In the outer reaches of Melbourne’s expanding western suburbs, a revolution in sustainable community design is taking shape.

Society 1056, rising from the grounds of Fraser Rise, isn’t just a bold experiment in beating the urban heat island effect that bedevils Australia’s sprawling suburbs; its developer, YourLand, wants to create a blueprint for future ‘utopian’ communities.

YourLand Developments senior development manager James Saunders says they have “always envisioned this as a very inclusive, dynamic integrated community”.