Glimpses from the Broadmeadows 2032 design event

The Vision: Broadmeadows 2032 design event was a workshop and charrette exploring new trajectories for the development of Broadmeadows, bringing together designers, lecturers, and local government.

The first day was spent getting to know the sites and examining our assumptions about the suburbs and Broadmeadows in particular. We investigated the unique opportunities and pressures of the area through a bus trip to the site. Maggie Bufe, from the Photography Studies College, had already taken some photos of the area but participants took their own photos as well.  Groups of approximately 6 people worked on specific sites, carefully selected by Hume City Council (Urban Design team) as sites of experimentation and transformation. The groups worked to produce innovative examples (see the gallery, below) of eco-acupuncture, using materials and a series of visualisation tools, and supported by design assistants.

The collected works contribute to the project in several ways. Approximately two weeks after the event VEIL held a launch exhibition at Broadmeadows, which included the work produced in this charette, work from the ‘Sustainable Sprawl’ studio, and thinking from a stakeholder workshop held in October 2009. This exhibition informed design studios from University of Melbourne, RMIT, Swinburne University and Monash, which ran throughout first semester 2010.  A larger exhibition showcasing all the studio works will take place as part of the 2010 State of Design Festival