Water for liveability: Thinking differently about water infrastructure design

Traditional planning often puts the focus on delivering essential services, but there is limited attention to place. What we often see is designs being reused across locations, without fully responding to local needs. Or maybe it’s outdated standards and operational mindsets. The result? Limited innovation in areas such as sustainable materials and alternative design solutions.

Improving access doesn’t happen by accident. It needs to be built into how we plan and design water infrastructure. That’s why expectations of water utility providers are changing. They can’t focus solely on pits, pipes, and pumps—they are also responsible for supporting better outcomes for the community and environment.

Thinking differently: Challenging traditional approaches in water infrastructure design

Looking at projects with habitability in mind shifts the focus. Instead of simply delivering water infrastructure, it asks how its design can contribute to the community. It’s not about compromising engineering outcomes; it moves from single-purpose assets to projects that deliver multiple benefits.

The Shakespeare Grove main drain outlet on St Kilda Beach in Melbourne shows what this looks like in practice. The stormwater asset was fenced off from the public. It had become an eyesore and a barrier between people and the coastline. The ageing asset was due for renewal and Melbourne Water saw an opportunity to rethink how it could fit within the landscape.

The first action was to meet with the community to understand how they wanted to use the space. Watching sunsets, going for walks, and spending quiet time by the water quickly emerged as key themes. 

The result? 

A promenade and viewing platform built over the stormwater outlet, which transforms a piece of critical water infrastructure into a community asset. The design team considered every detail. Seating areas provide quiet reflection by the sea. Surfaces were even selected to be high-heel safe, recognising that the space would likely be used for wedding photos. 

By treating the community as a design partner, Melbourne Water turned Shakespeare Grove into a landmark. The lesson for utilities: early community engagement doesn’t slow projects down, it improves them.

Unlocking more value from water projects: community-centred design can reduce costs and carbon

One of the most common misconceptions is that designing for the community adds cost. In practice, it often does the opposite. When teams challenge assumptions early, they can identify unnecessary design elements and rethink how infrastructure is delivered. 

A project in Mount Beauty showed how this can create positive outcomes for the client and the community. North East Water needed a more reliable raw water supply for the Tawonga Water Treatment Plant. The solution? A new offtake from the Kiewa River. But the site’s environmental and recreational value led to strong community resistance to the project. Integrating habitability into the discussion, and subsequent plan, changed the conversation completely. 

By engaging with the community, the team gained a clearer understanding of how the space was used. People picnicked there. They swam in the river on hot days. They went for leisurely walks along its banks. This engagement prompted a total rethink of the project’s location, layout, and operational requirements. As one engineer reflected, they had visited the site several times before but had “never looked at it that way”.

This shift in perspective led to a simpler design. Large concrete elements were removed, and the infrastructure was broken into smaller parts that were more sensitive to the context. The result was a clear reduction in both cost and carbon output. By considering liveability, the project saved close to $1 million. 

Some of those savings were reinvested into improving the aesthetics of the pump station and adding safety and crime-prevention measures. It helped strengthen North East Water’s relationship with the community and reduce further delays.

The lesson here? When utilities face community pushback, friction is often a signal worth listening to rather than a problem to overcome.

A new framework: Embedding liveability in water projects

We shouldn’t treat liveability as an add-on to water projects. It needs to be embedded across the entire project lifecycle.

We developed the Liveability4Water framework to help guide this process. Once operational, safety, and maintenance requirements are clear, then teams can look for ways to integrate liveability without affecting performance.

The framework focuses on five key areas:

1. Healthy public spaces
2. Walkability and connection
3. Sustainable environments
4. Education and partnerships
5. Social cohesion

Each area links to practical design choices. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, so the framework helps teams define what liveability means for each project and community. For example, projects can support open-space use, improve mental wellbeing, and enhance biodiversity.

This way of thinking also changes the questions teams ask, such as: Why is this design needed? Is it the best solution? Can it be done more simply? In many cases, this leads to designs that are simpler, more efficient, and better suited to their surroundings.

The Liveability4Water framework will help the industry stay open to new ideas. Without innovation, water utility organisations risk falling short of their environmental and social goals. 

The future of water infrastructure: Designing for people and performance

Projects like Shakespeare Grove and Mount Beauty show that designing for people doesn’t mean compromising engineering outcomes. What it means is redefining what success looks like. It also means being willing to challenge assumptions and test approaches.

By embedding a liveability lens from the outset, utilities can deliver assets that not only provide essential services but help people live their best lives.