Melbourne magazine April-May 2016



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Melbourne

Your City of Melbourne magazine

April – May 2016

Contents

Lord Mayor’s message 3

Future Melbourne: citizens have their say 4

FAQ: When should I renew my pet’s registration? 5

Participate Melbourne 5

New look for Melbourne magazine 5

Laneway community blooms 6

Ebooks: The perfect read always within reach 6

Melbourne Awards make a difference 7

Skaters in the frame 7

Connecting minds, creating change 8

Walking through a city for people 10

City Gallery goes viral 11

Everyone needs a festival 12

Traders prosper with transport trial 12

Our inventions on display in BlackBOX 13

2016 is an election year 13

Walk, talk and chalk 14

Remembering Enterprize Park 15

Marina buoyed by Chinese yacht visit 16

Your Council 17

Lord Mayor’s commendations: Leighton Hipkins, Mind Games 19

In Brief 20

Contact 21

Lord Mayor’s message

You must have a strong focus on the economy and sustainability if you want to be the most liveable city in the world. I say this a lot because it’s true.

Cities need a healthy economy in order to provide world leading programs, infrastructure, public spaces and, most importantly, opportunities for people.

For years I have been spruiking that Melbourne’s economy is on the up and up.

I have spoken about record investment in our city, employment growth, the construction boom, a burgeoning knowledge economy and revitalised retail and hospitality sectors; particularly in the night-time economy.

Now, we have the most recent research to back it up. The City of Melbourne recently released our 10 year Census of Land Use and Employment (CLUE) data and the results are impressive: a 33 per cent increase in jobs and a 44 per cent increase in our economy’s value in the past decade. Melbourne is certainly booming. That’s 111,000 new jobs and a Gross Local Product valued at $90 billion.

The CLUE data is vital for us to understand how we are performing as a city and is an invaluable source of information for businesses, education and policy makers. As part of the CLUE process, we survey every business in the municipality every two years. We use it to measure our progress, inform our business planning, policy development and strategic decision making.

CLUE is just one of the many smart tools we use to plan for the future. Other research includes our economic profile online portal, the Places for People study (featured in this issue), pedestrian counting system, property and development activity monitor and daily population estimates and forecasts.

We are a smart city. Half our residents are employed in highly skilled occupations and Metropolitan Melbourne is home to 50 per cent of the top 20 biotech companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

The future is also looking bright with major infrastructure projects planned to ensure our city continues to evolve and is able to accommodate the large growth that the Australian Bureau of Statistics has predicted for us.

The City of Melbourne and I personally will be working closely with the Victorian Government to deliver the Melbourne Metro Rail Project and Western Distributor, both vital pieces of transport infrastructure that will help modernise our city.

I am also particularly excited to see the Queen Victoria Market Renewal Project progressing. This major project has been on the drawing board for years and represents the largest investment in Council’s history. It will preserve and reinvigorate one of our most cherished landmarks and social and cultural institutions to ensure it can be enjoyed by many generations to come.

Lastly the future face of Melbourne will be determined by the 591 hectares of former industrial land in Docklands, Arden Macaulay, Fishermans Bend, E-Gate and Federation Square East that is slated for development. Here’s to a smart future for the world’s most liveable city.

Robert Doyle, Lord Mayor

@LordMayorMelb

Future Melbourne: citizens have their say

To prepare for the next decade, the City of Melbourne is bringing the community together to refresh its long-term goals for the future.

Known as Future Melbourne 2026, this strategic plan will guide city development and activity from 2016 until 2026, addressing the challenges and opportunities we face as a rapidly changing city, and responding to global changes.

The City of Melbourne has appointed a group of leaders from the community as ambassadors to lead and guide the update of Future Melbourne.

The role of the ambassadors is twofold, said lead ambassador and University of Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis.

‘Since it is not often citizens are invited to invent the future of their city, we ambassadors hope to encourage participation in the Future Melbourne planning process’.

‘Just as important is the role for ambassadors in generating their own ideas and leading discussion on some key topics. With Kate Auty, Marita Cheng, Tracey Fellows, Maria Katsonis and Rob McGauran, I believe the ambassadors’ group is well-placed to contribute to the process, so ideas for our future are as widely discussed as possible’.

Earlier this year, community members shared their ideas in a range of workshops, forums, seminars and on the Future Melbourne 2026 website. People were encouraged to share their views of a future city in terms of the digital city, climate change, the future city economy, urban growth and density, and the role of citizen and government.

‘It’s an ambitious project certainly, but the City of Melbourne has learned much about deliberative democracy and consultation in the years since running a similar process in 2008. So now is the time to think about the city character we want to encourage.

A good process has lots of different ways to contribute, and with the website and public events and the citizen’s jury, the process is heading in the direction’, said Professor Davis.

Even though it can be hard to plan so far ahead, it is still important to do so. Cities do not stand still, they have to be responsive and reflect the times in which they exist. If cities fail to set goals, they risk being driven by ‘fate and whimsy’.

‘Who better to ponder how we shape the city for ourselves and those who will join us in the decades ahead than those who live and breathe life in the city each day?’ said Professor Davis.

