City of Melbourne Urban Forest Strategy and Precinct Plans

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The Urban Forest Strategy and Precinct Plans were developed for the City of Melbourne to adapt the city to climate change, urban densification and the impacts of urban heat island. The 10 precinct plans were designed by Ron Jones (Jones & Whitehead) in association with Jenny Rayment (Grapevine Design) and the Australian Centre for Urban Ecology, to establish a new legacy for the city and a strategic framework that creates a forest for current and future generations. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: The project is a strategic response to Melbourne's rapidly aging and declining tree cover, urban densification and divergent public views by planting urban forests that are adaptable and complex ecologies. It is a prescient engagement program based on continual citizen involvement, with an implementation program where the community is empowered to make decisions about their streets. The project exemplifies transformational policy and active citizen engagement, and marks a significant change in the way the urban forests are considered, procured, and managed in the city. This project extends Jones' ongoing innovation in public landscape and urban design projects, in particular policy development, urban design frameworks, masterplans and public space design. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The project received two prestigious awards by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA): the 2014 Victorian Medal for Landscape Architecture and the 2016 National Research, Policy and Communication Award of Excellence. According to AILA, '[the project] provides an exemplar of how to transform policy into practice to create a distinctive and liveable city, whilst providing a common ground for sharing and building community links to place.' It has been published in the professional journal Landscape Architecture Australia, and online: City of Melbourne, AILA, Urban Design Forum, Architecture and Design and Urbanalyst, amongst others.