Lead

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

Organisations that expressed support for this project

DELWP is consulting with a range of organisations. However, Living Melbourne stakeholder organisations that indicated specific support for this project included: City of Banyule; Brimbank City Council; City of Monash; Melbourne Water; City of Wyndham; Maroondah City Council

Context

Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 outlines the Victorian Government’s commitment to cooling and greening Melbourne. Delivering on this commitment is a priority Plan Melbourne action. Plan Melbourne recognises the urban heat island effect, the role of climate change, the benefits of urban greening, and the challenge of greening a rapidly-growing city that is also becoming denser (Outcome 6 – Melbourne is a sustainable and resilient city, Direction 6.4 – Make Melbourne cooler and greener).

The Plan Melbourne Implementation Plan commits to developing a whole-of-government approach to cooling and greening Melbourne (Action 91). It is a short- to medium-term action (0-5 years).

Action 91 sets out a broad work program to expand and enhance Melbourne’s urban forest. This includes improving spatial data, supporting councils with their urban forest strategies, setting regional targets, establishing a green infrastructure grants program, developing new guidelines and regulations to support greening subdivisions and developments, creating green infrastructure demonstration projects, greening state-owned land and investigating how alternative water sources can support greening initiatives.

Action 91 has a number of interdependencies including the metropolitan open space strategy (Action 93), integrated water management planning (Action 89), land use framework plans (Action 1), improved streetscapes (Action 60), updated precinct structure plan guidelines (Action 20), and the review of planning and building systems to support environmentally sustainable development outcomes (Action 80). These actions will also benefit from greener streetscapes and ongoing urban vegetation and heat mapping.

Progress

Projects completed to date under Action 91

• Green wall on the go
• Trees for Cooler and Greener Streetscapes: Guidelines for Streetscape Planning and Design
• Mapping and analysis of vegetation, heat and land use
• Cooling and Greening Melbourne Interactive Map: Bringing together three main datasets: vegetation cover, urban heat, and the heat vulnerability index