‘Melburnians are passionate about their city, the opportunities it has and the threats it may face. An inclusive and transparent planning process is important, as it will more likely lead to outcomes that resonate and find broad acceptance at local government level and beyond’.

Future Melbourne: project phases

Phase 1: Share your ideas

February to March 2016

Ideas for the city’s future collected in workshops, forums, seminars and online.

Phase 2: Bringing ideas together

April 2016

A comprehensive report of the ideas to be published.

Phase 3: Deliberation

May to June 2016

A group of randomly selected community members will be invited to join a citizen’s jury to work together to refresh Future Melbourne using the ideas shared in phase one.

Phase 4: Final Plan

August 2016

The Future Melbourne ambassadors will present the refreshed plan to Council.

For more information, visit Future Melbourne[1].

FAQ: When should I renew my pet’s registration?

Your pet’s registration is due by 10 April each year, to avoid incurring late fees. A renewal notice has already been sent by post, with reminders sent via text message, or email, as we explore our options to save paper and stay in touch with you. Next year’s renewal notice will be sent by email.

You can pay online, by phone on 1300 130 453, or in person when you bring a completed form to Melbourne Town Hall. Visa or Mastercard only.

Instead of sending you a new tag each year, we now provide lifetime registration tags when you register your pet or renew your registration.

Participate Melbourne

How to be active in Melbourne

How can we make it easier for you to engage in active recreation? We want to hear from you to understand how we can support you to be a healthy and active Melburnian. The Active Melbourne strategy 2016–21, will be the blueprint for improving the health and wellbeing of people of all ages. Consultation is open until 15 April.

Urban renewal in West Melbourne

West Melbourne has been identified as an area for urban renewal and the City of Melbourne has put together a draft Structure Plan in response. See some ideas on how we might accommodate new growth in West Melbourne, and share your own, during our consultation period from 18 April until 29 May.

For more information, visit Participate Melbourne[2].

New look for Melbourne magazine

The Melbourne magazine is now available online as part of the City of Melbourne’s vision to increase the accessibility of our services and products. The online version has all your favourite stories and photos available in a format which is easy to read and easy to share.

You can even subscribe to receive an email notification when Melbourne is published online. Hard copies of the magazine are available at the Melbourne Town Hall and at all City of Melbourne libraries.

Visit Melbourne magazine[3].

Laneway community blooms

Walk west up Little Lonsdale Street, turn right down a side street, then second on your left is Guildford Lane, one of just four laneways selected for the City of Melbourne’s first Green Laneway program.

With more than 800 nominations from people keen to see their laneway go green, the popularity of the concept was clear.

Guildford Lane residents Katherine McPherson and Peter Aitken were quick to respond when they saw the project advertised in October last year.

Peter’s partner Ally did a letterbox drop of handwritten notes to those they knew, while Katherine tackled some of the less visible building owners, such as the CitiPower electricity substation.

The diverse make-up of the laneway’s population includes architectural and landscape design firms, cafes, some Wintringham Specialist Aged Care residents, tenants, families, children and even a number of dogs.

‘We needed to get everyone on board’, said Katherine, ‘but we haven’t ever really had to explain the benefits’.

These neighbours had already rallied to establish a pop-up garden in a small laneway nook. It is a sight that sparks conversations, attracts anonymous plant and sculptural donations, and proves to be a perennially popular subject for snap-happy passers-by.

‘The actual process of putting in the application also meant we got to meet people we wouldn’t have met otherwise’, said Katherine.

Peter agreed, adding, ‘when everyone has something in common, something they are all involved with, it brings them together’.

The three other successful laneways are Meyers Place, Coromandel Place and Katherine Place. The City of Melbourne will work with each laneway to make them as green as possible.

The next step is to meet with laneway stakeholders to develop concepts, with construction due to begin late in 2016.

Ebooks: The perfect read always within reach

Going on holiday? Why not load up your mobile device with multiple titles before you go.

City of Melbourne libraries have added a new service to their suite of ebook platforms. Now you can browse, borrow and read ebooks from the 3M Cloud Library, anytime, anywhere – perfect for commuting or holiday reading. Simply download the 3M Cloud Library app on your tablet or smart phone and log in with your library card.

The new service allows you to borrow and read on multiple devices, always finds your place if you switch devices and contains thousands of titles, from the classics, through to contemporary fiction and non-fiction. Plus the automatic return feature means no more late fees.

City Library also has two Cloud Library kiosks where readers can browse and borrow from the ebook catalogue. Top reads on the 3M Cloud Library are: The girl on a train, Paula Hawkins; The natural way of things, Charlotte Wood; All the light we cannot see, Anthony Doerr; and Ghostly, Audrey Niffenegger.

To start reading, visit Libraries[4].

Melbourne Awards make a difference

The Melbourne Awards are our city’s highest accolade and each year Melburnians have the opportunity to have their say on who gets the gongs.

The award categories recognise significant achievements in a number of areas, celebrating those who help enhance Melbourne’s reputation as the world’s most liveable city. Nominations for the 2016 Melbourne Awards open to the public on 28 April.

