How should land be prioritised in the city?

Globally, people are flocking to cities creating all sorts of demands and economic opportunities. Along with this unfortunately comes greed.

What is required of urban land now and in the future? And how should it be shared among all, including the more than human life that we have pushed out. Who gets to make decisions about this valuable and limited gift of land?

Global and local businesses, developers with big bank cheques, and superannuation dollars are holding sway and drowning out community and nature (which has no voice at this table), with councils and governments. Shelter for citizens is important but how this is built and shared should not create unbalanced wealth.

It is expected, according to City of Melbourne independent research, that many more people will be moving into Melbourne over the next decade requiring housing. In parallel, homelessness and the expected homelessness continues to rise.

Homelessness is a complex issue, not cyclical but rather structural of a system that does n’t support all members of the community. Current financial systems and policies tend to benefit high earning individuals and global corporations.

In addition, years of cuts to social services have left inadequate public funding for social housing, agencies and support services for those vulnerable. This is the downfall of late-stage capitalism, benefitting a few and not all.

Potential young homeowners are increasingly pushed out of the market due to pricing and so are having to rent, which removes supply from others. On top of this global businesses like Airbnb take a chunk of accommodation (14 per cent).

The argument of density versus sprawl

We have seen the growth of multiple high-rise developments across the various suburbs; you only need to look at Macaulay Rd to see how quickly this has befallen on Kensington impacting the ecology.

How do trees, shrubs, grasses, hills, rivers, streams, and wildlife fit in amid all this noise, demand, pollution and construction? Pushed to the fringes with plants and trees being managed, designed and strategised to try and provide wild spaces in the city for insects, birds and other organisms as more of the earth is cemented over and asphalted – starving the water table and soil life.

Circular economy principles call us to invest in our natural capital, to regenerate

How much place for the wild is in the city? Our council sells a public parking lot to a wealthy developer furthering its wealth, rather than building a homeless sanctuary, a community facility or natural wealth. Priorities seem to be on short-term financial gain over long-term community benefit and care for the environment.

To remain human what do we need to feed not only our bodies but our mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. How do we want to live?

People in inner cities are expected to live in a cement box that has a couple of windows, no sight of nature, no place to go outside and put your feet on the ground, no place to grow a few vegies, flowers and plants. Let’s build natural wealth and manage our natural capital with more respect. •