Infrastructure for diverse communities

VCOSS applauds the scope and depth of Infrastructure Victoria’s draft 30-year strategy, especially its emphasis on affordable housing. In this submission, we urge the adoption of a different culture and approach by infrastructure owners to understand, collaborate and value infrastructure use for broader purposes. 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.