THE KENNETT REVOLUTION

From 1989-1992, the Australian state of Victoria experienced an economic downturn marked by rising unemployment, lagging property markets, and the collapse of the State Bank of Victoria. Melbourne was hit particular hard by this turmoil. Jeff Kennett, elected Premier of Victoria in 1992, sought to reverse the economic slump. His strategy relied largely on neoliberalism: through deregulation and fiscal conservatism, including the slashing of social services, he hoped to get business and industry back on their feet. During the first three years of the so-called Kennett Revolution, thousands of government employees were fired, including 7,000 teachers and 16,000 transportation workers. Kennett also privatized many former state industries, including utilities, banks, and several prisons.

The budget cutbacks provoked a massive public protest, the biggest in Melbourne since the Vietnam War. Some economists now argue, however, that the move toward privatization effectively stimulated the economy. Melbourne has continued to grow, both in population and in economic strength, every year since 1997.

URBAN IMPROVEMENTS

In the 1980s, and increasingly in the 1990s, politicians took a greater interest in revitalizing downtown Melbourne. The state government of Victoria saw Melbourne as a potential centerpiece in their bid to expand tourism, while the city government sought more public access, comfort, and safety for their citizens. Together, city and state envisioned a bold long-term plan for the city, one that would attract more public life through physical improvements to existing public places [and] providing additional public space.[1]

GEHL ARCHITECTS

In 1993, the City of Melbourne hired Jan Gehl, an internationally renowned city planner, as an urban quality consultant. His charge was to take a city centre previously notorious for its poor quality of public life and transform it into a people oriented city.[2] The team (the City of Melbourne and Gehl Architects) released two reports, both called Places for People and separated by 11 years. The first report, published in 1994, analyzed the state of the city center over the previous year (1993) and made recommendations for the ensuing ten years. In 2005, a second report detailed which recommendations had been implemented, and discussed the effects of those changes.

PLACES FOR PEOPLE I: 1994

"Places for People 1994" found that Melbourne's public spaces were not easily accessible by foot traffic, and that they did not encourage non-necessary public activity. That is, most Melburnians lived in the suburbs, drove into the city for work, and left immediately afterward. Almost no one lived downtown; few people came voluntarily to shop, eat, or wander. [3]

PLACES FOR PEOPLE II: 2005

The 2005 follow-up report showed notable improvement in these outcomes, evidence of what current Lord Mayor John So has called an urban renaissance. [2]

Downtown Melbourne is now a true residential area. The city center has seen an eightfold increase in residents, from fewer than 800 private apartments in in 1994 to around 10,000 private residences in 2005.

The city center has been greatly improved for visitors as well as residents. The Melbourne of 2004 had 71% more public spaces, squares, malls and promenades than it did in 1993. In 1993, Melbourne had very few "arcades," or small side streets. By 2004, the city had 3.4 kilometers of lanes and arcades, compared to only 300 meters in 1993. These small streets now reinforce the city's grid structure, increase population density and transportation efficiency, and provide easy passage between major arteries. [2]

Overall, Melbourne in 2004 was much more walkable than in 1993. Major streets like Swanston Street (see below) and Bourke Street saw huge improvements, including wider footpaths, extended curbs, more active street fronts, and newly planted trees. Between 1993 and 2004, pedestrian traffic on major arteries like these increased 39 percent during the day, while walking at night shot up 98 percent.

Public transportation and bicycle networks were similarly improved. Buses, trains, and trams now serve commuters as well as intra-city travelers. Super-stations have further consolidated tram and bus lines and reduced travel times. To date, most of the bicycle access has been in the form of on-road bike lanes, but the city has also refurbished and expanded off-road paths, especially those parallel to the Yarra River.

To conclude the 2005 report, Jan Gehl writes,

Of all the things a city can do to improve its environment, Melbourne has done almost everything: more residents and students, more people streets, squares, lanes and parks, wider sidewalks, quality materials, active shop frontages, fine furnishings, new street trees and public art programs. Many opportunities provide the invitation to walk and to linger. Meeting sustainability objectives such greening the city and upgrading the public transport systems and bicycle infrastructure have been systematically addressed. [2]

SWANSTON STREET WALK

In their bid to revitalize downtown, the City of Melbourne was committed to an urban layout that would prioritize pedestrians over private automobiles. Perhaps the most notable shift in this direction came in 1992, when Swanston Street, Melbourne's main thoroughfare, was reborn as Swanston Street Walk. [3] Though controversial, the decision was judged a success by most Melbournians, city planners and residents alike. [4]

Swanston Street (pictured at right) is Melbourne's main street and, prior to 1992, it was the city's primary artery for north-south car traffic. More or less overnight, in March of 1992, Swanston Street was closed to private car traffic. [3] When the boulevard reopened, it was open only to pedestrians, public trams, and a few delivery vehicles. In the absence of cars, the street saw a rapid increase in foot traffic, recreational activity, and streetside businesses.

However, in the wee hours of the morning, Swanston Street, like most public areas, was largely empty of pedestrians and tram passengers. In light of this fact, the city voted in 1999 to reopen Swantson Street to limited night traffic. [5]

In cities other than Melbourne, similar boulevards have been entirely repaved when they became auto-free. But Swanston Street Walk has retained the familiar shape of a car-bearing road, with distinct traffic lanes, curbs and sidewalks. According to Jan Gehl, "The advantage of this design is the clear symbolism and the strong visual emphasis of the linear course of space; the disadvantage is that the asphalt traffic lanes for trams and delivery traffic do not serve any other functions, and thus are considered rather too big and empty."

The new Swanston Street Walk is an eminently usable public space. Sidewalks on either side are 8.6 meters wide, leaving plenty of room for benches, planters, and cafe tables. The street is 30 meters wide, with two-meter "furnishing zones" adjacent to each curb. These furnishing zones provide extra space for public amenities like tables and art installations, such as the giant chess set pictured above.

 

ALSO ON LIVABLE STREETS

• StreetFilm: Traffic Calming Done Right in Melbourne
• StreetsBlog: Melbourne Focuses on Public Spaces
• StreetsBlog: Bikes outsell cars Down Under
  
• Melbourne: A Pedestrian Paradise
  

REFERENCES

[1] "Melbourne, Australia." Gehl Architects.

[2] Rob Adams, Jan Gehl, et al. "Places for People." 2005.

[3] "Closed! These Routes Are Made for Walking." The Age. March 28, 1992.

[4] "Swanston Street To Stay Free of Cars." The Age. October 21, 1996.

[5] "Traffic Snarls on Swanston Street." The Age. November 13, 1999.

PICTURE REFERENCES

[1] Melborne:  A Pedestrian Paradise.   Streetfilms. 

FURTHER READING

City of Melbourne website

My Downtown Melbourne

Public Transport Users Association (Victoria, Australia)

"Liberating the Heart of the City." The Age. September 6, 2002.