Members of the not-for-profit youth outreach organisation Whitelion, which works with vulnerable young Melburnians, entered the Melbourne Awards last year when they saw the public awareness it created for a previous winner and how much the organisation enjoyed the process.

When the charity won the 2015 Melbourne Award for contribution to the community, Whitelion founder and CEO Mark Watt said, ‘Whitelion is absolutely thrilled to be recognised for its work within the community by receiving a Melbourne Award’.

‘The award is great recognition of the important work of the charity and it has meant a lot to the volunteers, staff and stakeholders who are all very proud of the charity’s achievements. We feel extremely honoured and humbled by the experience of the judging process, there were so many amazing organisations that were nominated – all very worthy’.

The award helped showcase the work of the charity and prompted a flood of emails, phone calls and text messages from people, congratulating the charity on the award. A spokesperson said, ‘it was very overwhelming ... but it has definitely elevated the charity’s public awareness within the sector and to the general public’.

To find out more, or to nominate, visit Melbourne Awards[5].

Skaters in the frame

A skater cruising down the footpath could be seen as an agile athlete, or a tricky obstacle to navigate.

To help understand the needs of skaters, so their activity can be better accommodated alongside other users, the City of Melbourne is set to develop a new strategic framework, to guide the provision, location and management of skating into the future.

While some skaters choose to skate at the municipality’s two formal skate parks, Riverslide Skate Park in Alexandra Gardens and South Kensington Skate Park in

JJ Holland Reserve, other skaters prefer the challenge of street skating in public spaces within and around the central city, not specifically designed with skating in mind.

The manager of Riverslide, Ryan Harbottle said, ‘it’s really good that City of Melbourne has recognised that skating is part of youth culture and it’s an activity which needs to be included in planning’.

He said the benefits of skating are many and varied, from the social benefits of making friends, to the obviously physical benefits. ‘A lot of skateboarders don’t participate in any other kind of sport’, said Ryan.

‘One of the great things is because it’s not so structured you can participate in any way you want to. You can skate to the shop, skate with friends, skate on your own. You don’t need to have a whole bunch of infrastructure or equipment’.

Participation in skating is also much broader than it was in the past. Ryan said when he started skating as a child, there were few parents with any skating history, but now it is different. ‘People are coming back into skating, at 40 and 45. They have grown up in skate parks and they are now taking their kids to skate parks, so it’s a really family-friendly environment’.

To participate in the framework’s development, visit Participate Melbourne[6].

Connecting minds, creating change

Ally Watson is a coder. One of the millions of people needed to build the websites and mobile phone apps that are a necessary part of life in the first world. She is also the bright mind behind the popular networking group, Code Like a Girl.

Launched in August 2015, Ally thought about eight people might come to her first Code Like a Girl ‘meet up’. Instead she received almost 100 responses and quickly had to find a larger venue.

‘For such a long time I had wanted to do more in this space’, said Ally, because although she has been a coder for almost six years, female coders are still a small minority in the male-dominated tech world.

The gender divide can start well before women enter the workforce. ‘Girls don’t always have the confidence to do computer science’, said Ally. Indeed her own decision to study the discipline was a last minute switch from art, but she soon fell in love with it. ‘I like the problem solving side of it. You start with a blank screen and by the end you have a website or an app’.

Post-event feedback from those attending Code Like a Girl meet ups underlines the importance of connecting with others.

A participant named Dani said: ‘Really motivating, even for a beginner coder like myself. Thanks to all involved. Look forward to future events’. While Elizabeth said: ‘It was lovely to meet everyone. Good luck to everyone with their journey in tech – it’s such a very exciting space to be a part of’.

These days Ally aims to hold a meet up every month or so, and she is also branching out into coding workshops for girls, including one for Melbourne Knowledge Week 2016, to be held at Signal, a creative studio for young people 13 to 25.

Now in its seventh year, Melbourne Knowledge Week is the City of Melbourne’s flagship event to celebrate and cement Melbourne’s position as a knowledge city, alongside its well-known reputation as a sporting and cultural capital.

The Knowledge Week program includes an extensive range of public events that aim to connect the city’s most innovative industries with the community’s most curious minds, to solve problems, build on our collective knowledge and skills, and explore what the future may hold.

Delivered in partnership with the organisations best-placed to lead these conversations, the events cover a diverse range of topics from augmented reality’s impact on neurosurgery, to hands-on events such as Ally’s Code Like a Girl, Creative Coding workshop for young women. These are events in which people can learn new skills, engage with like-minded peers and contribute to the change occurring around them.

In addition to the public events, there are a number of events tailored towards businesses to facilitate connections and collaboration for those working in the sector. There are also several group problem-solving events, known as a ‘hackathons’, for which organisers have managed to secure some previously proprietary data, for tech-savvy computer programmers to synthesise into usable and meaningful information.

Councillor Dr Jackie Watts, Chair of the Knowledge City portfolio sees Melbourne Knowledge Week as ‘an important medium to explore, collaborate and connect with the talent and innovation shaping the transformation that will secure our city’s future economic and social growth’.

