Calling all budding town planners! - Australian Cycle Alliance

A new Fishermens Bend

It's widely acknowledged that the development of Docklands has left much to be desired in terms of livability, or what some people refer to as the "soul" of a suburb. There's been a lot of talk about what went wrong, and what could be done to fix it.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/how-not-to-stuff-up-fishermans-bend-20150617-ghkpvn

Now it's time to take these lessons and apply them to the next major urban renewal project in Melbourne: Fishermans Bend. For a long time this has been a somewhat industrial area, home to the likes of Holden and Boeing. Now, developers are working on a plan for a 455 hectare development - twice the size of Melbourne's CBD.

The development is poised to accommodate some 80,000 residents and 40,000 jobs by 2050. Without a doubt, this will require enormous investment in infrastructure, and now is the time to influence the direction of this investment.

For Melburnians, this is an opportunity that comes around once in a generation. This is a chance to help shape the future of a city known for its liveability, but at times hampered for short-sighted planning.

Lucinda Hartley, of Co-Design Studio, identifies "urban software – the people, the activities culture and the identity" of a suburb as key to creating a truly great place to live. Hers is an ethos founded in thinking local, with organic growth of community spaces, activities and connected neighbourhoods.

The Victorian government is setting up a Ministerial Advisory Committee to consult with the community, developers, councils and experts.

The Ministerial media release (http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/WynneFishermansBendPlanMR17April2015.pdf) states that "Community engagement and new governance arrangements will be in place by the middle of the year, with strategic planning expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2016. Formal exhibition of the recast precinct is planned for the second half of 2016."

There's some great ideas already identified in this article, but now's your chance: do you have ideas or suggestions to make Fishermans Bend the community of the future? How can we ensure that the developers make space for parks, pedestrians, cyclists; sports, arts, culture; and transport?

Further information about the development can be found at the City of Port Philip website (http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/fishermans-bend.htm).

A number of ideas in The Age article come from Lucinda.