CLIENT
Government of Victoria
Growth Areas Authority Melbourne
YEAR
2011
BRIEF
How do we ensure we have a Memorable Melbourne, the best possible city in 100 years?
Six Degrees Urban were commissioned by the Victorian Government Planning Department to explore the long term implications of the current planning approach, with the aim to question how to ensure Melbourne is the best possible city in 100 years. We looked at the existing structure of the city, how it is expanding, and how it might consolidate around key places and centres. Melbourne is in danger of repeating the mistakes of Paris, where the famous central area of Paris, the 20 historic arrondissements municipaux, with a population of 2.25 million is highly liveable, affluent and well serviced, whilst the other 10 million residents of greater Paris live in very different urban conditions.
Our proposition was that Melbourne has an extremely charming, highly successful and vibrant inner city area, that has been delivered over fifty years of strategic thinking and good governance at the state and city government levels. In the early 1980s the Victorian State government realised suburban shopping centres were drawing the public away from the CBD.
In response, they felt the city centre could only compete with the malls on specialised retail activities, rather than regular retail items supplied by national or global brands. They legislated that all new buildings in the city centre should be built to the street edge, and provide small to medium shops, to attract specialist retailers. This was counter to the modernist trend of open plazas and vast foyers on the ground plane of commercial buildings. The strategy slowly brought retailers into the city, and over time made retail space in the city centre affordable.
The success of the city centre and surrounds creates a challenge for the regional centres around Melbourne. Our view was that to ensure all of Melbourne is successful in the long term, a number of places must be selected and given the infrastructure, connections and catalysts to succeed as the city grows. Frankston and Geelong, located on Port Phillip Bay, have the DNA to become great centres, but haven’t had the attention they deserve. Also new centres need to be planned to develop beyond their initial capacity, such as Caroline Springs.
Our proposition was that Melbourne has an extremely charming, highly successful and vibrant inner city area, that has been delivered over fifty years of strategic thinking and good governance at the state and city government levels. In the early 1980’s the Victorian State government realised suburban shopping centres were drawing the public away from the CBD. In response, they felt the city centre could only compete with the malls on specialised retail activities, rather than regular retail items supplied by national or global brands. They legislated that all new buildings in the city centre should be built to the street edge, and provide small to medium shops, to attract specialist retailers. This was counter to the modernist trend of open plazas and vast foyers on the ground plane of commercial buildings. The strategy slowly brought retailers into the city, and over time made retail space in the city centre affordable.
The success of the city centre and surrounds creates a challenge for the regional centres around Melbourne. Our view was that to ensure all of Melbourne is successful in the long term, a number of places must be selected and given the infrastructure, connections and catalysts to succeed as the city grows. Frankston and Geelong, located on Port Phillip Bay, have the DNA to become great centres, but haven’t had the attention they deserve. Also new centres need to be planned to develop beyond their initial capacity, such as Caroline Springs.