City of Perth greenlights transformative Riverfront Masterplan

The City of Perth has endorsed the Perth City Riverfront Masterplan by Hassell to go out for public consultation. This ambitious plan, stretching 2.2km and comprising 44 hectares, will transform the Riverfront on Perth’s Swan River into a dynamic, interconnected, biodiverse urban landscape, enhancing the city’s appeal and creating an exciting and vibrant destination for residents and visitors.

Anthony Brookfield, Principal at Hassell, says the masterplan seeks to position the area as a leading destination. This is done by re-connecting people to the river, providing exciting experience touchpoints such as the network of public art showcasing the culture and stories of the Riverfront, and infusing the area with nature and biodiversity.

A key feature of the masterplan is the river walk, a 1.7km continuous water’s edge experience that will tell stories of Whadjuk Noongar culture through public art, interpretive design and a 330-metre-long arbour.

The river park includes The Lagoon, a family-oriented aquatic amenity complemented by restaurants and cafes. A large multi-use playground is also proposed alongside two expansive event lawns.

“The development of a Riverfront Masterplan marks the beginning of a major transformational, city-shaping project, providing a framework for re-connecting people and the city with the river. The vision is to create an active and attractive river park destination infused with nature, biodiversity and culture. There is a clear opportunity to develop a substantial shift in how this important city space works within its environment, benefiting the local community, visitors and native wildlife.”

Anthony Brookfield, Principal at Hassell

Two new pedestrian connections will guide people from the CBD to lively riverfront areas featuring food and beverage outlets and jetties for public boat mooring. To create more usable space by the river and encourage the re-naturalisation of the water’s edge, it is proposed that Riverside Drive, which runs parallel to the Swan River, be re-aligned through the central portion of Langley Park.

The re-imagined river edge removes the existing concrete wall and replaces it with robust bio-engineering treatments, including rock headlands, stone terracing, boardwalks, beaches and wide expanses of sedge planting. Two significant wetlands, which aid in the cleansing of rainwater, will help improve river water quality levels and enhance biodiversity.

Perth City Riverfront Masterplan

Landscape Architect: Hassell

Images: WAX Architectural Visualization

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Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/