Meck’s Mission
Building the future cites we need
Meck delivers creative outcomes with purpose. With climate change, affordability and inequality becoming increasing threats, successfully shaping sustainable cities and getting projects built is more important than ever. We cultivate our mission through a renewed focus on culture, community and partnership.
Mission 1
Build cities for connecting with others
A central cause in whether our cities are healthy places to live is neither the height of buildings nor the number of residents. What’s important is if the city helps us connect with other people or leaves us feeling isolated.
Meck designs for improved social connection by:
Scaling neighbourhoods that enable or encourage social ties and community connection.
Coordinating city systems, buildings and space to improve quality of life.
Enabling accessible spaces and networks across identity, gender and social norms.
Ensuring access to employment opportunity and housing affordability.
Co-creating city strategies with diverse communities.
Mission 2
Create meaning in the places around us
A well designed city can have positive impacts on ideas of citizenship, place attachment and our own sense of meaning.
Meck designs cities to enhance meaning by:
Structuring master plans and experiences around the human senses.
Celebrating local food, culture and art.
Respecting the wisdom of traditional urbanism.
Harmonising symbolic and utilitarian spaces.
Avoid homogenising city systems by embracing the essential, unavoidable complexities in master planning processes.
Mission 3
Increase supply and quality of new housing
A transition to a more affordable, just and beautiful urbanism is ongoing. We must get projects built quicker, and such a transition should be guided by justice and beauty.
Meck aims to increase supply and quality of new housing in cities by:
Meeting people’s basic human needs as a matter of priority.
Integrating practical feasibility considerations in built form testing.
Fostering connection to Country and indigenous engagement in design processes.
Integrating regenerative economic analysis.
Focus on beauty.
Utilising technology as a means to improve social and environmental equity.
Developing biodiverse and climate resilient solutions.
Mission 4
Design for walkable, local neighbourhoods
Walkable communities provide immense social, health, environmental and financial benefits that almost everyone can claim, especially the most vulnerable among us.
Meck designs for walkable neighbourhoods by:
Planning for active mobility as the best transport choice in tandem with sustainable public transport.
Enabling active lifestyles by designing accessible spaces and connected movement networks.
Planning mixed use, neighbourhood structures with land use proximity around walking and cycling distances.
Building fine grain urbanism, small block sizes and safe streets as foundational city building blocks.
Appreciating streets as places that serve a social role in fostering community.
Mission 5
Utilise local craft & knowledge
Relying on local skill and craft throughout the processes of planning, design and building leads to uniquely reimagined spaces that locals can be proud of.
Meck utilises a hands-on approach to city shaping by:
Fostering connection to Country and indigenous engagement in design processes.
Utilising tactical urbanism and ‘lo-tek’ design as a means for testing and scaling sustainable transport and affordable housing options.
Utilising local climate, materials and craft in the design and implementation processes.
The Global Goals
Meck’s mission is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda. Meck is actively collaborating with UN-Habitat to implement SDGs in urban projects across the world.
What we’re reading
Meck’s Bookshelf
