I HAVE just read the ‘Disaster on the foreshore’ article in the May 22 edition of WA Business News. The first question arising is: what qualification and professional expertise provides the foundation for the ‘Joe Poprzeczny thesis’ which has the audacity to place so many ill-founded personal judgments against a well-founded state promoted initiative to develop a long-awaited initiative to enhance the ambience of the city of Perth? The article is a shallow attempt to encourage a false debate among the ill informed that will sidetrack the very serious initiatives of Alannah MacTiernan. The linking of the unimaginative city centre with a potentially vibrant river precinct is on the table. Paris (The Seine) and London (The Thames) are the ultimate feel-good cities, the heartland of our inspiration as European-motivated societies. In our city, we can acknowledge the problem of the railway divide, however it pales into insignificance in relationship to our understanding of the river-city enhancement when related to our perceived lifestyle qualities. I am 67 years of age, an architect with an intense commitment to leave a better place for our descendants and must, as a past Liberal supporter, state quite clearly that Ms MacTiernan has exhibited a willingness and strength to drag the attention of the sleeping masses to the exciting potential that WA might aspire to. Mr Poprzeczny’s negative article will not and cannot provide any positive contributions to the way forward. Graham Harler Perth