The Melbourne Region VillageTown Project is now under way. To learn more, read on. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of VillageTowns, please first go to the Village Forum. On this web site we will post updates on progress and post information specifically related to the Melbourne Village Project.
Our goal is to build a VillageTown in Victoria which encompasses the following fundamentals:
- Walkable Cosmopolitan Lifestyle
- Strong Local Economy
- Ambitious Environmental Sustainability
- Genuine Community Atmosphere
- Culturally Wealthy Society
- Charming Romantic Surroundings
- Affordable Quality Living
Terminology: A VillageTown is a 10,000 population town made up of twenty 500 person villages. Each village is built around its own central plaza, and each village is different - reflecting the character and vision of the people who will live there.
We begin with people, not with a place. If we begin with a place, all sorts of difficulties crop up. If instead we begin with 10,000 people who want to live in a VillageTown - $1 billion in purchasing power; $300 million in annual income and no adverse environmental effects - the difficulties vanish. Local government officials will compete to host the VillageTown and make it easy to do.
To secure authenticity & character, we'll begin with people. If 500 people set out the brief for their village with loving detail, authenticity and character can be secured in a way no architects, no matter how brilliant, can do on their own. We set out a collaborative process involving the people who will live with the results (villagers & their neighbours), as well as the government planners who give permission, and the architects, engineers, designers & others who transform the founder's vision into designs.
We seek variety. Melbourne has many nationalities who call Victoria home. Imagine an Italian village, a Greek Village, an Indian Village and a China Town called by their Village Coordinators to honour their heritage - an enriched cultural experience within a ten-minute walk. Imagine a musical village, a trendy village, a village dedicated to food & flowers, a youth village (homes reserved for buyers under age 25) with dancing in the streets, or an artists village full of painters & sculptors. Imagine a village of inventors & scientists, buzzing with ideas and chess boards built into the cafe tables. Imagine 200 friends who want to live with their families in a village they create. Imagine what you will, as people emerge who say "I have spent my whole life preparing for this."
