Over breakfast in London and cocktails in Melbourne last month, a live debate was hosted by independent consortium New London Architecture (NLA) and Bates Smart. Representatives from both cities discussed how to achieve a liveable, sustainable future for London and Melbourne.

LONDON panel:
Peter Murray, Chairman, New London Architecture
Debbie Jackson, Interim Executive Director of Development Enterprise and Environment, Greater London Authority
Selina Mason, Director of Masterplanning, Lendlease
Tony Travers, Director, LSE

MELBOURNE panel:
Lord Mayor Sally Capp, City of Melbourne
Rob Adams, Director of City Design and Projects, City of Melbourne
Claire Grealy, Director, Urbis
Cian Davis, Director, Bates Smart

It became clear in a recent live debate between London and Melbourne that the two cities share many commonalities, but equally different challenges around citymaking, from sheer population and density, to pavement congestion. Read our key takeaways.

In this short film we asked our Melbourne panellists: Rob Adams, Sally Capp, Claire Grealy and Cian Davis to comment on liveability from their perspective.

‘Liveability’ is a highly subjective concept and current definitions vary considerably. As such, Bates Smart has designed a methodology for creating highly liveable urban experiences which integrates our cross-sector experience with extensive qualitative and quantitative research.

Our methodology can be applied throughout the design process,from ideation through to design development, to deliver essential design elements that together form highly successful places. Click here to register your interest for more information.