A Megacity is defined as a city with 10 million inhabitants or more.
The population of Melbourne is projected to double over the next 50 years – from 5 million to 10 million – which means that by 2070 Melbourne will be classified as a Megacity. This growth in population will be accompanied by a major growth in the urban fabric of Melbourne, and those in the design industries will play a central role in determining the type of city Melbourne will become. This exhibition will give designers, architects, urban planners and thinkers a forum to present ideas and propositions for Melbourne’s future as a megacity.
THIS EXHIBITION IS PART OF MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK 2019 ORGANIZED BY NGV IN COLLABORATION WITH CREATIVE VICTORIA.
We want you to submit your ideas and propositions for the future of Melbourne!
Melbourne: Megacity? is calling for contributors to submit material which explores the consequences and opportunities presented by the urban growth of Melbourne over the next 50 years. Submissions for this exhibition can take the form of design proposals, critical insights, practical solutions and speculative provocations for the future of the city. We are looking for a wide range of innovative, imaginative, and inventive ideas for the future of Melbourne. The exhibition will present a range of work across several themes outlined below:
SYSTEMS & INFRASTRUCTURE
Networks of transport, waste, water and energy are what make the city work, and these will need to expand to accommodate a future Melbourne with a population upwards of 10 million. What sorts of issues and opportunities will this growth in infrastructure present? How will technological changes like self-driving cars or renewable energy affect our networks of infrastructure? Submissions can focus on anything from the extra-small to the extra-large; from city wide systems to specific examples.
FUTURE HOUSING
From multi-residential towers to backyard extensions, housing will make up much of the city’s growth over the next 50 years. So what are the housing models best suited to a future Melbourne with 10 million inhabitants? What types of housing would provide the optimal places to live and not just the most profit? How can innovative design solutions contribute to housing quality in medium to high density environments? What does it mean for the city to have an aging population? What is the future of social housing? And how can new economic models steer the growing urban fabric of Melbourne away from purely profit driven outcomes?
SATELLITES AND NEW CENTERS
How will the growth of Melbourne shape its urban fabric, from the centre, through the suburbs, to the peripheries? What are the models and principles that should guide this growth? Will Melbourne become a multi-nodal city, with several dispersed city centers, or will the CBD increase its dominance? Will it continue to expand outwards, or will the growth happen in an upwards direction?
PUBLIC SPACES & PUBLIC BUILDINGS
What are the imperatives for public buildings and public space in a city twice as big as present day Melbourne? As the average home gets smaller do public spaces and buildings become more important? How will the ratio of public & private space shift? What cities can we learn from or view as models? What types of public spaces and public buildings will be required in order to retain a great city, and what sort of role will they play in the life of a Melbourne? We are looking for proposals that imagine the role of public spaces and public institutions in Melbourne as a megacity.
THE RE-USABLE CITY?
As technological and cultural changes redefine many of the ways in which we use the city, our buildings and infrastructure need to adapt also. What role will adaptive re-use play as the city transforms over the next 50 years? How will the uses of industrial areas, heritage buildings and multi-level car parks be adapted and transformed? What are the sustainable alternatives to simply replacing the old parts of the city with the new? And how will the rise of flexible, wireless employment change the way we use our office buildings and public spaces?
RETHINKING REGULATIONS
Planning regulations and policy play a central role in the urban form of the growing city.
Regulations and policy can determine where, how much, what type, and to what quality, urban growth happens. So are the current regulations the right ones to guide the city towards the best urban outcome? What could regulations reconsider, restrict or incentives, in order to guide the growth in the most beneficial way?
