Property Council WA has unveiled a bold vision to set aside the areas needed for foundation infrastructure to support a central Perth population of three times its current level.
Perth’s CBD, with just 29,627 residents, has the lowest population density of any capital city except Darwin and Hobart and Adelaide.
Property Council WA is urging all three tiers of government to work with the industry using its Project 90K blueprint to support a Perth city population of 90,000. Achieving a 90,000 population target is crucial to driving a successful Perth City Deal.
Property Council WA has been a long-time advocate of greater CBD activation, a more diverse CBD economy, better transport connectivity, a co-ordinated approach to homelessness and a more flexible approach to urban design and approvals to create more affordable housing.
Project 90K maps out a five-pronged pathway to ensuring Perth’s CBD gets the services, connectivity, branding focus and governance that it needs to deliver on this vision, Property Council WA Executive Director Sandra Brewer said.
“With our proximity to Asia, our climate and stunning landscapes, our shared Asian time-zone, Perth has unmatched potential to evolve as a centre of excellence for education, tourism, technology and remote operations support for the State’s resources industry,” Ms Brewer said. “We want to inspire new economically productive ideas.”
Property Council WA commissioned placemaking consultancy Urbis to set out the infrastructure needs of an entire generation of city residents.
Urbis found a population of 90,000 within the current City of Perth boundary means:
- 6000 children under 18, creating demand for 1000-plus extra child-care spaces, 30 playgrounds, two to three new CBD primary and one or two new high schools.
- 27,000 young people, 20 to 34, demanding stimulating entertainment, good food and drink, and sporting and gym facilities including an aquatic and recreational centre.
- An extra 5000 retirees, 65 and older, needing several thousand aged-care and retirement living options and a new library.
A Perth City Deal, the subject of Property Council WA’s Reinventing the CBD lunch at The Westin on March 13, has the potential to unlock significant economic activity for Western Australia, generating jobs and diversifying the central Perth economy.
Urbis associate director Sean Morrison said Perth needs to take its CBD residents’ needs as seriously as it does for schools, sporting and other services for inner, middle and outer residents.
“It’s crazy to think that we have planned all future school sites out to Yanchep but the city doesn’t have a plan for spaces for services we need for a thriving CBD community,” Mr Morrison said.
Ms Brewer said sites for CBD schools should be set aside now; acts, laws and policy that impede a micro-mobility revolution in Perth should be revised and the City of Perth should have an annual priority initiatives list to align agencies and business.
