The Ecological City

Planning Project 2: Ecological City explores concepts and principles for environmentally sustainable planning and design. This semester the project focuses on how to assess and develop sensitive land in a greenfield context on the northern edge of Melbourne, in a way that balances a range of complex and competing interests. Finding ways to protect and manage natural ecological systems - habitats, vegetation, waterways, wetlands – and cultural heritage in the face of the pressures of urban expansion and climate change, is a large challenge that requires a multi-pronged and collaborative approach. To explore these issues, students have critically appraised the pre-commencement stage of the Merrifield North Employment Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) led by the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA). Students have engaged in studies on how a new employment centre on undeveloped land can be designed and planned to contribute positively to ecological systems, respond to uncertain futures and deliver employment opportunities, including a site context and opportunities analysis report, a policy and practice review report, and a projective planning proposal for sustainable development on the Merrifield North site.