MKids — The Excellent City Series: Build Your Own City

Illustration by Lavanya Arulanandam.

“What if everything we did in our public spaces had to be fantastic for the eight- and the eighty-year-olds? We’d probably end up with great communities for all.” Gil Peñalosa

Join us for an afternoon of play… and rebuild the city!

This event will be an interactive experience that invites members of the community to come together and build the city of their dreams. MPavilion will be transformed into a welcoming and imaginative construction for participants of all ages to construct a cardboard city. The event will encourage creativity, collaboration and critical thinking in addressing issues of urban life and the built environment.

This event will play with Peñalosa’s theory that cities designed for eight-year-olds and eighty-year-olds will be great places for everyone. It will explore what our future cities might look like if we consider the diverse needs of all the people that make up our community.

The Excellent City Series

City of Melbourne’s Excellent City Series is back in 2022/23. The series explores four key themes that are shaping Design Excellence conversations in Melbourne.

The City of Melbourne’s Design Excellence Program reinforces the city’s commitment to enhance the function, liveability, sustainability and public contribution of our buildings and urban spaces.

Andria is a multidisciplinary practitioner who work focuses on the relationship of people and communities to cities and public space.

Andria has degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from RMIT University in Melbourne. She is currently working within the City Design team at the City of Melbourne, providing high-level expertise in public realm infrastructure and design.

Photo by Rodney Dekker.

Ella is a Registered Landscape Architect at the City of Melbourne. She has over nine years’ experience working in the public and private sectors, as a university tutor and volunteering for the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA). Her diverse experience gives her a unique perspective that draws on these threads.

A passion for equity drives Ella and her work. She believes that listening to the diverse voices of community and understanding site is key to developing outcomes that will be celebrated, now and into the future.

Ella was awarded the 2021 AILA Presidents award. This recognised her commitment to advocacy, the empowerment of women and the progression of young professionals in landscape architecture.

Photo by Suzie Haslam.

Jocelyn is a registered architect, registered landscape architect and urban designer. She is the Director City Design at the City of Melbourne, and Deputy Chair of the Melbourne Design Review Panel. Jocelyn has diverse experience in the planning, design and delivery of civic projects and is an advocate for the value of design investment and innovation. Jocelyn has led multiple Master of Urban Design studios at the University of Melbourne and held industry roles such as: Australian Institute of Architects National Councillor, Chair of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) National Gender Equity Committee, Member of Gender Equity Victoria’s (Gen Vic) Put Her Name on It Reference Group, Member of the Office of the Victorian Government Architect’s Victorian Design Review Panel, Member of the Property Council of Australia’s Victorian Education Committee, Chair of the AILA Victorian Awards Jury and Member of the International Association of University Architects (AUA).

Host or Publisher MPavilion