‘The knowledge sector here in Melbourne is both very diverse and very savvy. This event is a smart way to engage and educate the wider community in order to bring people with us’, she said.

As the digital capability of the city continues to grow it is important to prepare the community for the digital future, said Dr Watts. ‘Melbourne Knowledge Week is an opportunity to expose the community to exciting developments taking place in Melbourne’s own knowledge sector’.

Driving this digital future for the city is Victoria’s first chief digital officer appointed in 2015 to head up the City of Melbourne’s Smart City Office.

The office will focus on exploring, connecting and re-designing the city to secure our future growth and resilience. Four key areas of focus are: streamlining and digitising council services, attracting and fostering tech and bioscience start-ups, continuing the development of the city’s open data platform and preparing Melbourne for future technologies such as driverless cars.

The Smart City Office will also collaborate with Melbourne’s research and higher education sectors to help build on the city’s international reputation as a knowledge hub for research and education services. ‘By advancing the reputation of Melbourne as a knowledge city we can attract more students to our city and this is good for businesses in general’, said Dr Watts.

Ally Watson is herself the embodiment of such ‘professional tourism’. Her soft Scottish accent is immediately apparent and reveals her Glaswegian origins.

Having lived in Melbourne for just two

years and still well shy of her 30th birthday, Ally is exactly the sort of professional tourist Melbourne is keen to welcome with open arms.

When asked why she chose Melbourne Ally said, ‘Atlassian, Campaign Monitor and Envato are all household names in the developer world and a big influence on my decision to come work in Australia where these companies were founded. I chose Melbourne in the end for its thriving and active tech community and its ability to provide a seriously good cup of java’.

‘I just love it here, it’s the coolest place’.

Melbourne Knowledge Week 2016 2 to 8 May

Program highlights:

Mundane sublime: how technology transforms the city

Festival keynote featuring Dan Hill, Head of Arup Digital Studio.

2 May, 5.30pm

The quantified self: life hacking in the internet age

Build simple wearable tech that looks at data gathering on a personal scale.

4 May, 10am

When accounting collides with botany

What happens when accountants and botanists join forces to measure and report carbon emissions?

6 May, 9.30am

See the full program at Melbourne Knowledge Week[7].

Walking through a city for people

Melbourne aims to be a city for people. It is a goal the city has worked hard to meet over the past 20 years or so, but as population pressure increases, and the face of the city changes, it is important to reflect on what makes a successful city for people.

For twenty years, the City of Melbourne has researched public life in the city to find out what works, what doesn’t and why. Known as Places for People, this longitudinal study has been used to inform planning and development in the city and surrounds.

Places for People collects valuable quantitative data ranging from pedestrian counts, surveys of the sorts of activities people undertake in public space, and how public realm design, land uses and built form affect varying levels of activity.

According to the most recent version of the study published in 2015, almost half of the study area (incorporating central city, Docklands and Southbank) has been redeveloped since 1985. What has sprung up has sometimes been successful, and at other times less so, underlining the importance of evidence-based research to inform planning and design for the future.

Examples of unsuccessful planning and development can be traced back to large-scale redevelopment that has occurred since the 1960s and 1970s. For example, to enable the construction of Melbourne Central, multiple land parcels were consolidated into one mega-site, which led to the loss of historic buildings and fine-grained network of laneways that once interlaced the blocks.

At the turn of the century, a different approach was taken for the QV site on the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale streets. The impermeable former Queen Victoria hospital site was redeveloped on newly subdivided land parcels with publicly accessible laneways. The aim was to establish cross-site thoroughfares and public space in the centre of the site to provide a focal point for activities.

The Places for People survey of street level facades since 1993, shows the importance of scale and intricacy of land uses to produce animated streets that are appealing to people. The study found

the quality of street level facades has improved in the central city, in particular the western end.

In 2015 the scope of the study was expanded for the first time to look at how the city performs at a local, everyday level for its people, in addition to tracking the built environment and public life for our city, in what is known as the Local Liveability study.

Councillor Richard Foster, Chair of the People City portfolio said: ‘for the first time ever, we are looking at how we can make sure Melbourne truly is a city for all people. We can certainly do this by having a solid understanding of how we can design for social inclusion and economic success at

a time of rapid urban growth’.

The study found the central city has a highly permeable urban structure, making it easy to walk through, thanks in part to the historic laneway network. It also has a diverse mix of small and large buildings, such as the blocks between Swanston and Elizabeth streets, and Collins and Lonsdale streets.

This diverse mix of building stock allows for a greater number of uses, which leads in turn to a greater variety of owners and tenancies. In any one block there might be more than 360 different uses, including grocers, pharmacists, newsagents, delis, public transport, libraries, medical centres and pocket parks.

According to best practice urban design principles, quality of life is shaped by our ability to access essential daily services, such as grocers, newsagents or GPs, within in a five-minute walk.

A highly walkable neighbourhood has other benefits too. People are less likely to use cars, leading to greater environmental and health outcomes, as well as an increased likelihood of engagement with and connection to others in their community.

