Infrastructure for diverse communities: submission to Victoria’s draft 30-year infrastructure strategy

A common theme of  Victoria’s Draft 30-year Infrastructure Strategy is getting more use from infrastructure by creating multipurpose, integrated and well-managed facilities. We agree, but emphasise this requires a different culture and approach by infrastructure owners to understand, collaborate and value infrastructure use for broader purposes. VCOSS draws attention to the socio-economic consequences of infrastructure decision-making, and particularly the differential effects of infrastructure on different communities. Our central plea is for infrastructure to be planned, designed and available for everyone. Too often, assumptions are made about people’s incomes, mobility, capabilities or behavior, excluding them from infrastructure’s benefits. Victoria’s diversity is a great strength, but harnessing diversity requires understanding difference