Under the Western Australian Community Design Code being trialed by the WA Planning Commission, urban development can now embody the international principles of ‘New Urbanism’. This is a return to traditional development that creates compact, robust and pedestrian friendly urban environments.
“We embraced this pragmatic concept to overcome the potential negative effects of urbanisation and the soulless anonymity of urban sprawl,” said Executive Manager of Planning, Ray Haeron.
“Under state government plans to urbanise the remaining 40 percent of Gosnells, we felt ‘New Urbanism’ better reflected the direction residents wanted for the City.”
The concept in Gosnells is known as Liveable Neighbourhoods.
“Liveable Neighbourhoods aims to be more responsive to the environment not just apply a standard footprint across the board,” Ray Haeron said.
Plans to urbanise the area brought into question the issue of sustainability.
“The quarter acre block is no longer viable where the number of dwellings is growing but the number of people per household is declining,” he said. “Liveable Neighbourhoods has been designed to make places more able to adjust over time.”
At the City of Gosnells’ high quality, Canning Vale development, Liveable Neighbourhoods has created the lifestyle people want and has led to high demand.
“Originally there was considerable cynicism but that has changed now that people can see the value that is added by the better design principles,” Ray Haeron said.
It aims to replicate this high level of amenity in the next development phase of the City in Southern River.
He pointed out that developers are happy to conform to the new codes because they can see the value it adds to development and hence the potential for higher returns.
Developers are now much happier to accept Council advice in matters such as site alignment. One of the more concrete aspects of encouraging these alternative urban design principles has been Gosnells’ estate walls policy.
Council is working to discourage the use of estate walls which create isolated enclaves, vulnerable to crime.
