On Edge: Public Space

This studio forms part of a multi-university initiative that aims to articulate a range of speculative design ideas for the future of the Great Ocean Road, involving Monash, Melbourne, RMIT and Swinburne Universities.

The studio undertaken in collaboration with a Master of Urban Planning studio started with the premise that given the already noticeable effects of sea level rise and increased storm events along the Skenes Creek, Apollo Bay and Marengo coastline, the Great Ocean Road must be moved. This large scale infrastructural retreat was considered from an urban planning perspective in terms of what regulatory mechanisms would allow for the orchestration of such a large scale urban change and from a design point of view, what opportunities could be identified and developed for the public space of the town – with a particular focus on balancing the sustainability of the visitor economy with the needs of local residents.