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Urban Sustainability Transitions pp 149–171Cite as

Transitioning the Greyfields

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Part of the book series: Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions ((TPUST))

Abstract

In October 2015 Plan Melbourne Refresh (DELWP, Plan Melbourne refresh discussion Paper. Department of Environmental Land Water and Planning, Melbourne, 2015) recognised ‘greyfield precinct renewal’ as a significant new model for more intensified and sustainable ‘urban’ redevelopment in the established, ageing inner- and middle-ring ‘suburban’ areas of the Melbourne Metropolitan Region. This chapter documents the critical phases of this 6-year ‘shadow urban transitions process’ (Greening the Greyfields project). Framed within a multilevel Transition Management schema, it addresses a set of challenging (‘landscape’) factors necessitating urban transformation together with the ‘regime’ barriers that are blocking more effective and sustainable forms of urban retrofitting of established low-density suburbia – at precinct scale. The transition process required articulation of a new model for greyfield precinct regeneration, necessitating ‘niche’ innovation in several critical arenas within the property development process that involve multiple stakeholders – government, industry and local communities. These innovations encompass new digital, governance, community engagement, codesign and planning instruments developed to support implementation of the new model for greyfield precinct regeneration.

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Acknowledgements

AHURI and the CRC for Spatial Information have provided funding for this research since its inception; and Peter Newman, Shane Murray, Stephen Glackin and Roman Trubka have been significant collaborators on this journey. The author has appreciated several exchanges on this project in Melbourne and Rotterdam with Derk Loorbach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Peter W. Newton

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  1. Peter W. Newton
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Correspondence to Peter W. Newton .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Trivess Moore

  2. Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Fjalar de Haan

  3. College of Design and Social Context, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Ralph Horne

  4. Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Brendan James Gleeson

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Newton, P.W. (2018). Transitioning the Greyfields. In: Moore, T., de Haan, F., Horne, R., Gleeson, B. (eds) Urban Sustainability Transitions . Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4792-3_9

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