Neighbourhoods with less diverse building stock, such as Docklands and Southbank, have high proportions of workers and residents, but low walkability. This means that those who live in these areas cannot easily access the services and facilities they need, leading to the proliferation of car parks and increased car dependency.

The study found the ideal neighbourhood should be compact, walkable and highly connected, with everyday essentials right on the doorstep. By investigating the extent to which different parts of the city serve its users’ daily needs in these ways, the easier it is to replicate them in future planning decisions, be they small-scale local redevelopments or larger urban renewal sites like Fishermans Bend.

Councillor Ken Ong, Chair of the Planning Portfolio said: ‘now, more than ever, the City of Melbourne has a vital role to play in the planning of our city – because good planning, using evidence-based research and a solid understanding of what makes a liveable city, means Melbourne will continue to uphold its reputation as one of the best in the world’.

The valuable research from both the Places for People study and the Local Liveability study will continue to inform the design of public spaces into the future, to support vibrant communities.

City Gallery goes viral

The way that cities prepare for the ongoing battle with disease has always interested environmental planner Bruce Copland.

As curator of Going Viral, the latest exhibition at City Gallery, Bruce delved into the City of Melbourne’s Arts and Heritage collection to create an exhibition that reveals how disease has affected Melbourne in the past, and how it may continue to in the future.

‘From the black plague to flu epidemics of the 21st century, Melbourne has continued to encounter the spread of disease across the globe,’ says Bruce. ‘But unless diseases are in the news, we don’t really think about them’.

Diseases feature in the exhibition as translucent cylinders hung from above and lit from within. The illuminated light shades delve into diseases such as smallpox, cholera, obesity, salmonella and scarlet fever and chart the effect they have on the city.

‘The experience of walking through the exhibition’s illuminated forest of lanterns is a truly special experience’, says Bruce. ‘This partnered with the ghostly, mirage-like panoramic photographic image of the now disappeared West Melbourne swamp and other artefacts from the council’s Arts and Heritage Collection make this exhibition something quite unique’.

‘My interest in disease grew from my years as an environmental scientist and urban planner. The topic extends from the work I did improving urban sanitation and meeting the ever-growing needs of the expanding populations’.

‘The medical facilities progressively built in Melbourne count for a lot. They show how earlier generations responded to diseases visiting the city, and we take them for granted. How the city responds to future disease challenges is a topic that should interest a lot of people’.

Going Viral is a free exhibition at City Gallery, Melbourne Town Hall until 18 April. For more information, visit City Gallery[8].

Everyone needs a festival

For a long time now women have dominated the world of clothes, beauty and personal grooming.

Not content to let women grab all the attention, a group of small business owners from Melbourne’s City Precinct put their heads together and came up with a novel way to cater to the shopping needs of men – The Festival of Steve.

The City Precinct is one of eight trader associations funded by the City of Melbourne, whose 140 plus members are all boutique, or niche businesses, often located above awnings or down laneways, rather than on the main streets.

City Precinct Vice President and bespoke tailor, Carl Nave, said their group was looking for a way to promote the variety and quality of men’s fashion, grooming and entertainment found in their precinct, when they realised few events catered specifically to men.

The Festival of Steve, now in its fourth year, is an example of what can be achieved when precinct members work together towards a common goal.

‘It’s all about men’s style and grooming’, said Carl. ‘Men don’t shop in the same way as women, so we’ve created a non-threatening social environment. There are pool tournaments and poker tournaments and all sorts of things. It’s all about supporting local businesses and the people who like spending at local businesses’.

This year’s Festival of Steve will be held at Taxi Riverside, Federation Square, on

28 May, 11am to 6pm.

Applications for funding through the City of Melbourne Precinct Program are open until 20 April.

For more information, visit the Precincts Program[9].

Traders prosper with transport trial

While the Victorian Government considers its verdict on the Night Network, a 24-hour weekend public transport pilot, local traders count the benefits of longer opening hours.

Richard Hands, owner of Touché Hombre, a Mexican taqueria in Lonsdale Street, extended his opening hours until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, in response to the trial.

‘Giving people a means to get home throughout the night is very helpful to late night trade. I think for modern cities this is an essential part of the city. People can stay out until they’re ready to go home and not rush for the last train, or end up getting expensive taxis. It has also helped the staff to get home’, he said.

In terms of behaviour, Richard was also positive. ‘I have to say the vast majority [of people] are very well behaved and respectful.’

Since the Night Network trial began, police and the City of Melbourne have worked closely with a number of stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition.

Victoria Police Inspector Simon Stevens said, ‘the shared vision of a 24-hour city without intoxication and violence is achievable if we can change community acceptance. We are all working towards the common goal of creating a city that can be enjoyed safely by all visiting and living here’.

Our inventions on display in BlackBOX

Clever inventions fit so seamlessly into our lives we hardly know they are there, let alone which bright spark designed them. The humble Esky, the swing-top bin, the ubiquitous power board and the stay-sharp knife are all popular products designed by home-grown inventors.

For Ian Wong, senior lecturer in Industrial Design at Monash University, the low profile of these ingenious Aussies was an oversight in need of correction.

