ASPECT Studios is proposing a scheme with an ambitious three-stage plan that includes creating a chain of parks threading through the city of Perth, Australia; Reclaiming the Swan River foreshore and creating vibrant wetlands; and implementing expanded pedestrian boulevards redefining the Perth central business district (downtown). These are among the proposals that would change the face of the city by reinviting nature into central Perth.
“While ambitious, we believe these ideas are the key to Perth thriving in complex future defined by a changing climate, while also giving the city the opportunity to redefine itself in a new unique and highly sustainable way,” he said.
Tom Griffiths, ASPECT Studios’ Perth Studio Director
ASPECT Studios’ Perth team say the study – dubbed Rewilding Perth – was created out of the need to deal with the challenges posed by a changing climate. Perth, which has the smallest proportion of tree cover of any Australian capital, will need to change to deal with those challenges. But, the proposal argues, in adapting to the climate crisis there are opportunities to rejuvenate the environment and make Perth an even better place to live.
The proposition includes ideas for connecting Kings Park and Herrison Island with a green corridor along the foreshore, rewilding the north and south of the city’s edges. This new stretch of wetland would repair ecological damage and support native fauna.
Then, a series of new green, walkable streets through the CBD, created by decking over the rail corridor, would connect the west and north of the city. This injection of greenery into the CBD would also improve active transport connections and reconnect fragmented precincts.
Lastly, a new 100-kilometre corridor of parks, wetlands and bodies of water would be created along the Swan Water Plain. Increasing the amount of public open space in the city by 20%, this linear park would daylight submerged waterways and protect sensitive aquifers and degraded ecologies.
Images Credit: ASPECT Studios