Vital Signs is a report series that gathers good-quality data about a city from reputable sources to provide a snapshot of its community, explains Catherine Brown.

Like most Australian cities, Melbourne faces many challenges as it strives to be a 'liveable' place to reside for its citizens.

Representing the culmination of five years of research, this report examines seven domains of a city’s liveability that also promote the health and wellbeing of Australians – walkability, public transport, public open spaces, housing affordability, employment and the food and alcohol environments.

With population growth pressures adding to the challenge for Melbourne, how do we ensure we take the right road to the future for the world’s most liveable city?

Metropolitan planning and development of Australia’s cities has been strongly influenced by what could be termed the “North American model” of low-density, car-dependent suburban development on greenfield master-planned housing estates. But this is all set to change.