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Introduction >
Focus on Melbourne > How
we are
How we are
Metropolitan Melbourne at
the beginning of the twenty-first century is at a crossroads. We
have come a long way since 1972, and the city has great strengths,
but we also face significant challenges.
Our strengths include:
- economic competitiveness
- we have an efficient freight system, a strong business hub and
extensive urban infrastructure including state-of-the-art telecommunications;
we lead Australia in research and development; our long-established
manufacturing strength now has a strong technological base; our
nearby agricultural industries are flourishing
- liveability
- metropolitan Melbourne overflows with sporting, cultural and
recreational opportunity; the public transport system makes the
city generally easy to traverse; health and safety standards are
high, as is environmental quality; metropolitan Melbourne and
the surrounding region has outstanding natural landscapes and
coastlines
- diverse people
- being home to people from some 200 countries, our exciting cultural
diversity puts the whole world on our streets and into our workplaces;
our work-force is skilled and creative
- an attractive urban environment
- the city is generously laid out with plenty of parks and open
space, including corridors and trails along our major rivers and
streams, and leafy city boulevards; heritage places including
buildings, gardens and trees are valued and well displayed; distinctive
lifestyle choices abound
The challenges lie in these
broad areas:
- economic opportunity
- competition for markets on every level (especially in Asia)
is intensifying; we need to encourage business and creativity
and spend more money on creating and applying knowledge; we must
maintain and improve freight infrastructure; it is vital that
all Victorians benefit from metropolitan Melbourne’s growth
- development pressures
- the growth in population and households, coupled with the greying
of our population, brings a need for more and different housing
in different locations and configurations, and underlines the
requirement for good design in public and private spheres
- transport choice
- the car will continue to dominate but we must offer viable alternatives
for travellers; public transport and freight management systems
must be improved if metropolitan Melbourne is to remain an attractive
place to live, work in and visit
Figure
13. Increases in population, car travel and public transport
trips- click for more detail
Figure
14. Freight movements (2000 estimates)- click for more detail
Figure 15. Percentage of jobs accessible within 40 minutes travel
(by car and public transport) - click for more detail
- environmental damage - population
and economic growth threaten habitats and biodiversity; water
resources must be husbanded and greenhouse gas emissions reduced;
public awareness of environmental problems needs to be increased.
Figure 16. Water demand for metropolitan Melbourne - click for
more detail
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