Imagine Melbourne as a place that leads the world not just in liveability, but in equity, wealth distribution, energy production, biodiversity, environmental regeneration and happiness.

The Greater Melbourne City Portrait is an Australian-first project to create a new compass for progress for our city – a platform that gives all citizens a practical and holistic way of measuring how well Melbourne is supporting people and planet to thrive.

The initiative has used Doughnut Economics as a framework, and brought together a colossal range of partners – academics, experts, industry heads, policymakers, scientists and community members – to examine each dimension of our Social Foundation (how well we’re looking after our communities) and Ecological Ceiling (how well we’re looking after our environment). Ascribing quantitative data to these dimensions tells us how we’re tracking towards a safe and just future.

Conceived in April 2021, the Melbourne Doughnut has progressed from a conceptual model to a practical tool for measurement. The City Portrait now points us to the types of actions, policy decisions, investments and mindset shifts – reflected in the City Portrait Stories – required to embrace a regenerative future for our city.

You think Melbourne is liveable now? We’re just getting started. Our vision for Greater Melbourne is wildly ambitious. Yet, it’s totally achievable. And with the City Portrait as our compass, it’s ours for the making.