The City of Port Phillip has always been a bold, liveable, caring and beautiful place. Our history and heritage remind us we have long been Melbourne’s creative playground. Arts, creativity and innovation are in our DNA. Our diversity and inclusiveness is our future.

However, we face both challenges and opportunities from urban development and growth which mean we need to be more considered, proactive and to think differently about how best to support accessibility, amenity and diversity to ensure the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of our community. Some of the important challenges we face include those of densification which can create tension between competing land uses, and we see this acutely when managing the local impacts of festivals, events and live music. Gentrification, escalating land values and the rising cost of rent also present a challenge for creative practitioners, entrepreneurs and small businesses. The changing retail environment, the rise of the sharing economy and flexible employment models are driving an evolution of our work places and shopping strips, changing the experiences people have in our city. Meanwhile, there is also increased competition for federal and state government and private support for arts and cultural funding, which drives demand for local government support.

The Creative and Prosperous City Strategy enables Council to be focused in:

• leveraging investments to support the creative industries sector
• delivering a concentrated placemaking effort
• strengthening South Melbourne and Fishermans Bend as our creative industry clusters
• increasing access to affordable spaces and funding for local creative industries
• planning for adequate employment opportunities in the creative industries.

The Creative and Prosperous City Strategy was developed in line with the Council Plan 2017-2027. Council is committed to a continuous cycle of planning, implementing, reporting and review of the Council Plan’s achievements to ensure it is delivering the best outcomes for the community. The Council Plan is now one year old and up for its first round of amendments. To view the amendments and provide feedback on the changes, please visit the Council Plan and Budget consultation page. The Council Plan engagement also allows you to comment on the draft Creative and Prosperous City Strategy and draft 'A Sustainable Future' (Sustainable Environment Strategy).