The first phase of the Places for People project was launched as part of Melbourne Knowledge Week (MKW) on 27 October 2014. Launching the project at MKW allowed us, for the first time to take the project to the people, to kick start a conversation with the people, as well as test the appetite of the public and share some of the research findings gathered over the past 12 months.

The engagement period ran over four weeks from 27 October to 24 November 2014 and sought a response from the broader Melbourne community – residents, workers, students and visitors, to the statement "I need Melbourne to...". Overall, 297 feedback posts were received over the engagement period.

The feedback received during stage one of the community engagement program will contribute to an informed civic discussion around the enhancement of the city as a place for all. It will also be used to help shape the broader engagement program (subsequent stages) with the community and potentially inform future social research streams.

Read the phase 1 community engagement report:

A summary of the phase 1 feedback posts and research is provided below.

The first Places for People study was published in 1994, based on a methodology developed by renowned Danish architect and urban design expert, Jan Gehl.

Places for People 2015 will be the third study we have completed over the last two decades into the quality of our public places and how people use the city as they go about their daily lives.

Your comments and thoughts will help inform broader community engagement in 2015 when we will be talking to people from various communities and neighbourhoods across the city.

To understand how the central city, Docklands and Southbank are performing as places for people, we are comparing similar sized blocks for their built form, land uses and occupation. This shows the impact that different types of growth have on the quality and function of the places in which we work, live, study and visit.

Land parcels (2012)
The Central City block illustrates a diverse and multiple offering of small scale land parcels, reflecting historic patterns of ownership, occupants and uses. The larger land parcels of Docklands and Southbank are the legacy from a “ground hungry” industrial past, but also reflect current models of redevelopment.

Building heights (2012)
The built form of this Central City block has evolved over a longer time within a 40 metre height limit to offer a range of building heights, often more proportionate to the size of their respective land parcels. The building heights of this Docklands block developed within a 50 to 75 metre height limit for the towers and incorporate lower podiums. The building heights of this Southbank block developed with heights of up to 160 metres for the towers, incorporating podiums no taller than 30 metres.

Building occupants (2012)
The Central City block efficiently accommodates 511 businesses, enabling economic opportunities for small businesses to enter the market, thereby strengthening the local economy. The “fatter” buildings of Docklands and Southbank accommodate larger and fewer businesses.

On-site car parking spaces (2012)
The Docklands and Southbank blocks provide a large amount of above-ground car parking in lieu of diverse land uses, thus discouraging walkability and increasing car dependence. The Central City block has no on-site car parking spaces.

Doors (2013)
The small land parcels of the Central City block enable tenants to have independent entrances, encouraging possibilities for engagement with the street and public life. The larger land parcels of Docklands and Southbank blocks offer fewer entrances.