Melbourne's Docklands, 200 hectares of land and water nudging the western edge of the central city, is a redundant industrial site typical of many that have been targeted for redevelopment since the 1980s. But the planning and design process has not been typical, and nor has the outcome thus far. This paper documents this process, drawing out certain themes: the heightened importance of design imagery in the construction of desire and legitimacy; the complex relationship between public and private roles in redevelopment; and the perplexing question of the public interest in relation to such flagship projects. This is a story of a market-driven development intended to be free of both planning interference and public investment, and a belated realization that both are necessary.
