City vision. Introduction. Our vision is for the City of Melbourne to be a thriving and sustainable city.

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1 City vision Introduction City Plan 2010 is Melbourne City Council s primary planning strategy. It sets out what we believe must happen over the next 10 years to achieve our vision for the City of Melbourne in Our vision is for the City of Melbourne to be a thriving and sustainable city. Melbourne City Council will work with all who have a stake in the City of Melbourne s future to realise this vision and will simultaneously pursue: economic prosperity social equity; and environmental quality. The path to achieving sustainability is long and will take many years to travel. However, by 2010, we will have taken many significant steps. We will have made many positive changes to the natural and physical environment, to the City s culture, to the way we do business, and to how we value our community. Council has adopted a set of strategic directions to realise this vision. These directions are organised around four themes: Theme 1 Connection and accessibility Theme 2 Innovation and business vitality Theme 3 Inclusiveness and engagement Theme 4 Environmental responsibility 2

2 Triple bottom line Council is committed to monitoring the City s economic, social and environmental performance and tracking, over time, how the City is working towards the vision of sustainability. For Council, triple bottom line accountability means taking responsibility for achieving social, environmental and economic improvements through all our endeavours and reporting on them openly and transparently. We have applied a triple bottom line approach to the use of indicators in this plan to measure the City s performance. Council, as an organisation, has also adopted triple bottom line reporting and decision making for its own actions. City Vision Triple bottom line accountability Social equity making decisions that lead to greater physical, cultural and financial access and equity in services and justice. Strengthening cultural heritage and the bonds between people and increasing their willingness and ability to become involved in community life. Environmental quality not using more resources than required to deliver activities and services. Improving the overall amenity (including physical amenity) of a city while reducing the effect on natural capital. Practical steps include using energy from renewable resources, maximising resource and infrastructure use and minimising pollution and waste. Economic prosperity promoting development of jobs, business prosperity and market growth in a sustainable manner. Local areas The City of Melbourne has 14 local areas that are key components of the municipality. The local areas each have distinctive and unique characteristics and roles. City Plan 2010 outlines the challenges facing the City as a whole, as well as the key strategic issues and objectives for each of these local areas. The City s local areas are the places where the vision of being a thriving and sustainable city will be achieved. Key definitions The following terms are used throughout City Plan 2010: Council describes the Melbourne City Council City of Melbourne and the City describes the municipal area Central City describes the central area of the City of Melbourne (Hoddle Grid/Central Business District (CBD), including the northern edge of Southbank) Melbourne refers to metropolitan Melbourne as a whole 3

3 vision Achieving the vision Council understands that realising the vision will require the cooperation of all those who have a stake in the City of Melbourne s future. Council will develop and maintain strong relationships with the State Government, the business and wider community, and other key stakeholders to take opportunities to achieve our vision for the City of Melbourne. Council will contribute by providing: strong capital city governance; leadership, support and education; delivery of a range of key city services; maintenance of city infrastructure and assets (for example, parks and gardens, roads, street cleaning and social infrastructure); an efficient and effective integrated regulatory environment; marketing of the city s culture, characteristics, advantages and abilities; innovative and integrated strategic and corporate planning; advocacy on the needs of the residential and business communities; networks of businesses, agencies and community groups; partnerships, brokering agreements and alliances with key stakeholders; and sponsorship of events, businesses, festivals and other initiatives. The main way we will achieve the vision is by delivering works programs, services and daily activities, and by continuing to find ways to use sustainable products and processes in construction, maintenance and service programs. 4

