Shopping locally isn’t limited to buying at specific stores – sometimes, it can be as simple as trading with neighbours. Gumtree Australia’s ‘Long Live Local’ campaign is pushing this message, showing how online marketplaces can enable community connections and strengthen local economies.

Startup Streethubs is wanting to improve community relations in Australia by creating a digital hub for locals to communicate through. While the use of tech for social purposes is nothing new, people now want platforms to be more hyper-local and function as a conduit for interactions, IRL.

Apartment living is on the rise, as more young Australians are choosing lifestyle and location over housing affordability. The growth of shared spaces, such as community gardens, in apartment complexes is helping residents develop social relationships in traditionally isolated urban environments.

The UK’s NCT has long provided new parents with expert info and a route to a new set of pals. But the pricey classes and ideological zealotry mean that many mums are after an alternative. Enter Peanut, which applies a Tinder-like model to friendship, easing anxieties at this stressful life stage.