Aspiring students and La Trobe alum, this one’s for you. On the northern edge of Melbourne, La Trobe’s Bundoora campus has been earmarked for a huge $5 billion transformation. Over the next three decades, the 255-hectare site is set to transform into a full-blown city – complete with housing for 15,000 residents, a buzzing city centre and facilities for 40,000 students.
Unveiled on November 12, the ‘La Trobe University City masterplan’ is a 30-year vision that will reshape the campus into a huge community hub and four interconnected neighbourhoods – each with its own character and purpose. The North Village will focus on residential living, connecting with nearby communities in Polaris and Springthorpe. Near Macleod Station, East Village will mix student accommodation with retail and lifestyle spaces. South Village will become the beating heart of research and innovation, expanding opportunities for partnerships between academia and industry, while the City Centre will grow westward from the current campus core – with new commercial, retail and academic precincts.
The plan includes housing for 15,000 residents – with 15 per cent dedicated to affordable housing – alongside a strong focus on community, sustainability and wellbeing. According to La Trobe, we can expect world-class sports facilities, a regenerative green corridor spanning more than one million square metres, and an active transport network linking pedestrians, cyclists and (eventually) a Suburban Rail Loop station.
At the heart of the plan lies a research and innovation ecosystem built on La Trobe’s existing strengths in health, artificial intelligence, sustainable agriculture and digital transformation.
“La Trobe University City is a bold, purpose-built innovation city where education drives everything – and sparks so much more,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell. “It's a new model of how knowledge, place and imagination come together.”
According to Chancellor John Brumby AO, the transformation could inject an estimated $440 million each year into Melbourne’s north-east economy, while international and interstate students could contribute a further $202 million annually to Victoria’s coffers. Developed in partnership with infrastructure giant Plenary Group, the project is expected to create 33,500 jobs across multiple sectors, including 3,000 in construction.
According to the university, the plans have been developed through extensive consultation with local stakeholders – including the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, with Professor Farrell describing the mission to create a “thriving city that brings together living, learning and working in a sustainable environment designed for future growth”.
You can learn more about the masterplan over here.
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