Ecological CeilingSocial FoundationThe safe and just space for Greater Melbourne •

HEALING & RECONNECTING to COUNTRY & EACH OTHER

The Melbourne Doughnut

Explore how well Melbourne is tracking as a place that supports people and planet to thrive.

Dimension profile

Mobility

Shortfall

The ability to move around the city is a central enabler for physical, social and economic wellbeing. In Melbourne, we benefit from access to relatively advanced transport infrastructure, but our transport networks are not equitably distributed or effectively integrated, and our dependence on private vehicle ownership contributes to high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, insufficient physical activity and poor quality and unsafe urban environments.

Principles for Mobility in a regenerative Melbourne

Mobility in a regenerative Melbourne must be:

  • Inclusive of many transport options that give all people choice, agency and flexibility when travelling around Greater Melbourne
  • Designed to fully utilise existing assets in the system while maintaining resilience to disruption
  • Holistic in its ability to support both local connectivity and longer journeys

What we want

Functionality

Shortfall

Everyone has safe, reliable and frequent active, public and shared transport options close to their homes to meet daily needs

What we're measuring

Proportion of residences within 400m of regular public transport

Equity

Shortfall

Transport systems and networks are affordable and accessible, catering to all ages and abilities

What we're measuring

Proportion of tram services inaccessible to people with mobility restrictions

Sustainability

Shortfall

Melbourne’s transport system is economically viable and supports human and environmental health

What we're measuring

Proportion of total trips per year using public, active or other non-private-vehicle transport modes

Placing Mobility in the system

Local to global connections

Mobility in Melbourne is not defined solely by conditions within the city, but is reflective of trends and policies at state, national and global levels:

  • State policies regulate vehicle emissions and control planning and investment in major transport networks across Greater Melbourne, determining which modes of travel are prioritised and, ultimately, shaping the majority of transport experiences across the city.
  • Federal investment contributes to infrastructure development in Greater Melbourne.
  • Global trends in technology and services inform and contribute to local transport options, such as in micromobility, electric vehicles and car sharing. Likewise, the significant emissions from mobility networks in Melbourne impact climate change on a global scale.

Learn more

How was this dimension developed?

The Mobility dimension of the Greater Melbourne City Portrait, including the conceptual framing and data selection, has been developed in collaboration with sector experts from academia, government and industry. A detailed description of the City Portrait methodology is outlined in the About section of the website.

Where can I access the data?

Data for Mobility, along with the other Social Founation dimensions are available in the Social Foundations Dataset.

For Ecological Celing dimensions, see the Ecological Ceiling Dataset.

Where can I find more information on Mobility in a regenerative Melbourne?

The City Portrait is informed by extensive research and resources on Doughnut Economics and related frameworks, as well as sector-specific research associated with each dimension. More detailed research that has informed the Mobility dimension is available to explore via Altiorem's library.

How can I get involved?

To get involved with ongoing development of the City Portrait or learn more about Regen Melbourne, email alison@regen.melbourne