Melbourne’s Open Space Strategy is a blooming great example

The Oak Lawn in the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Carlton Gardens and Royal exhibition building.

Waterways in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne with the city’s skyline in the background.

Fitzroy Gardens Conservatory.

Australian Garden at Cranbourne Botanical Gardens.

This summer, Melbourne was named the world's "most liveable city" by the The Economist ­Intelligence Unit (EIU) for the fifth year in a row. In its annual Global Liveability Ranking, the organisation considers 30 factors, ranging from health care, educational resources and infrastructure to stability and the environment, to compile its ranking of 140 cities across the globe.

The EIU noted that the most liveable places tend to be “midsized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density”. But another contributor to Melbourne’s desirability is its abundance of green spaces – from historic parks and gardens to leafy suburbs and vibrant waterfronts. This is central to the quality of life enjoyed by its residents, something that has been recognised at the very highest levels of government. Other cities around the world would do well to note this.

The municipality of Melbourne is home to 555 hectares of green space, representing about 15 per cent of its total area. Efforts are underway to ensure that these spaces are maintained and developed, in spite of threats such as climate change and population growth. The city is expected to grow significantly over the coming decade, with the population potentially expanding by two-thirds by 2026. But as the density of Melbourne’s neighbourhoods grow, so too will the need for green spaces.

In 2012, the City of Melbourne launched its Open Space Strategy, a 15-year framework for the development of the city’s green areas. The plan defines open space as publicly owned land set aside for recreation, nature conservation, passive outdoor enjoyment and public gatherings, and includes everything from public parks and gardens to waterways and plazas.

The strategy acknowledges the importance of these spaces in terms of mental and physical health and well-being, because they promote informal exercise, interaction with nature, and social contact and development, particularly in the case of children. But there are also the more practical benefits of an urban centre punctuated by green spaces – they help to radiate heat out at night, thus cooling the city in hotter months; they offer a space for large canopy trees to grow and create shade; and they provide permeable surfaces that hold moisture and further contribute to cooling the urban environment, all the while providing a habitat for native flora, fauna and bird life.

“Open spaces define ­Melbourne. Our parks, gardens and reserves help make this city the world’s most liveable,” ­Robert Doyle, the lord mayor of Melbourne, and Cathy Oke, the chair of the Future Melbourne Committee, say in their foreword to the strategy.

“The City of Melbourne’s first Open Space Strategy recognises the value of open space in improving community health and well-being for our residents, visitors and workers. Significant new open spaces ensure that all residents and workers are within easy walking distance of a park, garden or reserve. In a commitment to a sustainable city, we will also plan our open spaces to ensure they provide shade in summer and cool our city in a changing climate.”

Improvements are already under way across the city. At ­Docklands Park, new seating, lighting, paving and trees are being introduced in a project that’s due for completion in January.

The city’s major parks and gardens have been a part of its fabric for almost as long as it has existed. Governor Charles La Trobe, the first lieutenant-governor of the state of Victoria, is credited with creating a green belt round the centre of the city. Which means that many of Melbourne’s best-known parks, including Carlton Gardens, Royal Park, ­Fitzroy Gardens, Fawkner Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens, date back to the mid-1800s.

The Royal Botanic Gardens – also known as Melbourne Garden – was established in 1846, and today welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors each year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in Victoria. It’s one of the leading examples of ­Victorian-era landscaping in the world.

The garden extends across 36 hectares that are home to more than 50,000 plants species from around the world, many of which are rare or threatened. There are 31 plant collections on display, including eucalyptuses, cycads, herbs, oaks, palms, roses, orchids and viburnums, as well as an assortment of cacti, aloes, agaves and bromeliads in the Arid ­Garden. There’s the Tropical Glasshouse, as well as a ­Southern African collection, a Southern ­Chinese collection and the California Garden. Similarities in the landscape and climate of Victoria and California, which are both home to hot, dry deserts, ­temperate coastal areas, shrubby heathlands and windswept mountain tops, mean that species native to the American state can thrive here. The collection features plants such as the showy island snapdragon, white sage and silk tassel bush. Other features of the Melbourne Garden include the National Herbarium, ­Tropical Hothouse, Plant Craft Cottage and the Ian Potter Foundation ­Children’s Garden, which welcomes 150,000 children each year.

There’s also the Fern Gully, which was originally designed by William Guilfoyle, a former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, and reopened earlier this year after a revamp costing 565,000 ­Australian dollars (Dh1.5 million). The improved site now features 1,500 new ferns, a 215-metre raised boardwalk, five steel bridges and three wooden bench seats.

“Sadly, because of pressures of drought, impact from 30,000 roosting grey-headed flying foxes, and a deteriorating path network, the condition of the Fern Gully had declined over the last 20 years, and was in need of a major rejuvenation,” said Tim Entwisle, the current director and chief executive of the Royal Botanic ­Gardens ­Victoria, at the reopening.

“We have reinstated and reinterpreted Guilfoyle’s vision for the Fern Gully. He was inspired by the tropical wet forests of northern New South Wales and the green fern-gullies of Victoria to create this enchanting landscape.”

Further improvements to the Fern Gully will include a restoration of the site’s rest house and the creation of dedicated areas for reflection and healing.

Cities around the world can learn much from Melbourne’s approach to green spaces – from the prioritisation of the development of these areas as the city grows and evolves, to the way parks, gardens and waterways have become a fundamental part of life in this most desirable of cities. There’s an acknowledgement that these public spaces are exactly that – the property of the public. And in turn, Melbourne’s residents are being encouraged to participate in this green evolution.

In Cranbourne, 45 kilometres south-east of Melbourne’s city centre, is the 363-hectare ­Cranbourne Gardens, a division of Royal Botanical Gardens Victoria. The site is home to the award-winning Australian Garden, which was recently named Garden ­Tourism Garden of the Year for 2016 by the International Garden Tourism Network.

This was the 30th award received by the Australian Garden, which was officially completed in 2012. Covering 15 hectares, the attraction displays Australian flora, landscapes, art and ­architecture. From Gibson Hill, with its blue-foliaged salt bush and acacia plants, to Howson Hill, with its rare malle eucalyptus, to the Display ­Garden, which offers practical ideas for visitors to take home with them, the space is a celebration of ­Australian plants and the links between people and landscapes.

“The Australian Garden provides a stunning display of Australian plants in an evocative setting at our Cranbourne Gardens,” says Entwisle. “It is only three years since its completion, but this botanical landscape is turning heads and changing attitudes towards growing native plants. It’s still a young garden, and over time we can make it an even better one.”

There are improvements planned at Cranbourne Gardens, and members of the community are being invited to participate in the process. Royal Botanic ­Gardens Victoria launched a community consultation campaign last month inviting residents to contribute to the development of the Cranbourne Gardens Master Plan 2016-2025. The campaign, entitled “Your ideas will bring this garden to life”, is looking for ideas and input to help guide future planning and management of the Cranbourne Gardens site.

“We’re keen to hear from members of the community about their aspirations for the future of ­Cranbourne Gardens – what they love, what they would like changed, what their big idea is for the Gardens,” says Chris ­Russell, the director of Cranbourne ­Gardens. “It’s an exciting opportunity for the community to have an input into shaping the future of this wonderful site, and we’d like to hear from as many people as possible.”