On 6 & 7 August, Victoria University, in partnership with The Age and the Committee for Melbourne hosted the fourth in our series of State of Victoria conferences entitled Melbourne 2050: How will we cope with 8 million people?
On both days we had well over 150 attendees come to hear industry experts discuss the potential challenges and opportunities that Melbourne and Victoria will face as our population expects to dramatically increase to 8 million residents by the year 2050.
The conference was officially opened on Thursday evening with a keynote speech by The Honourable Richard Wynne, Victorian Minister for Planning.
A range of hot button topics were debated and discussed with a number of high profile speakers including:
- What do we envisage Melbourne to look like in 2050, both in the inner and outer suburbs, and how will cities outside of Melbourne integrate?
- How do we plan for 2050 while also planning for population growth in the short term, particularly the effects of urban sprawl, when some residents are already dealing with a lack of access to public transport and basic amenities.
- The social wellbeing of Melbourne’s residents, the challenges that will be faced and how we need to work together to ensure we are a world leader in ensuring an inclusive and harmonious big city.
- Ensuring that Melbourne is at the forefront in creating healthy and green cities, with a heavy emphasis on promoting active living, and creating cities inside green spaces, as opposed to integrating green spaces into cities.
- The opportunities and challenges for innovation and creativity in Melbourne, how it is already changing the way that we live and how it will affect our lives in the short and long term future.
In addition, the event gained significant media attention, including trending in the top ten on Twitter (#melb2050). This conference has provided a significant base for industry experts to prepare Melbourne for this intense time of population growth.
We will continue to engage with business leaders, planning experts, government officials, leading academics and the community to discuss and debate the future of Melbourne as we approach the year 2050, with a population of 8 million people.
Recordings & transcripts
All sessions at the conference were recorded and are available as mp3 recordings with transcripts - please contact the organiser.
