Sustainable City Walking Tour with the City of Melbourne

Join us for a guided walking tour through Melbourne’s city centre to explore how sustainability is shaping the urban environment — past and present. This engaging two-hour session will highlight key projects and initiatives that are transforming our capital city into a more liveable, resilient and sustainable city. Hosted by the City of Melbourne as part of the University of Melbourne's Retrofit Exhibition.

Adaptive Reuse of Building - As part of the tour, we’ll reflect on Melbourne’s transformation into a vibrant 24-hour city. We’ll explore how population growth and the adaptive reuse of underutilised office buildings helped breathe new life into Postcode 3000, turning it into a thriving residential and cultural hub.

Building Energy Performance and Electrification - Throughout the tour, we’ll spotlight recent projects that are enhancing energy performance and driving electrification across both public and private buildings. By featuring a mix of retrofitted sites and new developments, we’ll demonstrate how these efforts are helping to reduce emissions and support Melbourne’s transition to a zero-carbon built environment. For more details, refer to Retrofit Melbourne.

City Greening - From laneway greening to lush green walls and rooftop gardens , we’ll explore how the City of Melbourne is tackling the urban heat island effect while boosting biodiversity and biophilia. For more details, refer to Green our City.

Waste Management and Circular Economy - We’ll spotlight pilot projects that support Melbourne’s transition to a circular economy, including the installation of food waste dehydrators in apartment buildings and reducing single-use packaging in retail. For more details, refer to Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy.

Water Sensitive Urban Design - We’ll delve into Melbourne’s approach to becoming a Water Sensitive City, with stops showcasing stormwater harvesting systems, permeable pavements, and rainwater tree pits. These features help manage water sustainably while enhancing the resilience and liveability of urban spaces. For more details, refer to Water Sensitive Urban Design.

Neighbourhood-Scale Energy Innovation - We’ll also visit a newly installed neighbourhood-scale battery system, a key step in decentralised energy storage. We’ll also touch on the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP) — a pioneering initiative that brought together local organisations to collectively purchase renewable energy. For more details, refer to Melbourne Renewable Energy Procurement and Power Melbourne.

This two-hour walking tour will take place on Wednesday 20 August, from 3–5pm, starting at Queen Victoria Market (outside Narrm Ngarrgu Library). Please bring comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and your smartphone and headset, as a Teams meeting might be used throughout the tour to share live commentary and resources.