The Liveable Metropolis: The future role of intermediary cities to deliver resilience, impact and prosperity aims to deliver practical recommendations for urban planners, governments and communities for ‘transformational’ cities of the future.

COVID-19 accelerated behavioural shifts in people seeking better quality of life and space, aided by flexible remote work and online services, leading to ‘polycentric’ communities that are not bound to one central city.

As governments across the world are reviewing their economic recovery investment plans, Monash Commission believes now is the time to embrace those behavioural shifts to create long-term positive change and deliver liveable environments for citizens into the future, particularly through secondary or intermediary cities.

Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AC said there are many lessons for Australian cities, particularly Melbourne, to consider in their next stage of development.

“Over the next two decades, Australian cities have large-scale infrastructure and transformation agendas, such as rail and connectivity projects like the Airport Rail Link and Suburban Rail Loop in Melbourne,” Ms Gardner AC said in the report.

“Significant capital investment through international sporting events, such as the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2026 … are likely to leave a legacy.

“Much as they have done for cities in other parts of the world, legacy programs have the capacity to change the shape and opportunities of cities.”

Intermediary cities

Monash describes intermediary cities as small-to-medium size cities of less than one million people that play an important connecting role within their surrounding areas.

They contribute to the needs not only of citizens of that particular city, but across the entire network of cities, the country or even internationally.

The liveability benefits of intermediary cities have enabled them to demonstrate “stronger urban resilience throughout the pandemic when compared to CBDs”.

“Intermediary Cities are more compact and dense than suburban communities and provide vital infrastructure to regional areas supported by transit models that are hard to achieve without density. Their scale provides ideal conditions for citizen engagement and enables experimentation and innovation, particularly in sustainable practices and inclusivity,” the report states.

Importantly, a CBD and intermediary city cannot exist without each other and tend not to be in direct competition for investment.

Second Monash Commission Chair Mark Birrell AM said: “Many discussions, inquiries and reports over the years have focused almost exclusively on the Central Business District (CBD) or primary cities.

“This Commission was clear from the outset, that looking outside of the CBD was an interesting prospect that could lead to a better understanding of how non-primary cities grow and how they can connect entire regions together.

“Our aim was to consider liveability and ways to spread opportunity to the widest set of citizens and what enablers could be employed in cities with similar aspirations.”

Melbourne Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Scott Veenker congratulated Monash Commission on the insightful report.

“The Liveable Metropolis is a comprehensive document that can help improve policy outcomes for business, communities, sustainability and wellbeing.

“From a business perspective it explores the connection of industry, innovation and jobs inside and outside of central business districts, and how both can complement each other.”

Established by Monash University in 2018, the Monash Commission delivers independent inquiries from thought leaders from Australia and internationally into priority issues facing communities, business and government.

The Liveable Metropolis: The future role of intermediary cities to deliver resilience, impact and prosperity is available here.