore the best ways to repurpose timber from NSW Reconstruction Authority buyback homes that are not suitable for relocation into useful objects for the community.

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Look Ahead: Community design for Lismore

Designing a path forward

Look Ahead is one of our current projects — a co-design process that brings together local knowledge and technical expertise to plan a sustainable future for Lismore. We began this process late last year because no one else was taking meaningful steps.

Focused start, greater impact

We are acutely aware there are communities across the Northern Rivers who also need future plans. Look Ahead is focusing on Lismore CBD as a starting point to show that this is the best process to help communities across the Northern Rivers build their futures.

Our founding partners