6. Quality public space
As a city for people, Melbourne's public spaces will be of a high quality. Our public spaces will be welcoming and secure, generating a sense of place and belonging. Through quality design, our public spaces will encourage connections between people and with nature. We will include sustainable design features in our public spaces and they will be easy to get to and move around in. Melbourne already offers a broad range of quality public spaces, including parks and gardens, boulevards, streets and lanes, squares, public buildings and waterways. These quality public spaces mean our city is far from being an unfriendly grid of relentlessly grey offices, footpaths and roads.A little oasis of greenery, a quiet corner with comfortable seating or our many (perhaps surprisingly) inviting laneways and arcades all influence our state of mind and behaviour. Quality public spaces make a valuable contribution to our health and wellbeing. A major challenge for the future will be ensuring our public spaces can accommodate a growing population and expected weather patterns or events resulting from climate change.
Our streets will be a focus in the future. Well-designed streets equal a well-designed public space, with consideration given to space allocation (for pedestrians, signage, seating and so on) and street uses (sitting, standing, hanging out, walking, jogging or even skateboarding). Opportunities to incorporate sustainable/public transport, markets and street stalls should also be considered. Privately owned spaces may also present opportunities for Melbourne to expand upon and improve the quality of our public realm.
Improving and expanding our municipality's park network will be another focus during the next decade. This will include ensuring our parks meet the needs of a changing population, and that they are resilient to threats and challenges, such as the impacts of climate change and pressure to hand parks over for other development (such as roads). Trees will continue to be an important aspect of city spaces, whether in parks or on streets.
Waterways are a new addition to the City of Melbourne's municipal management, with the transition of Docklands into the municipality in July 2007. In the future, we will look at ways to further connect our waterways with other forms of public space.
Our spaces need to be adaptable and various, as well as sustainable. Providing opportunities for people to connect with other people and with nature will be a major focus in the future. We also need to ensure our public spaces remain well connected to one another, supporting sustainable transport options and the needs of both pedestrians and cyclists.
| Goals | Indicators | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Variety A range of public space options exist within close proximity to residents and workers, including areas for formal and informal recreation and areas of respite. New public space opportunities are pursued, including indoor active recreation facilities and roof top gardens.
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Satisfaction with the range and proximity of public space within walking distance of a resident's home. Current: Measure to be developed. 1 |
Residents and workers are able to access and enjoy public space that caters for their wants and needs. |
| Adaptability Our public space is flexible and adaptable and able to accommodate a range of uses over the course of a day and a year. |
Indicator to be developed. | The municipality's public spaces are adaptable to facilitate a range of uses. Public spaces cater for regional activities and events as well as local needs and uses.
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| Accessibility Our public space is accessible to a range of users and responds to our changing demographics and to the range of potential users from metropolitan Melbourne. Public space is interesting, engaging and safe, with active edges, and hosts a mix of uses.
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Greater numbers and diversity of people accessing and enjoying parks. Current: Measure to be developed. 2. |
People from many different backgrounds, and from all parts of metropolitan Melbourne, feel welcome, safe and engaged in public spaces. New and revitalised diverse public spaces, including non-traditional spaces, are used for public purposes, and cater for our population growth and diverse communities. |
| Movement and activity Create and maintain public space which encourages physical activity and social interaction. Encourage streetscapes that facilitate movement by sustainable modes. |
Percentage increase in pedestrian counts in the central city on weekdays and weekends. Current: Trend reported in Places for people 3 Percentage increase satisfaction with the amount and connectivity of the bike path network. Current: In 2007, the satisfaction rating was 50 per cent. 4
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A movement network which prioritises pedestrian and cyclist movement and encourages non-motorised transport modes. Public access and quality pedestrian and cycle links along rivers and waterways. A laneway system that provides pedestrian linkages throughout the central city. |
| Connected network of spaces Ensure that parks and public spaces are well connected by physical and visual links.
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Percentage increase of residents living within walking distance of a public open space. Current: Indicator to be developed. |
Public spaces are well linked throughout the city. Road and path networks in combination with strategic landscaping will provide a way-finding system between public spaces. |
| Streets, boulevards and laneways Demonstrate that when you design a good street you design a good city. Recognise and enhance the existing street hierarchy, particularly within the central business district. Continue to celebrate central city laneways, including the connections they provide and their more intimate scale of development and space. Apply a consistent planting schedule for street trees.
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Indicator the be developed. | A streetscape that is consistent with Melbourne's distinct sense of place. A clear hierarchy of boulevards, streets and lanes. |
| Parkland Melbourne's parkland is maintained to a high standard. Existing parkland is protected and there is no net reduction in area. New opportunities for parkland are explored where appropriate, for example where connections are missing and in under-supplied neighbourhoods. Our parks and gardens provide opportunities for people to connect with nature and their community.
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Number of city user (including residents) per hectare of parkland .5 Target: 1500 per hectare Current: 1261 per hectare (2006) Proportion of parkland within 300m of dwellings. Target: Current:
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Melbourne's existing parkland areas will be maintained to ensure their ongoing contribution to cultural heritage, and to ensure their enjoyment by future generations. Green spaces will be protected from development encroachment. New opportunities for parkland will be explored and developed where appropriate. |
| Waterways Melbourne's waterways are protected and celebrated, including the Yarra River, Moonee Ponds Creek, Victoria Harbour and Port Phillip Bay. Development and activity on and around waterways protects and enhances ecological values. Moonee Ponds Creek is restored to a wetland and links up the existing network of parks and waterways.
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Percentage of waterway frontage accessible to the public. Current: Indicator to be developed. Increase in the diversity of marine life and plants. Current: Indicator to be developed. |
A waterfront experience which is inclusive and respects and reflects Melbourne's maritime heritage, whilst allowing for new opportunities. A healthy and diverse marine ecology and a rejuvenated waterways system. |
| Private and communal open space Ensure new subdivisions and residential developments incorporate private and communal open space. Promote communal open space within new development which is of a quality and scale to accommodate a range of uses.
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Private space (m2) per resident. Current: Indicator to be developed. |
City of Melbourne residents will have a range of public and private spaces to use and enjoy. Communal and private open spaces will offer areas of respite without being isolated. |
Relevant global city ranking
- World Health Organisation Safe City
See also
- StreetFilms (2008) Melbourne: A Pedestrian Paradise
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