A HOST of ambitious plans to improve the city’s central business district is set to be unveiled for public discussion by the City of Perth.
A HOST of ambitious plans to improve the city’s central business district is set to be unveiled for public discussion by the City of Perth.
Ten Perth-based architecture firms were commissioned in January to brainstorm ideas on improving 12 prominent ‘eyesores’ across the city, identified in the City of Perth’s 2009 draft Urban Design Framework.
One of the ambitious ideas is to revamp the aging Jacob’s Ladder into an enhanced pedestrian link connecting the city and the waterfront to Kings Park.
According to Woodhead, the architect that explored the project, the connection to Kings Park could be negotiated via three properties fronting Mount Street, on land too steep to build on.
A branch of Jacob’s Ladder could run along the escarpment and connect to the Bali Memorial, the Kings Park lookout and the War Memorial with interpretive observation bays along the way.
Other hypothetical recommendations for Jacob’s Ladder include: making it wide enough to allow tourists to move at their own pace and avoid upsetting exercising locals; elevating the walkway above the escarpment to create a treetop walk; and designing the ladder so that could become a tourist attraction in its own right.
City of Perth architect Craig Smith said the architects’ responses to the projects would be released to the public on Friday (May 14).
The firms commissioned to stimulate the discussion were HASSELL, Donaldson + Warn, Cox Howlett + Bailey Woodland, Woodhead, Iredale Pedersen Hook, Woods Bagot, Jones Coulter Young, Roberts Day Group, Taylor Burrell Barnett, and Urban Design Centre.
The projects vary from evaluating the viability of a land bridge covering the freeway linking Parliament House to the western end of the city, to temporary uses for the perpetually vacant former Emu Brewery site on Mounts Bay Road.
Also up for discussion are alternative uses for Langley Park and Wellington Square, beautifying the Central Institute of Technology precinct, and sinking Mounts Bay Road between William Street and Point Lewis.
Others are conceptual projects, such as coping with population growth or designing a greener Perth.
The ‘What If’ project coincides with a number of City of Perth and government initiatives to improve the amenity and attraction of the CBD.
Last month, the City of Perth launched a tender process to build a sculpture-style pedestrian bridge from Point Fraser to Heirisson Island.
The city also installed 20,000 colour-changing LED globes at Council House early last month as part of a plan to make the CBD more appealing.
Also, significant works by the East Perth Redevelopment Authority are under way to revamp the cultural centre surrounding the Art Gallery and the State Library.
The state government announced last week it had also launched a tender process, to find a contractor for the sinking of the railway line for the Northbridge Link.
To complement the link, the City of Perth also asked for discussions surrounding the possibility of sinking the railway line east of Barrack Street to the Swan River, and between Thomas Street and City West.
Both rail sinking projects would be expected to improve access to the city and provide future development opportunities.
