Two separate announcements this week have shown a glimpse of Melbourne’s future. The city is evolving rapidly and will soon regain its former position as Australia’s largest city.

In the 19^th century, fuelled by money from the gold rushes, the city was called ‘Marvellous Melbourne’. In just 40 years it grew from a village on the Yarra to become the second largest city in the British Empire. Many public buildings built during this period have made it a global exemplar of Victorian era architecture.

When Australia became a nation in 1901 it chose Melbourne as its capital (Canberra wasn’t ready until 1927).  It was regarded as Australia’s financial centre, but Sydney soon surpassed it in population and – according to some – prestige. Now, a century later, it is set to surpass Sydney and once become the largest city in Australia.

Indeed, by some counts it is already there. The ABS includes the NSW Central Coast in the Sydney metropolitan area, and projects that Melbourne will surpass Sydney – including Central Coast – in population by 2030.

Both cities suffer from urban sprawl, and both are attempting to revitalise inner suburbs to provide high density housing. The plans to do so are fast taking shape. Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne has announced the rezoning of the Macaulay industrial area between the Melbourne CBD and Flemington to high density residential.

He outlined changes to the Melbourne planning scheme that will allow 9 to 12 story apartment blocks on the site, which covers a dozen city blocks around the existing Macaulay railway station. The area will also be serviced from 2025 by the new Arden Metro station.

The Victorian government has also released a ‘Framework’ for the redevelopment of Fishermans Bend, the large industrial area that lies at the mouth of the Yarra north of Port Melbourne, in the shadow of the Westgate Bridge.

It will be the biggest redevelopment in Melbourne’s history, dwarfing the Docklands reconstruction.

“Fishermans Bend is an unparalleled opportunity for urban renewal on the doorstep of Melbourne’s famously liveable and economically productive central city,” says the document.

“At 480 hectares and more than twice the size of the current CBD, Fishermans Bend is Australia’s largest urban renewal site, and will play a key role in the further evolution of central Melbourne as a world leading place to live, work, visit and invest.”

The Framework is not a detailed plan, but rather outlines how the area should be developed out to 2050, by which time it is planned to have 80,000 residents and 80,000 jobs. The area is broken into five precincts will be redeveloped sequentially.

The Framework is a discussion document, and the Government has invited comment on how planning should proceed. Submissions close on 15 December It is available here.