Shaping Perth City Centre - Towards 2036 and Beyond

The City of Perth has collaborated with global urban strategy and design firm, Gehl, on a new long-term framework: Shaping Perth City Centre - Towards 2036 and Beyond.

The framework sets a bold new direction for the future of Perth’s city centre and marks a new chapter in the 30-year collaboration between the City of Perth and Gehl.

It builds on previous work by Gehl and the City that helped transform the city through people-focused urban design and major projects including Elizabeth Quay, Perth City Link and the ECU City Campus.

Developed in collaboration with over 80 key stakeholders from private industry and other levels of government, the place-based framework supports the City's goal of reaching 55,000 residents by 2036 and 90,000 by 2050.

It sets out five strategic goals for the city centre:

It also outlines 20 directions, designed to support the achievement of each strategic goal, and five key interventions – high impact projects identified as catalysts for transformation.

1. North-South Connectors:

• William Street as a Green Spine
• Barrack Street as a Cultural Spine
• A new ‘People’s Walk’ that guides people from an upgraded Central Perth Station area, through to Forrest Place and the new Carillion City, and southwards to Elizabeth Quay.

• Creating a holistic waterfront that connects Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), Kaarta Gar-up (Kings Park), Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Elizabeth Quay, and Langley Park.

• Supporting the emergence of residential neighbourhoods across the City Centre, with a focus on King Street, Pier Street, Irwin Street, and Queen Street.

4. Malls Re-imagined:

• Repositioning Hay Street and Murray Street Malls as a vibrant, mixed-use street that supports everyday needs and changing patterns of city life

5. East West Transit corridors:

• Updating the urban character and role of St Georges Terrace and Wellington Street as people-first transit corridors.

Read the full report

Background

In 1994, an extensive Public Space Public Life Study was conducted in Perth by a team led by Professor Jan Gehl. The 1994 study analysed and provided recommendations for the city centre, assessing public spaces and life based on a survey from January 1993.

In 2009, Gehl Architects were commissioned to do a follow‐up study to document improvements achieved in the city and to examine how public life had responded to various changes. Both these documents provided a list of achievements as well as future challenges.

Recommendations included in past studies have lead to the development of the Cathedral Square precinct, Elizabeth Quay, Perth City Link, and the recent work on the Perth Riverfront Masterplan.