When stories resonate, streets come to life
Turn your evidence and experience into human stories and options that support better decisions, stronger local businesses and more thriving streets.
Values‑led and regenerative by design
I am Dr Laura Aston, founder and independent consultant at Wayfinder Labs, a values‑led practice focused on streets, stories and local economies.
My work is grounded in regenerative streets thinking: streets and local economies are seen as living systems, where business, community and environment need to thrive together.
You can expect transparent scoping, an explicit focus on community agency, and ethical, transparent use of AI to lighten repetitive work while protecting human judgement.
For people to enjoy streets that feel full of life, new options need to be easy to see and understand, so everyone can decide for themselves what suits their everyday life.
Too often, those versions only exist inside long reports, complex designs or experts’ heads, so people mainly see car‑first streets and experience change as something imposed on them.
I help teams turn their existing data and experience into clear stories and a handful of people‑first options, so the benefits of lively streets are visible and easy to weigh up, on people’s own terms.
How I support your projects
When a place‑based project reaches reporting, everyone is usually stretched: multiple drafts, different writing styles and a mountain of technical material. The risk is a report that ticks boxes but does not land with Councillors, traders or residents.
I join your project team as a collaborator, sitting in the gap between analysis, engagement and decision‑making. I shape your existing evidence into clear narratives and options that people can actually use, whether that is a narrative pass on a report, an options paper, or an engagement content pack.
For consultancies & NGOs
Project evidence and report‑shaping support for streets, centres and corridors.
Flexible associate support across the life of place‑based projects.
For main‑street businesses
Resilient shop and street health checks for values‑led local businesses and street associations.
Small experiments and narratives that support thriving, community‑rooted trade.
Work with Wayfinder Labs to:
Turn complex analysis into clear options that decision‑makers can act on.
Help communities and traders recognise themselves in the story of a project or street.
Build a stronger sense of agency and possibility on specific streets and in local centres.
How it works:
Small, clearly scoped projects that fit inside your existing workflows.
Typical engagements are 5–15 hours over 1–3 weeks, focused on a specific document or phase.
Remote‑first, with optional in‑person workshops in metropolitan Melbourne.
