Monash Commission recommends global pursuit of deliberate strategies to grow and enhance intermediary cities

The Monash Commission has released its perspective on future-oriented features of Intermediary Cities that aims to improve liveability and resilience for large cities of the future. The report - The liveable metropolis: The opportunity of Intermediary Cities to deliver resilience, impact and prosperity - sheds new light on urban planning, transport, governance and inclusion by looking at the unique role played by Intermediary Cities. A central recommendation suggests the future of the networked cities requires clarity of national urban plans and visionary leadership to understand the connection and strength between large cities and Intermediary Cities - their smaller, more agile counterparts. Alongside this recommendation, the Commission also suggests that in a COVID-19 influenced landscape, a fresh approach could also see new indices of liveability to be developed, so that in the future we rank world-class cities on the extent to which the city contributes to economic and social prosperity in wider locations, and not just the city centre itself. In conducting its inquiry, the Monash Commission canvassed research from experts that explored the emergent infrastructure requirements of future cities, the changing needs and demands of society and citizens, as well as the economic and structural systems in place to support them to thrive. Chair of the Monash Commission, Mark Birrell AM, said the Commission has amplified a global conversation about Intermediary Cities and polycentric networks.