‘My research shines a light on things that have endured, but it is often the names and faces of the people who make these things which are unknown and I’d like us to consider the contribution that these people have made’.

The perfect opportunity arose when Milan invited sister city Melbourne to participate in the cultural program of their World Expo 2015.

‘Around the world people have seldom heard about Melbourne industrial design. My research is about the untold story of our design talent’, said Ian.

The KeepCup, Crumpler bag, Portable Ultrasound Device, Knog bicycle light, Globe shoes and countless other designs all feature, but not in the typical gallery format.

In a nod to Milan’s sophisticated design aesthetic, 3D-printed medallions, bearing an image of each product, are displayed in sleek black boxes enabled with proximity-based (Melbourne designed) software that transmits the story of each piece to a smart phone application.

Ian had no shortage of material, but chose to limit the number of objects to 64 in reference to another piece of enduring Melbourne design, the Hoddle Grid.

The name of the exhibition, BlackBOX, not only describes the exhibition’s designer format, but also alludes to one of Melbourne’s most high-profile inventions, the black box flight recorder, which ironically is neither black, nor a box.

After Milan the exhibition toured to Tianjin China in February 2016, as part of a City of Melbourne’s business mission. The exhibition will then make its Australian debut as part of Melbourne Knowledge Week 2016.

BlackBOX: Design and Innovation in Melbourne, co-presented by the City of Melbourne and Monash University’s Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, is on from 26 April to 8 May, at the Melbourne Town Hall, corner Little Collins and Swanston streets.

2016 is an election year

Free and fair elections are central to our democracy.

The Melbourne City Council elections will be conducted via postal ballot later this year. Residents, ratepayers and company representatives required to vote in the Melbourne City Council elections need to return their completed ballot papers by 21 October 2016 for their vote to be counted.

Melbourne City Council is the only council in Victoria where voting is compulsory for all people on the voters’ roll. Regardless of whether you live in the municipality or are an Australian citizen, if you are on the roll, you are required to vote. Failure to do so may result in a fine.

To check you eligibility to vote, visit Elections[10].

Walk, talk and chalk

It was a love of working with people and the outdoors that prompted Andrew Wyld to apply for a job as a City of Melbourne On-street Compliance Officer. ‘I was a mechanic for a couple of years, but I love the outdoors. I like to see the sun and the rain and I think I missed that’.

Instead of bending down to look at yet another engine, the tall and willowy Andrew now spends his days walking the streets of Melbourne, checking that local residents, workers, visitors and tradespeople are parking legally.

The issuing of tickets is a daily task, but it’s not Andrew’s goal, rather he wants to ensure the spaces turn over so more people have the opportunity to park. If there is a construction job on in a street, with trades vehicles taking up a lot of spaces, Andrew said the residents often appreciate it when officers keep the tradies moving.

When Andrew meets drivers who have infringed, he says 99 per cent of them understand where they went wrong and they part amicably. However, not all interactions are like this, with some drivers becoming verbally or even physically abusive upon getting a fine. ‘No one enjoys getting a parking fine, but we’re just trying to enforce the road rules for everyone’s benefit’, said the mild-mannered former mechanic.

The City of Melbourne is looking at trialling lapel cameras as a safety initiative designed to defuse difficult officer-driver interactions. The cameras will only be activated on occasions where an officer feels threatened, so parking officers hope they wont have to activate them often. ‘The cameras will help us feel a bit more comfortable in those times on the job and increase transparency for both parties. The streets are our workplace, and no one should feel threatened in their workplace’, said Andrew. ‘Anything which improves safety is a good thing’.

Parking tips

With more than one million parking transactions recorded across the municipality every month, and only a few thousand marked parking bays to cater for the high demand, enforcing the parking rules is essential to keep traffic moving and help everyone find parking. These simple tips can help you avoid a parking fine.

Your parking time starts as soon as you enter the bay, not from when you buy a parking ticket, put money in the meter or pay with PayStay.

After the time shown on the sign (for example, one hour in a 1P area), you must move your car to another area. In-ground sensors will detect how long the car has been there and alert the officer patrolling in the area.

You can’t feed a parking meter, buy another ticket, or start a new PayStay session to extend your stay past the signed time limit. Continuing to make payment wont reset the time limit.

Parking permits and tickets always need to be correctly displayed face up on the left side of the dashboard. Watch that they don’t blow over, or fall from place when you close your car door. Displaying it carefully is essential.

For more information, visit Parking[11].

Remembering Enterprize Park

For countless years before the establishment of the first European camp of the Yarra, the Kulin people and their ancestors lived, loved and thrived on the banks of the Birrarung. This ancient crossing point of the river, at a small waterfall, was a meeting place of the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrong people.

This site, known today as Enterprize Park, later became the gateway for the new settlement of Melbourne. Entrepreneurial settlers soon arrived by boat from Van Diemen’s Land and Sydney, to take advantage of the early land sales and the commercial opportunities that went with them.

To acknowledge the cultural and historical importance of Enterprize Park, the City of Melbourne helped stage a Koorie Night Market on the site on 13 February, which coincided with the eighth anniversary of the National Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Visitors were treated to a selection of Aboriginal art stalls, musical performances and cultural walks.

