Building social cohesion through the City of Melbourne’s five-year plan

The City of Melbourne has released its new Five-Year Plan – a comprehensive blueprint setting out how our city will operate, manage assets, and shape future development. 

The plan is the product of months of work by council officers, councillors, and more than 1800 community members who contributed their ideas, concerns, and aspirations. Its ambition is bold: to make Melbourne “The Best and Fairest City”.

At its core, the plan focuses on six strategic priorities: creating healthy, safe, clean, and connected communities; living sustainably; fostering a vibrant and creative Melbourne; leveraging economic strengths; and building a city for people.

These priorities reflect not just council operations but the aspirations of residents who want Melbourne to thrive as a place where people can live well, connect with others, and feel part of a community.

The plan also looks ahead to 2040, when Melbourne’s population is expected to rise to 280,000, homes to 135,000, and jobs to 824,000. Against this backdrop, it acknowledges a pressing challenge: 26 per cent of residents experience loneliness.

The importance of social cohesion

While not explicitly labelled, social cohesion runs as a central theme throughout the plan. In densely populated neighbourhoods like Southbank, cohesion cannot be assumed – it must be actively nurtured. Short-term accommodation, for example, can weaken neighbourly ties and create buildings that feel transient, unsettled, and less secure with strangers roaming day and night. This impact alone demands that it be curtailed in our apartment buildings.

Why does social cohesion matter? Because it’s more than a feel-good concept. Stronger social ties reduce isolation, improve wellbeing, foster belonging, and enhance community resilience. Research consistently shows that communities with higher levels of cohesion enjoy lower crime rates, better public health outcomes, and higher levels of participation in community activities.

As a starting point to build cohesion, the council has put forward initiatives that directly support community safety, including:

• Expanding the safe city camera system with 100 new cameras, with a financial contribution by the state government. This upgrade will fill holes in the existing network particularly in Southbank.
• Improving lighting across public areas.
• Employing dedicated community safety officers.

Critics argue these measures step beyond local government’s traditional remit and should be left to the state government. The council rightly counters that Melbourne is no ordinary municipality. It is a residential hub, an economic driver for the State, and home to international destination facilities and events. Balancing the needs of residents with the demands of being a global city is no small task – but it is central to the plan.

Safety is fundamental to social cohesion

For cohesion to grow, people must be able to trust their environment and feel confident walking their streets, visiting local spaces, and connecting with neighbours.

That’s why the council initiatives like community safety officers should be seen not simply as a security measure but as a bridge – linking vulnerable people with services and strengthening ties between residents, businesses, and the city. Similarly, 100 new city safety cameras make a positive contribution to detecting and preventing crime.

They make people, especially women, feel safer at night even in well-lit streets. Political point-scoring on these issues does little to help. What matters is building trust, encouraging connection, and giving people confidence in the community around them.

The City of Melbourne is leading the way, taking proactive steps to balance community expectations with the reality of managing a global city.

Southbank 3006 endorses these initiatives. We believe they will contribute to a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient community. We encourage all residents to support the council’s initiatives and embrace these measures as opportunities – not only to improve safety but to create a stronger sense of connection and belonging.

We need similar leadership from the destination facilities in Southbank

These must open themselves up to become community hubs for those residents who live more than 300m from The Boyd. Imagine the Malthouse as a community hub not just a theatre that happens to be in Southbank. Imagine if a key element of The Fox NGV Modern was to offer shared public spaces, promoting community identity, and facilitating engagement with diverse perspectives for residents of Southbank not just blockbuster exhibitions. The possibilities are endless when you add in the destinations along the promenade and Crown.

Working together

Social cohesion does not grow automatically – it requires effort, purpose, and collaboration. The City of Melbourne’s Five-Year Plan provides a strong framework, but its success depends on all of us. By embracing these initiatives and fostering connection at every level, we can help ensure that Melbourne truly becomes “The Best and Fairest City”.

Join us at southbank3006.com to make your contribution to social cohesion in Southbank a reality. •