Section 32

Background: This project applied a mobile research methodology with detailed literature review of Melbourne’s history of planning to investigate how commuting, climate change, rapid population growth and housing affordability is shaping the outer suburbs of Melbourne. Miles Lewis argues that planners in Melbourne have never clearly articulated or communicated to residents the need for densities in our city to increase but have instead adopted the mentality that the free market is ‘sacrosanct’ and ‘that the amenity of existing residents [is] a minor consideration in relation to these ineluctable forces of change’ (1999, p. vii). Built in a suburb undergoing rapid density transformation the research asked how can site-responsive immersive performance installations be used to create a critical platform for community discussion about urban futures and in doing so inform local government policy? Contribution: ‘Section 32’ was an immersive performance installation created in collaboration with Brienna Macnish and Robert Jordan. The work transformed an ordinary suburban house inside and out, transporting audiences to the end of this century to experience the future of the Australian suburbs. The installation contemplated how domestic routines, interpersonal relationships, and the fabric of the house itself will adapt to a post carbon world affected by extreme weather events and new technologies such as driverless cars and VR. Significance: Presented during Knox City Council’s Immerse Festival, the work had a sell-out season with over 500 people visiting. The critical discourse recorded after viewings, as well as in the substantial local and national press coverage of the work, led to the creation of zero waste workshops for residents and the transitioning of Council’s fleet to electric cars. The research also led to the collaborative development of a policy brief supported Urban Futures – ‘Creatively Engaging the Community in Urban Planning’.