Metropolitan Perth has a long way to go to arrest its urban sprawl, according to recently released statistics.
Just 14 per cent of building approvals in WA over the past year were for dwelling units over four storeys, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show, compared to 65 per cent in the ACT and 61 per cent in Victoria.
The only state with less approvals than WA for four-storey plus residential developments was Tasmania, which recorded a level of 9 per cent.
The ABS statistics also showed Perth had the lowest percentage (20 per cent) of non-house dwelling approvals of all Australian cities.
Urban Development Institute of Australia chief executive Debra Goostrey said the state government needed to create more opportunities for medium and higher density developments.
She singled out recently floated plans for medium to high density residential developments around established transport infrastructure in the east end of Fremantle and at Canning Bridge as the sorts of opportunities that should be further pursued.
"Providing fast and efficient public transport is the key to making transit-oriented developments such as Canning Bridge work, and it's crucial that the government commits to continually improving the rail network," she said.
Ms Goostrey said that higher density developments should not just be viewed as an inner city option, with good examples in periphery suburbs such as Cockburn, Brighton and Ellenbrook.
