Introduction > The scope of Melbourne 2030 > Why does it look beyond metropolitan Melbourne?

Why does it look beyond metropolitan Melbourne?

Melbourne 2030 extends beyond the urban area of metropolitan Melbourne and its immediate surrounds because of the growing interdependence of metropolitan Melbourne and the regional cities, towns and rural areas in the wider region.

Investment in improved road and rail links under the Linking Victoria strategy, and continuing advances in communications, have progressively increased the area influenced by metropolitan Melbourne’s day-to-day economy. Enhanced high-standard freeway, rail and telecommunications connections between metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley are opening up access to metropolitan and regional markets and jobs.

Figure 9. Commuter areas – number of regional residents commuting daily to work in Melbourne - click for more detail

These improvements are bringing smaller towns and rural areas within commuting distance of metropolitan Melbourne, so that a small but increasing proportion of the metropolitan population and housing demand has transferred to these areas. In addition, the resource needs and recreational demands generated by metropolitan Melbourne’s growth are felt across most
of Victoria.

The Government’s regional development policies, aimed at business and tourism investment, development and promotion, have enhanced economic opportunities across the whole of Victoria, bringing new growth to regional towns and cities, and widening people’s choice of location for homes and businesses.

For Victoria’s future, it is essential to create a planning strategy that complements these policies and recognises the growing connections between metropolitan Melbourne and the surrounding region.