Dean Stewart, founder of Aboriginal Tours And Education Melbourne, who leads the walks said, ‘for me as an Aboriginal man Enterprize Park has deeper significance, not just the “once as it was” natural beauty of the spot, but a deeper echo that continues to reverberate through our Victorian Aboriginal culture, as it is here that the black and white universe collided’, he said.

‘Very few Melburnians know much of their own home and for many their own birthplace. For me personally I want Melburnians to understand their own backyards and the deeper history and a connection with the place that they all call home’.

National Reconciliation Week is held each year from 27 May to 3 June.

Marina buoyed by Chinese yacht visit

Skipper Dong Qing and the crew of Shuguang Haiyang (Dawn Sailing) stopped off at the City of Melbourne’s recently upgraded marina on their way back to Shenzhen, after competing in the 2015 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It was the first time any mainland Chinese crews had competed in the race.

What brought you to Melbourne?

We sailed a 42-foot yacht from China to Australia to attend the 71st Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. After the yacht race, we need to head back to China. Melbourne is the best place to go while we are on our way back to China. We are very glad to have the opportunity to enjoy the city that we have admired for a long time.

What do you like about Melbourne?

The cultural city of Melbourne is the most famous city in the southern hemisphere. Some of my friends still think that Melbourne is the capital city of Australia. Melbourne hosted the summer Olympics and it also hosts the annual tennis match, the Australian Open. Hence, Melbourne city is well known for Chinese. Many Chinese people admire ‘The World’s Most Liveable City’.

How did you find the journey from Hobart to Melbourne?

Hobart’s location is unique. It’s in Australia’s southernmost point. The most dangerous area is in Bass Strait between Melbourne and Hobart, as the weather there is very changeable. Sailing in that region is very difficult. Safe sailing can be achieved only if the yacht and the crew are both well prepared. It is also important to monitor the weather closely and react promptly.

Was this the crew’s first time in Melbourne?

Yes, it’s the first time for most crew members to visit Melbourne. We are all very excited and happy that we have the chance to be in Melbourne. It’s my second time visiting Melbourne – my first visit was in 1998. Melbourne gave me a deep impression during my first visit. I can see the significant development and improvement of Melbourne compared with the city in 1998. I am very proud of today’s Melbourne. I also admire Melbourne that it adapts to change very well.

What do you like about Melbourne City Marina?

First, we are surprised that this Marina is managed by Melbourne City Council and the Marina is so well presented and accessible for the public. It’s very different in China as most marinas are private. There isn’t any marina in China like Melbourne City Marina. We can see that sailing sport is popular in Australia and local government promotes sailing activity well.

What was the best part of your stay?

All the facilities in the marina are amazing perfect for us. The floating bridge, lights and signs, they are all perfect. The most stunning thing is the luxury and classic lounge room with free drinks, Wi-Fi service and shower room. Relaxing in this comfortable lounge room with beautiful marina views, we were deeply moved by the love and care that Melbourne City Marina gives to its customers.

How would you describe Melbourne City Marina to other sailors?

Perfect location right next to the city. Deep water marina with well-established facilities. Beautiful surroundings with excellent services.

For more information, visit Melbourne Marina[12].

Your Council

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor Robert Doyle

Future Melbourne (Major Projects), Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9658

Email lordmayor@melbourne..au

Deputy Lord Mayor Susan Riley

Future Melbourne (Marketing Melbourne), Committee Deputy Chair

Phone 9658 9043

Email susan.riley@melbourne..au

Cr Richard Foster

Future Melbourne (People City), Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9056

Email richard.foster@melbourne..au

Cr Rohan Leppert

Future Melbourne (Arts and Culture), Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9051

Email rohan.leppert@melbourne..au

Cr Kevin Louey

Future Melbourne (Economic Development) Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9170 or mobile 0413 960 811

Email kevin.louey@melbourne..au

Cr Stephen Mayne

Future Melbourne (Finance and Governance) Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9636 or mobile 0412 106 241

Email stephen.mayne@melbourne..au

Cr Cathy Oke

Future Melbourne (Transport), Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9086

Email cathy.oke@melbourne..au

Cr Ken Ong

Future Melbourne (Planning), Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9704

Email ken.ong@melbourne..au

Cr Beverley Pinder-Mortimer

Future Melbourne (Marketing Melbourne) Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9038

Email beverley.pinder-mortimer@melbourne..au

Cr Jackie Watts

Future Melbourne (Knowledge City), Committee Chair

Phone 9658 8580

Email jackie.watts@melbourne..au

Cr Arron Wood

Future Melbourne (Environment), Committee Chair

Phone 9658 9630

Email arron.wood@melbourne..au

Postal address for all Councillors

City of Melbourne

GPO Box 1603, Melbourne VIC 3001

Fax for all councillors 03 9658 9613

All committee meetings are held in: Council Meeting Room, Level 2 Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street, Melbourne, except the Docklands Coordination Committee, which is held at: Goods Shed, 710 Collins Street, Docklands, Melbourne.

All council meetings are held in: Council Chamber, (Public Gallery, Level 3) Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street, Melbourne.

