Place-Making in Megaprojects in Melbourne

Abstract

This article analyses state-led place-making practices in Melbourne. The two levels of government that influence planning in Melbourne make much of the city as ‘culturally vibrant’ and ‘creative’, and have incorporated creative city-inspired place-making principles into many layers of the planning system. An examination of the development of two mixed-use megaprojects in central Melbourne reveals however that ideals of culturally engaging public places, and indeed of creative landscapes for middle-class consumption, wither in the face of more basic imperatives for economic development. In these case studies the ‘creative city’, no matter how the idea is interpreted, has little traction either as a set of inclusive place-making principles or as a gentrification strategy. The article concludes that the creative city-inspired place-making objectives in the planning system at both state and local levels are ambiguous in their overall intents and completely unsupported by statutory controls. Such place-making objectives as are realised are the compromised results of the interplay of uncoordinated decisions, delivered at the pleasure of the developer.

本文分析了墨尔本政府主导的场所营建实践。负责墨尔本规划的两级政府将城市打造得“文化活跃”、“富于创意”，并将创意的、城市激发的场所营建原则融入规划系统的不同层面。然而，如果细察墨尔本中心区两个综合开发超大工程，文化参与的公共场所的理想，以及整个为满足中产阶级消费的创意城区，就需要让步于更为基本的经济发展的需求。在这些案例研究中，不论对“创意城市”这一概念做何解释，它都无法聚拢各种场所营建原则，也无法成为旧城改造的策略。本文结尾指出，创意城市在国家和地方规划系统中激发出的场所营建目标，其总体意图不清晰，而且不符合法规。已实现的场所营建计划无一不是在开发商以一己之利为出发点提出的、未经协调的决策间进行妥协的产物。

Keywords::

• Place-making
• creative city
• megaprojects
• planning policy

Notes

^1. Research for this article began in the mid-2000s when the QV development was complete and planning for the Carlton Brewery was well underway. The global financial crisis put a halt to the latter project for some years and so the article was also put on hold. In late 2013, activity resumed on the site, enabling a conclusion to and telling of this story.