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Melbourne, Australia

How a ho-hum downtown dominated by autos was transformed into a pedestrian showcase

Melbourne's central business district is at least as lively and urban as any U.S. city other than New York. The fastest growing city in Australia with a population of nearly 4 million, Melbourne offers a rich street life and public realm. But that hasn't always been so. Melbourne went as far, maybe further, than its U.S. counterparts in planning itself around the automobile.

But things began to change in 1993, when Danish urban quality authority Jan Gehl [see story in this newsletter], working with Melbourne’s ambitious Director of Design and Urban Environment Rob Adams, ran one of his “public spaces, public life” surveys in Melbourne. During that first study Gehl collected baseline data on how public spaces were being used and made recommendations for public space and pedestrian improvements. He worked with the city to implement some of these bold improvements. In 2004 Gehl's team was invited back to do a second study. They found that dramatic changes had taken place during the decade between the studies.

Between 1993 and 2004, these were some of the changes that Gehl's team observed:

  • 71% more space for people and activities on streets and squares
  • 177% more café seats
  • 39% increase in pedestrian activity during the day on weekdays
  • 98% increase in pedestrian activity in the evenings on weekdays

Gehl’s studies also tracked the steady improvements of ground floor retail spaces in central Melbourne, which contributed significantly to the city's increasing pedestrian friendliness and the revitalization of downtown, as well as validating continued efforts to decrease auto traffic in Melbourne.

In the middle of one of the busiest sidewalks in Melbourne, people take time to stop and play chess, watch chess or just watch people.

In commissioning these studies Adams and other city officials charted a bold course by defining public spaces as a key issue in for improving the city. Ultimately, this attention led to a huge investment in Melbourne’s public spaces, and ultimately an increase in the quality and vitality of the city’s public life.

Federation Square, completed in 2002, was the greatest testament to the city's commitment to fostering public life. Built over a rail yard, Federation Square now functions as Melbourne’s living room, cultural center and nighttime destination. It took a large public investment of $473 million Australian (just under $400 Million U.S.) to do the project. Despite initial community resistance, the Square has been embraced by the city and is generating significant returns on many fronts. A destination such as this, despite greater difficulty in accessing via the private automobile, nonetheless brings people downtown and gives them a reason to stay and enjoy themselves.

Federation Square, the new heart of downtown Melbourne, is a lively mixed-use space during both day and night.

At first glance, one might assume that the successful revitalization of Melbourne's downtown was soley the result of thinning automobile traffic in the central business district. But traffic reduction was only one piece of the puzzle. Melbourne's renaissance was accomplished by focusing on the improvement, democratization and vitality of the city's public spaces.