On occasion, council meetings are rescheduled or special meetings of the committees and council are called.

For upcoming council and committee meeting dates and times, visit City of Melbourne. Changes to the meeting schedule are published on the website and on the notice board at the front of the Melbourne Town Hall administration building.

Council meetings April 2016

|Meeting |Date |Time |

|Future Melbourne Committee |Tuesday 5 April | 5.30pm |

|Future Melbourne Committee |Tuesday 19 April | 5.30pm |

|Council |Tuesday 26 April | 5.30pm |

Council meetings May 2016

|Meeting |Date |Time |

|Future Melbourne Committee |Tuesday 3 May |5.30pm |

|Future Melbourne Committee |Tuesday 17 May |5.30pm |

|Council |Tuesday 31 May |5.30pm |

Lord Mayor’s commendations: Leighton Hipkins, Mind Games

A healthy addiction to board games followed Leighton Hipkins home from a year spent backpacking around the world in 1974. He quickly found that he couldn’t satisfy his obsession in Melbourne.

‘There was nowhere to buy board games, except Scrabble and Monopoly. I thought it would be good if there was a shop that carried nothing but games, puzzles and jigsaws’, says Leighton.

As the backgammon craze spread, Mind Games opened in 1977 and expanded to three shops, opening in a city arcade in 1980. Leighton took a chance on a Swanston Street store in 1985 and Mind Games has been a fixture of the city’s main thoroughfare ever since.

‘It was much quieter then. I often walk into the shop today and think Swanston Street looks like it used to look on Boxing Day, when it would be packed with people. But now it looks like that every day of the week’, says Leighton.

The fantasy roleplay game Dungeons & Dragons gave Mind Games its first big break in the late 1970s, quickly followed by the Rubik’s Cube.

‘Rubik’s Cube put us on the map. It gave us a big kick along about five years after we opened. At the time we realised how big it was going to be, and we got most of the stock that came in for Australia’, he says.

People appeared to tire of Monopoly and started playing a new European type of board game around 20 years ago.

‘Settlers of Catan started a revival in board games. They’re so much better now. With Monopoly, you know you’re going to lose and you’re waiting to land on someone else’s Mayfair. Most of the games are designed now so there are lots of ways to win’.

Also a computer programmer, Leighton devised his own stock control system to keep track of the business. Eventually the bigger game of running the business outmatched his love of playing games.

He dabbled three times in selling new and used computer games, and opened a business briefly in Sydney, but always returned to Swanston Street. He believes that small businesses need to find a niche to thrive.

‘Start with something that you and your friends are after, something that no-one is fulfilling properly. That’s why I’ve lasted longer than everyone else’, says Leighton.

Leighton’s business received a silver Lord Mayor’s Commendation in 2006. Mind Games can be found at 244 Swanston Street Melbourne.

Applications for the 2016 Lord Mayor’s Commendations program are open now, until 20 May. For more information, visit Melbourne Commendations[13].

In Brief

Sleeping Beauties and Marilyn Rowe House

Former prima ballerina and Australian Ballet School director, Marilyn Rowe, has been honoured in the naming of a new student residence in Parkville. The residence, Marilyn Rowe House, was opened by the Governor General in January and reflects the vision, culture and character of the Australian Ballet School and the woman for whom it was named. With space to house 32 full-time students, the new lodgings are a valuable asset for a school where 64 per cent of current full-time students come from interstate and 14 per cent from overseas. Marilyn’s lifetime contribution to the development of ballet in Melbourne has previously been acknowledged with a certificate of commendation from the City of Melbourne.

Which number are you?

In 1887 the Melbourne City Council ordered the renumbering of properties across the city to make houses and businesses easier to find. Almost 130 years later, the City of Melbourne still encourages owners to display street numbers clearly on their buildings, shops and homes.

Grants and sponsorship

Applications for the 2017 annual arts grants and community grants programs open in May. Indigenous and individual athlete grants are open all year, or until funding for that financial year has been allocated.

For more information, visit Melbourne grants[14].

CLUE data available

Our CLUE data is publicly available online for researchers, consultants, students, businesses, journalists, property analysts and anyone else who has a thirst for quality data.

For more information, visit CLUE[15].

We want your feedback

We’re keen to respond to your feedback, enquiries, requests, or complaints. Our online form is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information, visit Contact Us[16].

Contact

03 9658 9658 (7.30am to 6pm)

Visit City of Melbourne[17]

National Relay Service

Teletypewriter (TTY) users phone 13 36 77 then ask for 03 9658 9658

Speak & Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 03 9658 9658

In person

Melbourne Town Hall Administration Building

120 Swanston Street, Melbourne

7.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

Postal address

City of Melbourne

GPO Box 1603

Melbourne VIC 3000

Feedback

To provide feedback, contact the City of Melbourne or email melbournemag@melbourne..au

Online Version

Visit the online version at Melbourne Magazine[18]

Audio version

To receive a copy, email john.rojas@ at Vision Australia or phone 03 8378 1252.

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[17] melbourne..au

[18] melbourne..au/melbournemag

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