URBAN RENEWAL

Words by Larissa Dubecki

If cities rarely sleep, Melbourne in 2023 is a chronic insomniac. A raft of urban renewal projects, either poised to start or already well underway, is set to bring a new complexion to the inner city and selected suburbs.

Some involve the redevelopment of outmoded industrial sites to create new neighbourhoods where high-rise housing, office and retail spaces mix business with pleasure. Some aim to correct existing fault lines, whether that’s a lack of green space or simply a tired civic centre that needs a comprehensive glow-up. And others are about creating an alternative to Melbourne’s CBD, taking the pressure off postcode 3000 as the business centre to rule them all. At all points on the compass, Melbourne is morphing. Here are three of the significant projects designed to take the city into the next decade and well beyond.