Future Melbourne’s strategic planning

Future Melbourne is a participatory process that aimed to draft 10-year strategic plans and visions to direct policymaking processes in the city. The first initiative, Future Melbourne 2008, consisted of a wide range of spaces for engagement and consultation in which citizens were able to set the agenda and comment on a 10-year plan. This plan was updated in 2016 to address “a new suite of economic, social, environmental and demographic changes,” including rapid population growth and a significant change to the city’s commuter-adjusted population. The latter process combined deliberative and participatory methodologies—making lay citizens an active part of the decision-making and drafting processes.