Melbourne needs new CBDs such as Sunshine to fix western suburbs brain drain

In this special series, The Age focuses on Melbourne’s western suburbs to see how life could improve in Australia’s fastest-growing region. See all 28 stories .

Melbourne’s future should be “polycentric” – a metropolis of multiple cities – to address the booming west’s brain drain and arduous commutes that resident workers are forced to contend with as they leave the region for their jobs.

Speakers at the West of Melbourne Summit on Thursday have supported the West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance’s (WoMEDA) strategy that Sunshine should become Melbourne’s second CBD , along with satellite cities located in Werribee and Cobblebank and a priority precinct in Footscray .

Almost 200 business, government and academic leaders have converged on The Refectory at the Werrib