What Melbourne can learn from - and teach - other major cities

I was stunned to receive the Award of Companion in the Order of Australia on the Queen’s Birthday holiday: a humbling and proud experience.

I have been most fortunate over my various careers to work with talented, committed people on interesting projects: in education, state politics, the private and government sectors and at Town Hall.

I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as your lord mayor for the past eight and a half years and am looking forward to the many challenges, achievements and collaborations that are to come. I thank you, the residents, ratepayers, and the people of Melbourne for having faith in me to continue our vision for Melbourne to remain a competitive, sophisticated and forward-thinking city.

Part of my role is to promote Melbourne on the world stage; interrogate what other world-leading cities are doing in policy areas like urban design, safety and innovation and cultivate relationships with other cities.

In early June I visited Chicago after being invited by the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, to be a keynote speaker at the Chicago Forum on Global Cities and a participant in a roundtable of global mayors. The Chicago Forum on Global Cities is ranked the number one think tank to watch worldwide.

At the forum, I joined lauded urbanists and city leaders including former mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter to present on the topic “Liveable City, Healthy World”. I had much to contribute from the world’s most liveable city and spoke about our urban forest strategy, walkability and cycling, planning for growth, technological disruption, planning, community facilities and safety.

The topic for the private mayors’ roundtable was “Financing the Global City”. I presented the City of Melbourne’s case study on how we are funding the largest rejuvenation of an open air market in the world right now, and the most significant project council has undertaken, the Queen Victoria Market renewal.

I also toured the Chicago Riverwalk Project with Mayor Emanuel: a recently completed beautification project which comprises a 1.25 mile (two kilometre) walk along the Chicago River from Lake Michigan to Wolf Point, passing under a series of bridges.

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The six newest blocks were completed between 2012 and 2016 at a cost of $100 million and feature floating gardens, fishing piers and fountains. There are restaurants and bars along the activated waterfront and places where people can moor their boats or kayaks.

While I was in town I also took the opportunity to meet with the head of Chicago Police superintendent Eddie Johnson and the Former Commissioner of London Police Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe: both of whom offered me some excellent and frank advice about safety in our city, informed by their own experiences. This advice was particularly pertinent and topical given the recent terrorist attacks we have seen worldwide; including our neighbouring Brighton.

As always, there is nothing quite like coming home to the best city in the world: the Melbourne that I love and am so passionate about.