Sub-topia: A Clustered Vision for Living at the Urban Fringe
Presented by Urban Design Forum
DETAILS
Ticketed
Robin Boyd Foundation’s Walsh Street house
290 Walsh Street, South Yarra VIC, Australia
Sub-topia launches a new ideas competition inviting students and early-career practitioners to explore an alternative future for greenfield development in Victoria.
Senior City Reporter Adam Carey (The Age) will facilitate the conversation with competition jurors Leah Wittingslow (Mesh), Dan Brady (Development Victoria) and an emerging practitioner (TBA). Urban Design Forum will introduce the competition process, objectives, key dates, and prize structure, followed by a Q&A.
The launch event responds to the 2026 Melbourne Design week theme Design the world you want by focusing on suburban growth as a critical site for design leadership in the face of climate and biodiversity crises. The competition calls for multidisciplinary teams to propose neighbourhood-scale demonstrations of how new forms of development can support ecological repair, enhanced health and wellbeing outcomes and community life at the urban fringe.
Hosted at the iconic Robin Boyd Foundation’s Walsh Street house, the event is open to registered attendees, with restricted capacity due to space constraints. We encourage prospective participants to attend in preparation for the competition. The conversation will be recorded and provided to competition entrants.
This event and Ideas Competition is a collaboration between Urban Design Forum, AILA, Robin Boyd Foundation, VicHealth, CASBE and National Growth Area Alliance.
We encourage participants to check the Robin Boyd Foundation website for updates in the lead up to the event.
Participants
Urban Design Forum
Urban Design Forum is an independent not-for-profit organisation that supports public interest outcomes in cities. Through events, advocacy, research and public programming, it fosters cross-disciplinary dialogue on the future of cities. Urban Design Forum is the convenor of the Sub-topia Ideas Competition.
Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Victoria
AILA is the national peak body for landscape architecture, advancing design practices that support ecological systems, public life and climate resilience. AILA’s involvement reflects the competition’s emphasis on a landscape-led approach to urban development, encompassing biodiversity, water management and generous public spaces for all living things.
Robin Boyd Foundation
The Robin Boyd Foundation is the custodian of the legacy of Australian architect, author, critic, and public educator Robin Boyd. As custodian of the Walsh Street house, the Foundation provides a platform for design discourse, continuing Boyd’s interest in housing innovation in the suburbs. The Foundation is the host of the launch event and a key program partner in the Ideas Competition delivery.
VicHealth
VicHealth works to improve health and wellbeing across Victoria through research, policy advocacy and environments that support active living and social connection. Its participation aligns with the competition’s exploration of neighbourhood design, with an emphasis on physical and mental health outcomes for people of all ages.
Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE)
CASBE is a network of Victorian councils working to embed sustainability in the built environment through policy, tools and advocacy. Its involvement connects the competition to policy pathways within local government, including testing the ‘Sustainable Subdivisions’ framework.
National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA)
The National Growth Areas Alliance represents councils across Australia’s fast-growing outer suburbs. NGAA’s engagement reflects the competition’s focus on greenfield development and encouraging greater policy and design focus on these areas at a national level.