4 Council s Integrated Planning Framework Council has developed an Integrated Planning Framework to ensure that all of the actions Council undertakes, and policies and strategies that are developed, work towards the achievement of the vision for the City expressed in City Plan Our Integrated Planning Framework is made up of a series of corporate and strategic planning tools to implement the vision. The framework includes: City Plan 2010 which provides broad future strategic directions for the City; it is Council s most important strategic document which contains strategic directions and objectives for the City as a whole, including some highlighted specific opportunities Councils Corporate Plan which contains three-year actions to achieve the vision of City Plan The Corporate Plan s actions are derived from City Plan 2010 Councils Annual Plan and Budget the Annual Plan is a resource allocation plan. It identifies all of Council s services and the key initiatives/deliverables to be delivered over the financial year. City Plan 2010 also directly informs the Municipal Strategic Statement, which constitutes part of the Melbourne Planning Scheme. All of these documents are companions and contain the actions that Council will pursue in order to realise the vision of City Plan Copies of all documents are available from the Council and the Corporate Plan and Annual Plan can be found on the website at The relationships between Council s planning documents are shown in the diagram below. City Vision Integrated Planning Framework Monitoring City Plan year strategic direction for the City City Plan 2010 Monitoring Report Corporate Plan 3 year actions for the corporation: How it will achieve City Vision Municipal Strategic Statement Annual Budgets Determined annually in line with Corporate Plan Annual Plan 1 year deliverables for the corporation Melbourne City Council Annual Report 5

5 The City of Melbourne in 2001 The Port of Melbourne is a twenty-four hour working port and is a major component of the City s economy and transport hub. The municipality offers a safe and secure environment in which to live, work and visit. In April 2000, this was recognised internationally when the World Health Organisation granted Melbourne safe community accreditation. Melbourne is only the third major city in the world to achieve such recognition. The neighbourhoods of Carlton, Parkville, Southbank, North and West Melbourne, East Melbourne, South Yarra, Flemington, Kensington and Jolimont make up the City of Melbourne. They are residential and business neighbourhoods that significantly complement metropolitan Melbourne s global image as a liveable and diverse city. The City of Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and the State s premier municipality. It is the State s hub of business, international trade, arts, entertainment and sporting activities extremely important functions and ones that make the City unique in Victoria. The City offers employment, shopping, leisure and cultural opportunities for all Melburnians. Significant residential growth has occurred in the Central City and Southbank since The City has a daytime business, working and visiting population of more than It hosts an increasing number of regional and international visitors 48 per cent of daily visitors come for work purposes and approximately 30 per cent come for shopping, recreation and dining 1. The City also has the best collection of historic Victorian buildings in Australia and our parks and gardens are world-renowned. Many city activities are grouped around the Yarra River in the Central City, Southbank and the Sports and Entertainment Precinct. Close proximity of diverse activities is a distinctly Melbourne feature major corporations, government and non-government agencies are located close to significant industrial areas, port and railway infrastructure and premium sporting facilities, with access to a curfew-free international airport, high quality residential and retail environments, and an extensive park system. The City of Melbourne is one of only three cities to enjoy World Health Organisation safe community accreditation. The City of Melbourne a snapshot Area 36.5 sq km Estimated residential population* Daytime population** Total length of roads 315 km Total area of parkland 565 ha Total number of businesses Total number of dwellings Central Business District area 3.54 sq km Total number of dwellings 4407 Total number of businesses 9352 In comparison Metropolitan Melbourne area 8806 sq km Estimated residential population *Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2001 ** Includes daytime business, working and visitor population All other information from Capital City Index No. 11, June Capital City Index No. 11, June

6 The City s regional role and context The City of Melbourne is the State s national and international gateway and its showcase, the seat of the Victorian Government and the headquarters of many Victorian, national and international companies, peak bodies, nongovernment organisations and Australian Government agencies. The City is a hub of decision making and coordination and an incubator of metropolitan and regional prosperity. From its central position, Council is responsible for leading public policy development. The City of Melbourne is Victoria s focus for finance, retail, commerce, tourism, culture and entertainment. It is an outward-looking city, projecting into the Asia-Pacific region. It is highly sought after as a location for regional headquarters, particularly for North American and European companies expanding into Asia. The City boasts superior educational and research facilities and capabilities, such as those at RMIT and Melbourne University, and is a significant exporter of professional and educational services. The City of Melbourne is proudly the only Australian city with membership of the prestigious Business Partner City Network of 11 Asian cities, and it conducts business with a host of other international cities. The City of Melbourne enjoys long-standing Sister City relationships, promoting business, cultural and trade exchanges with Boston, Osaka, Tianjin, Thessalonika and St Petersburg. Surrounding municipalities Many of the changes occurring in and around the City are common to other inner city municipalities in metropolitan Melbourne. Melbourne City Council needs to work collaboratively with adjoining councils to address issues, such as: improving access to, and the quality of, the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers and the natural environment; changing land uses as industry functions change focus; improving city sustainability; housing affordability; encouraging public transport use; and managing traffic and ageing city infrastructure. Australia Victoria Melbourne Today The City of Melbourne is Victoria s transport hub a role that will increase significantly in coming years as transport and freight links improve within the Central City and throughout regional Australia. Metropolitan Melbourne City of Melbourne 7

