Perth City Link Plans Informed by P.I.A Award Winning Technology

Last week the State Government finally released their plans for the “funky” transformation of Perth City Link, which will connect the Perth CBD and Northbridge districts for the first time in 100 years.

"City Square will be a dynamic new destination that embraces Perth's lifestyle and character to become one of our city's most significant places," Premier Colin Barnett said yesterday after releasing the first concept images for the project.

"The square will include The Horseshoe Market place, an urban rooftop garden, water features, kiosks, retail spaces, landscaped terraced walkways, play spaces and striking Aboriginal art.”                                         

"Up until the late 1920s, Perth people enjoyed fresh food markets in the city on the corner of William and Wellington streets. City Square will herald the return of food, community and city life at the Horseshoe Bridge."

The plan for the City Link was formulated using the ideas of more than 2000 Perth residents, collected primarily through the City Squares Ideas Online Engagement Tool.

The tool was developed by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority in conjunction with Place Match and the Brand Agency, and received a commendation at the recent Planning Institute of Australia’s WA Awards for Planning Excellence in the Public Engagement & Community Planning Award.

This custom-built online engagement tool (citysquareideas.com.au) was created to allow people to design their own virtual City Square by placing amenities such as retail, beverage, entertainment, food and other features of their choice using a drag-and-drop function.

Judges commended the project for its innovation, citing that ‘this online tool successfully demonstrates the unique use of a technology based interactive medium to elicit input from the broader community.’

The judges felt that it was a fun and easy-to-use tool that was able to efficiently capture a broad audience within a short timeframe.

In a more general sense, it is fantastic to see the Perth community taking an active involvement in the planning of the city – after all they are the ones who will be using the City Square once it is completed.

The key to successful urban planning is involving the community in the process and we hope to see more of this done by the State Government in the future. By working together, we can build a stylish, cohesive and functional city that everyone enjoys spending time in.