I AM encouraged by the positive response the Property Council has received since launching Capital City Coordination for the 21st Century on April 23.
Early indications are that both the WA Government and the Perth City Council will look at our recommendation for the establishment of a Capital City Coordinating Committee in a favourable light.
The 36 page report is the culmination of a detailed review of what is happening in other Australian capital cities in relation to planning and development, how we have handled the development of our capital city and what needs to be done to remain competitive.
The research found Perth is falling behind other capital cities in its ability to structure a cooperative and workable planning environment relevant to current and future requirements.
City centres are no longer just places of work. They have become places for recreation, entertainment, living, education, shopping, tourism and commerce.
To be successful, cities must embrace long-term planning and a shared vision for their future. Over the past two decades, successive governments have tended to shift their funding priorities to regional and rural areas at the exclusion of the capital city.
It is time all levels of government took up the responsibility for the reinvesting in one WA’s most important economic assets — Perth city.
The time is now for public and private interests to set a joint objective of optimising Perth’s growth to become a distinctive capital city, offering freedom, security, accessibility and cultural and commercial accomplishment in a clean and beautiful environment.
