City life
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Planning
Federation Square at 21
The Age explores Melbourne’s controversial quest for a monument of its own, the future of the square and the century-old dream to build a deck over the Jolimont rail yards.
Latest
State shelves dream to fix eyesore dubbed the ‘black hole of Melbourne’
The government has quietly abandoned the idea of decking the Jolimont rail yards next to Federation Square, after successive state leaders have struggled with costly plans for a century.
- by Jewel Topsfield and Royce Millar
Loved, hated, soon to be updated: The next chapter for Federation Square
Jeff Kennett was no fan of Fed Square, but like many Melburnians, has grown to love it. But challenges with Melbourne’s civic space remain.
- by Jewel Topsfield and Royce Millar
‘We were seeking an opera house’: Melbourne’s quest for a monument of its own
Two decades before Melbourne finally got Federation Square, a major competition gripped the imagination of the city - and the world - for the space. This is what they came up with.
- by Jewel Topsfield and Royce Millar
Breasts, crocodiles, UFO restaurant: What could have been on the Federation Square site
In 1978, the Victorian government launched an international competition for a landmark to put Melbourne on the map. Here are some of the entries.
The Melbourne regions set to grow up to 141 per cent as population booms
Three fast-growing areas of outer Melbourne will have to take in more than 840,000 new residents while middle-ring suburb populations stall, new projections show.
- by Adam Carey
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For subscribers
Doctors warn of serious injuries as e-scooter crash presentations spike
More than 500 patients have presented at St Vincent’s Hospital emergency department with e-scooter-related injuries since January 2022.
- by Cara Waters
Community choir making a big noise on TikTok hits a new high note
A Melbourne choir with 700 members has gone viral on TikTok and is now releasing its first single.
- by Carolyn Webb
CBD congestion charge needed as city grows: Infrastructure Victoria
People driving in Melbourne’s CBD during peak hours should be charged a fee to help reduce city traffic, the head of the state’s peak infrastructure body says.
- by Cara Waters and Adam Carey
Double the high-rises: Why density should be Melbourne’s destiny
It’s not too late to tackle Melbourne’s urban sprawl but it will require big changes, says a major new report.
- by Cara Waters
The best place in Melbourne to get a parking ticket, thanks to the mayor who hates fines
A council in Melbourne’s outer suburbs has vowed to keep the cost of parking fines as low as possible after discovering a quirk in the Road Safety Act.
- by Najma Sambul