ABSTRACT
During the exponential surge of cases of COVID-19, the selective hard lockdown imposed on inner Melbourne's public housing estates exacerbated exclusion, stigma, and inequalities among economically vulnerable communities, like migrants and refugees residing in these towers. The facilities within and around the public housing estates and their precarious conditions recall discourses of neglected public housing by government agencies. The COVID-19 pandemic also evidenced the segregation of these areas and the lack of accessibility to green infrastructure crucial to overcoming the limited mobility protocols imposed by governments. Public housing estates are areas of multiculturality and diversity, requiring spaces and facilities to enable social interactions and reduce urban segregation from the rest of the city. This chapter draws on workshops, observations, and interviews conducted between 2018 and 2020 with residents and community leaders in Melbourne's public housing and representatives of supporting organisations working with migrants. This chapter examines the current spatial structure, infrastructure, facilities, and conditions of two of Melbourne's public housing estates. This study questions the top-down approach and the need for more communication in reshaping public spaces and infrastructure by calling for a holistic approach favouring participatory approaches in redesigning and rethinking the spatial structure of these dense estates.
