BLOG: World Class Melbourne, Arts Funding and Streetcars
Sam Adams
By coincidence, I’m in Melbourne this week. I am here as a guest of the City of Melbourne and the Portland Institute for Contemporary Arts (PICA).
As Portland’s new arts and culture commissioner, they asked me here to participate in a convocation of art advocates from around the world that are meeting in conjunction with the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
The 20-year-old Melbourne Festival includes 65 events held from October 6 to 22nd.
The Festival’s new Executive Director is former Portlander Kristy Edmunds who founded PICA.
The purpose of the convocation is to “explore new directions in international arts and cultural exchanges.”
Since I’m new to the job arts and culture for Portland, this is an invaluable opportunity to learn. The fact that at the same time I also get to see what makes one of the best cities in the world tick is a big bonus.
Melbourne is located on the southern hemisphere at about the same place San Francisco is located in the northern. It has about 350,000 residents in a region of 3.3 million. It counts 70 cultures. The tour guides say it is crazy about Australian Rules Football and the arts and has 4,000 restaurants.
The first thing I noticed about Melbourne’s street scene is the streetcars; here they call them “trams” and they are plentiful.
Unlike Portland and many U.S. cities, they did not rip them out in the 1950s. Today they have 134 miles of double track trams throughout the city and suburbs. This compares to a half dozen miles of track in Portland.
Participating in the 7 meetings today as part of arts convocation, I was floored by the level of government support for the arts.
I am sure I have the exact numbers wrong (I will get exact numbers later), but the last time I checked, the U.S. federal government spends about 40 cents per person on the arts; the state about 30 cents and the City of Portland about $3.50 cents.
By contrast, per person, the Australian federal government spends about $40.00, the state of 
Victoria, about $34.00 and the city of Melbourne, about $16.00 (the Australian dollar is worth about 75 cents for each U.S. dollar). And, healthcare in this country is paid for by the government.
So, initial Melbourne lessons: Plentiful arts funding and streetcars help make a world class city.
Posted by Sam Adams on October 10, 2005
(7) Comments | Permalink | TrackBack (1)
Filed Under Arts & Culture, Blog, Front Page, Melbourne, Transportation
Comments by site visitors
Hey Sam!
As a former Melbourne resident, I'd like to defend the attractiveness of the trams. *Some* of them are old and somewhat clunky. Others, however, are sleek and new. A mixed-age fleet comes with maintaining an enormous system, I suppose. And you're certainly right; they get the job done.
Enjoy the festival, especially the Chunky Move performances and the Spiegeltent. I'd love to be there with you. If you have a chance, spend some time on foot in the CBD, at the Queen Victoria Market, on and around Brunswick Street, and down in St. Kilda. I always found that it while trams are wonderful, I'd rather walk any day. Borrow a copy of the "Melway" street directory--it's a resource unlike any I've seen for any other region.
I'm inclined to agree with the Economist that Melbourne is a first-rate city, though I wonder where Portland lost points. I suspect that being in the United States (and the lack of social services associated with that claim) keeps us firmly out of the true top tier.
That's my two cents-
~Max
Posted by: Max | Oct 10, 2005 11:02:40 AM
Sam once again welcome to Melbourne,(I picked you up from the Melb. airport). I remember you asked me if I knew anything about Portland Oregon. Well thanks to you and the internet my curiousity has been stimulated. You said Melbourne had an international image. This is mainly due to a number of events and people. You may find the internet site www.vmec.com.au interesting. This is the site of the Victorian Major Events Company. There mission is to " actively target and attract events which can provide substantial economic impact and/or international profile for Melbourne and Victoria."
regards Lee
Posted by: Lee Bridgford | Oct 10, 2005 1:47:10 PM
Sam,
I like what you are doing, but I find this comment unbelievable:
So, initial Melbourne lessons: Plentiful arts funding and streetcars help make a world class city.
Sam, you are committing a common fallacy here, presuming the thing most visible and important to you is causing the thing you want.
Go down the list ... do *all* these cities have plentiful arts funding and streetcars? Do just some of them? Is there any correlation at all between them?
I suspect a world class city consists of a long history, economic and cultural diversity, economic and cultural innovation, and a robust economy. Government funding for the arts and streetcars might help, but I suspect they are way down on the list of real causes.
Posted by: guest | Oct 10, 2005 3:10:48 PM
The purpose of the convocation is to “explore new directions in international arts and cultural exchanges.”
Since I’m new to the job arts and culture for Portland, this is an invaluable opportunity to learn.
************
I'd be fascinated to see what you have learned that required a week off of work that is not available in Portland. Are you going to do any kind of report?
Posted by: Steve | Oct 10, 2005 6:31:59 PM
Lee,
Thanks for the tips. You are a great introduction to Melbourne.
Sam
Posted by: Sam Adams | Oct 11, 2005 12:36:41 AM
"Guest," Jim & Jim,
Guest and Jim, of course you are correct, first: "...a world class city consists of a long history, economic and cultural diversity, economic and cultural innovation, and a robust economy." That's why I spend so much of my time on business and job issues.
I would emphasize the word "help" in my last sentence to which you are both responding. Interestingly, the streetcar system in Melbourne is privately owned -- more on that one later.
Jim, in terms of the local government health care system here: I'm just reporting the fact; I didn't say I was pushing for it. I don't know enough about it.
Steve, I love my work as a city commissioner, I feel very lucky to have an opportunity to serve Portlanders in this capacity and I want to do a good job. So, I work long hours most days and many weekends at being a City Commissioner. You can see my schedule for yourself on this website. You and other voters rarely hear directly from your elected officials about what they saw, did or learned when they travel. My blog entries and your comments on them seek to set a different standard.
Thanks, "guest," Jim and Steve for your blogging.
Sam
Posted by: Sam Adams | Oct 11, 2005 12:54:22 AM
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Sam, I have an idea:
Lets cut school, police and fire funding so we can build more streetacars and give more to art.
Then Portland will be a world class city.
BTW how does the stanfdard of living down under compare with Portland?
BTW2: We have people in need of food here, we give the needy food. We have people in need of health care here, why is the solution to give everyone free health care?
Thanks
JK
Posted by: jim karlock | Oct 10, 2005 4:28:47 AM