Page 9 - U4SSC Case study: Participatory urban planning, June 2020

• Policy: The concept can help to improve policy and assessment criteria for all residential development
that ensures quality design processes and outcomes.
• Partnerships: The concept can improve existing cross-sectoral relationships.
• Branding: Place-making can increase self-promotion and offshore promotion of the city, as well as
the ‘Liveability Brand’.

• Government level benefits: The concept can increase government and industry understanding of
the importance of place-making: for instance, much of Victoria’s livability case has been the result
of building infrastructure and designing spaces for people.

• Encourage volunteerism in the City: The concept encourages volunteers to help the city in general.
• Improve public health and environment and pedestrian safety: Place-making is an evolving and
transformative field of practice that intentionally leverages the power of the arts, culture, sense
of meaning, purpose, engagement and creativity to serve a community’s interest while driving a
broader agenda for change, growth and transformation. This is done in a way that also leads to
people’s happiness, builds character and quality of place and the city, through creating cultural
districts, artist relocation projects, entertainment, and public art. The purpose of introducing the
place-making concept in Melbourne was to promote a shared meaning, and a sense of community.
Through the use of public space and its sharing, society benefits from the increased interaction of
a diversity of people, which, in turn, encourages greater social cohesion and promotes a sense of
identity.

Promoting circularity

Village Well engaged with leaders within Victoria’s design and built environment sector in the past
to analyze the projects that also transformed Melbourne into the city it is today. Melbourne became
the World’s Most Liveable City as a result of long-term, strategic, state and local government planning
and policy; its community driven, place-led engagement; and its commitment to its guiding principles
of authenticity and individuality.

Other contributors to this story include: the advocates and activists who pushed policy reform for a
social city founded by good design; leading planners and designers; teachers and leading education
institutions; successful public private partnerships; as well as the many significant projects like ‘Postcode
3000’, cycling lanes, the women’s rights movement, grids and greenery, Federation Square, street-
trading policies, laneway culture, improved liquor licensing, design codes, and many more.

Vision and Content

To create the vision and the content of the ‘Melbourne Pitch’, an energetic and fun Victorian Livability
Think Tank event was held at the Treetops of Melbourne Museum.

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