7 The City s people As part of its commitment to indigenous Australians, Melbourne City Council respectfully acknowledges the traditional people of the Kulin Nation. For the Boonerwrung, Woiworung, Taungurong, Djajawurrung and Wathaurung that make up the Kulin Nation, Melbourne has always been an important meeting place and location for events of social, educational, sporting and cultural significance. 2 Today, the City of Melbourne is one of the great multicultural cities of the world a significant meeting place. We are a peaceful, highly tolerant community formed from diverse cultures, whose strength lies in accepting and celebrating cultural difference. Families and children are a major part of the residential, working and visiting population mix. Around half of all City of Melbourne households can be described as containing a family. More than 30 per cent of all City of Melbourne residents speak a language other than English and people from more than 130 countries call the City home 3. The City of Melbourne s population in 2001 was This is forecast to grow to at least by The City of Melbourne s population grew at an average rate of 7.6 per cent over the five years between 1996 and 2001 and reached 10 per cent in This growth rate is one of the fastest in the nation and creates new challenges for the City to provide facilities, services and employment opportunities to manage effects on the environment. In 2000, an estimated 44 per cent of the City population was aged between 15 and 29 years, in comparison to the metropolitan Melbourne average of 23 per cent 7, reflecting the City of Melbourne s high student resident numbers and the inner city s popularity with young people. This creates a demand for affordable and appropriate accommodation as well as recreation and social opportunities. The City s people are its fundamental strength its social capital. Social capital produces a society where individuals trust or feel a mutual sense of obligation towards one another. Social capital brings an enhanced ability to solve conflict by providing the capacity for people to work collaboratively and to recognise shared values. The City s socioeconomic profile shows the workforce is becoming more skilled, but less socially integrated, with employment opportunities in some sectors declining. Lower income households are finding it increasingly difficult to afford accommodation in inner Melbourne. Issues such as drugs, gambling, and homelessness require responses from stakeholders to enable all people to participate in the life of the City. These issues must be addressed to make the City more inclusive. Ongoing improvements to City safety will enhance the inclusiveness of the City City of Melbourne Resident Age Profile Age group Based on the Acknowledgement Wording endorsed by the Melbourne City Council Aboriginal Consultative Group, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census, Australian Bureau of Statistics, June City of Melbourne population estimate, based on 1996 ABS Census 6 City of Melbourne population estimate, 2002 (unpublished) 7 Population by age and sex, Victoria, ABS, June

8 The City s culture The City of Melbourne enjoys a strong reputation as a culturally vital city. It is Australia s arts capital and has a strong history of cultural expression through the arts, music, film and theatre. There are more than 45 galleries within the municipality, which range in size from the National Gallery of Victoria to smaller independent galleries. The City s culture is expressed in a variety of venues and performance spaces as well as in street art throughout the municipality. The arts and cultural environment is a significant component of modern city infrastructure and contributes to the City s liveability, innovation, competitiveness and image. Our cultural activities must be built on local experience so that they celebrate cultural diversity and encourage community participation. People from diverse cultures and nationalities enrich Melbourne life. Melbourne Today The City s indigenous culture is also fundamental to the full expression of Melbourne s artistic and cultural life, and is an essential component of Council s ongoing efforts towards reconciliation. A continual calendar of sporting, arts and cultural events and festivals is staged in the City s facilities. These international standard facilities will be supplemented by facilities built and upgraded for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Good access and quality surrounds are critical for these facilities. The City of Melbourne s public environment its buildings, streets and spaces is a valuable venue for cultural activity and for expressing and sharing cultural values. 9

