Kaya – and welcome to the latest edition of Urban Scrawl!
Can you believe, it's been one year since Committee for Perth launched Urban Scrawl? We created our exclusive member-only monthly newsletter to help inspire new ideas for making Perth one of the world’s most liveable cities. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and thinking about global insights and inspiration as much as we have enjoyed curating them. As mentioned at our Member Event in July, we would love to hear from you if you are interested in guest writing an opinion piece. If you are passionate about a topic – whether it’s aged care, cycling, mental health, or anything else – please get in touch.
By sharing ideas and opinions, we can continue to advocate and challenge for change. Is there any research you think we should know about? A great new book or podcast? Or a smart solution to an urban problem you have seen in other cities? Let me know by emailing francien.boom@committeeforperth.com.au.
Happy reading, Francien Boom Committee for Perth |
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INTERNATIONAL INSPIRATION |
16 KM COMMUNITY DESTINATION |
In 2013, Meg Daly broke both her arms, and unable to drive, took Miami’s Metrorail (Miami’s above ground metro) and walked below the tracks to get to her treatment. She noticed that the desolate stretch of unused land was 10 degrees cooler on a hot summer day. This sparked the idea for The Underline: a 10-mile (16 km) linear park, trail and community destination in Miami-Fade County, Florida.
The project, funded by a mix of federal, state and local municipalities, as well as private contributions, corporate donations and partnerships, is being completed in three phases. The first phase, Brickell Backyard, features biking and walking paths, basketball and soccer courts, an outdoor gym, and butterfly gardens. The second phase, Hammock Trail, completed in June 2024, introduced playgrounds, a rain garden, and green infrastructure to manage storm water flooding and runoff.
City of Miami officials presented the opening of Hammock Trail as a gift to the city, symbolising their commitment to enhancing urban spaces and fostering community quality of life and well-being. The third phase, Miami, is set for 2026 and will complete the corridor project and focus on safe multi-modal transportation, nature, and community spaces.
Today, The Underline hosts activations such as yoga, community planting and farmers markets, showcasing the transformation of repurposing unused land into a community asset. Could METRONET transport corridors in Perth be repurposed in this way? |
Artificial Intelligence is immersing and revolutionising every facet of life, and the Olympics is no exception. The Paris 2024 Olympics saw AI deployed for mass surveillance, managing online cyber abuse, and digital twinning for energy management.
Another example is Intel’s AI-powered platform technology, which has been developed to scout the next generation of Olympic talent, beginning in Senegal. The fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games (for athletes aged between 15 to 18 years old) will take place in Dakar, Senegal, in 2026, marking the first time an Olympic event will he hosted on the African continent. As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says, “Senegal’s sporting culture and practice is rooted in history and in the population, especially young people.”
How do you discover the next wave of talent? Intel’s mobile technology allows sport scouts to identify talent in rural and remote areas by analysing metrics and data points, such as balance, acceleration, and movement development, with mobile phones and tablets. As with many AI innovations, this technology may seem wildly dystopian (Gattaca, anyone?), yet holds exciting possibilities for the next generation in regional areas who may not have access to sporting facilities and funding. |
GHD’s latest Crossroads study explores the multi-generational preferences and priorities of more than 10,000 people, across 10 countries, through an infrastructure lens. Similar to findings from Committee for Perth’s 2024 Perth Perception Survey, the Crossroads study shows Gen Z and Millennials have the highest level of optimism about the future compared to other generations. By adopting an intergenerational lens to guide infrastructure, investment decisions can be made that promote social inclusion and enhance the quality of life of communities, can be made now for decades into the future. The study shows the top three concerns for Australians are cost of living, transport and environment, with affordable housing an intergenerational concern.
Some highlights include: - Baby boomers are more likely to support recycling, while younger generations put more emphasis on reduced driving.
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Gen Z are more likely to embrace eco-friendly products, use public transport an adopt smart technologies.
- Gen X are less likely to accept the idea of drinking treated or recycled water.
- Millennials emphasise the importance of tackling climate change and are relatively optimistic about the future.
GHD, a Committee for Perth member since 2019, is committed to a future focused approach. The findings from the Crossroads report are essential for infrastructure decision-makers. Explore the full report here.
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has announced that the 2028 Olympics will be a "no-car games", despite the city's notorious traffic. Venues will be accessible by public transport only. The city plans to borrow buses from other states and asking businesses to allow non-essential workers to work remotely.
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Have some time up your sleeve? Here's some of our suggestions for this month's viewing and listening: |
WATCH: In some cities, living in social housing is a stigma. In the Austrian capital of Vienna, around 60% of its 2 million residents live in some form of social housing, and it is seen as an opportunity to enjoy high quality urban life. Watch Monocle's Design Tours exploring the legacy of the city's ‘Gemeindebau’ apartment blocks.
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LISTEN: Arup's Sustainable Forces podcast uncovers stories about people who work together to create a sustainable future. Episode 6 explores the topic, 'Do our cities need rebalancing?' and how together we can rebalance the needs of people and the planet in our cities to create inclusive and sustainable places for people to thrive.
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Sometimes the best research comes from people who are living and breathing a city. After living abroad for 20 years and coming back to Perth earlier this year, Mark Tomasz, CEO of Keystart, shares his love for Perth – from the classic Cottesloe ice cream, to Italian in Osborne Park, and what Perth can learn from other global cities. |
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It’s the weekend. Are you an early riser or lazy starter? What’s your typical Perth weekend morning?
I really enjoy weekend mornings in Perth and I am generally an early riser. I will go for a walk, read the paper, get ready for my hockey match later in the day or take the kids to their sporting matches.
Will you be eating out this weekend? And where? Cherubino’s in Subi is always a favourite and I also like Posto Matto in Osborne Park which serves some really tasty Italian food. What’s your favourite local food? I love Community Coffee’s Egg Sando (with added Chilli paste) and I also enjoy some fresh Fremantle Octopus.
What will you be listening to? Reading? Watching? Sport! Whether that is myself playing sport, watching my kids play sport or listening to the footy/cricket on the radio. What’s your favourite street in Perth?
Mends Street in South Perth. I used to work as a teller at the Challenge Bank branch on Mends Street many years ago (I am really showing my age!) and really enjoy that area. I love how Mends Street leads on to the beautiful foreshore to see the wonderful Perth skyline.
The best way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Perth? Having a swim at City Beach and then having dinner at Clancy’s or an ice cream at Cottesloe. You have returned to Perth after living abroad for 20 years. What can Perth learn and adopt from a city overseas?
Perth has certainly become more vibrant in the last 20 years since I was living here last. It would be great to see more use of technology across Perth which I have seen work well in other cities I have lived in such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. For example the use of a digital payments, wallets and seamless integration with city services (e.g. an electronic SmartRider). |
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FROM THE COMMITTEE FOR PERTH RESEARCH LIBRARY |
The 2024 Perth Perception Survey shows that resident’s perceptions of Perth as a metropolis are shifting, and they feel Perth is more globally connected than ever. We are (finally) starting to look up, rather than East. The FACTBase Special Report - Perth as a globally connected city (2013), examines how Perth is integrated into the world city network. Over recent decades, Perth has gone from a city that had just a handful of large local firms to one of Australia’s most powerful corporate cities (Tonts and Taylor, 2010). As we continue on this trajectory, what does the future hold for Perth as a global city?
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Committee for Perth conducts its work on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar. We recognise their peoples' ongoing connection to land, culture and community and in doing so, pay our respects to Elders past and present. |
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