9 The City s enduring assets and urban form The City s enduring assets include: major boulevards; the Hoddle Grid (original nineteenth century City subdivision pattern); historic buildings and streetscapes; the Yarra River; high quality urban design; parks and gardens; cultural activities; highly accessible commercial districts; and attractive residential areas. These assets combine to give the City its unique identity and provide a setting for community and cultural expression. Local and metropolitan residents and visitors see Melbourne as an attractive, exciting and vital place. Amenity and safety are extremely important to City users and are major factors in attracting more activity. The City s urban form is characterised by diverse local places and spaces. Each has a distinct character and provides a key point of difference for visitors seeking to distinguish the City of Melbourne from other cities. Council recognises the public environment as a precious City asset. The way a city manages its public environment can mean the difference between an inclusive city and an uninviting one. A key feature of the City s urban form is the Hoddle Grid, characterised by a dense building form that clearly defines the streets and the Yarra River banks as its primary high quality civic spaces. High-rise buildings are clustered on the hills to the east and west, while the Swanston Street valley is low in scale, dominated by traditional streetscapes, retail outlets and high pedestrian activity. Established parks and botanic gardens are located close to, and in most instances, surround the Grid. The Hoddle Grid, the laneways, the distinctive parks and gardens, the heritage buildings and streetscapes, the public art and sculptures, all combine to create a distinctive urban form. 10

10 City Structure Melbourne Today 11

11 The City s economy Strong employment growth has occurred since 1997 in the property and business, communications, construction, health, transport and storage, and services (for example, restaurants) sectors within the Central City. In September 2001, the overall vacancy rate in the Melbourne CBD was 6.7 per cent, with a prime office vacancy rate of 2.4 per cent 8. In 2001, the CBD was primed to enter a new development cycle with 15 sites approved to potentially provide more than square metres of office space. The CBD is the State s largest retail centre, providing jobs in retailing and associated activities, square metres of floor space and an annual turnover of $1.8 billion 9. The major challenges for city retailing are to enhance and revitalise the physical environment of the Retail Core, particularly against a backdrop of increasing competition from suburban retail centres and electronic commerce. The Port of Melbourne handles $60 billion of trade annually and makes a direct contribution of $6 billion a year to State Domestic Product. In , the Port contributed $418 million to the City of Melbourne s Gross Regional Product. The Port is the largest container cargo, and one of the largest general cargo, ports in Australia, taking almost 40 per cent of the nation s container trade. Over 95 per cent of the State s exports are by sea 10. The City of Melbourne is positioning itself as a global city with a knowledge based economy, focused not only on traditional strengths, but also on emerging knowledge intense sectors, such as biotechnology; information and communication technologies; specialist finance, legal, and administration services; educational services; and environmental technologies. The City of Melbourne is an excellent base from which to supply markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Its shared time zone makes it suitable for regional company headquarters to work across the region as follow the sun global information centres. 8 Office Occupancy Study, Jones Lang Lasalle, City of Melbourne 1997 and NIEIR modelling, Draft Port of Melbourne Land Use Plan, Port of Melbourne Corporation, Close, A.& Foran, B. Canberra s Ecological Footprint CSIRO,

12 The City s natural environment and systems While the City of Melbourne is highly urbanised and the natural environment is highly modified, it is part of a larger natural catchment area. We cannot forget that our actions and activities impact on the ecological systems and processes that support life and the environment. The Yarra River is the City s centrepiece and so its water quality (and that of other City waterways) is vitally important to aquatic life, recreational values, and the City s attractiveness. The City of Melbourne has several sites containing remnant vegetation and wildlife habitat, such as the remnant vegetation in the City s parks and gardens system, in private land, and along the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers and Moonee Ponds Creek. Melbourne Today In Melbourne, buildings channel around 316 billion litres of waste water into the ocean, emit around nine million tonnes of greenhouse gases and support lifestyles that consume resources equivalent to almost 4.5 hectares (11.5 acres or three city blocks) a person