Site Features of Perth
What is the main river that flows through Perth?
The Swan River. (Derbal Yerrigan)
Which ocean is Perth situated next to?
The Indian Ocean.
What is the term for Perth’s central area of commercial and office activity?
Central Business District (CBD).
What shape best describes Perth’s external urban form?
Semi-stellate (star-like).
What is urban sprawl?
The outward spread of low-density residential and some mixed-use development on the urban fringe.
What is the dominant landform on Perth’s eastern fringe?
The Darling Scarp.
Name Perth’s main port that supports trade and shipping.
Fremantle Port.
What type of land use is commonly found in Perth’s transition zone?
Mixed-use — including light industry, older housing, and emerging residential development.
What physical feature limits Perth’s expansion to the east?
The Darling Scarp.
Name one suburb where urban consolidation is taking place in Perth.
Subiaco and/or East Perth
What type of soil is common on the Swan Coastal Plain?
Sandy soils with low nutrient levels. Soils close to rivers, alluvial in nature.
In which direction is Perth's closest major city, and how far is it away?
What land use dominates the outer suburbs of Perth?
Residential and low-density housing.
How have transport routes influenced Perth’s external morphology?
Urban growth has followed major transport corridors (1970s corridor plan), Mitchell Freeway to the north, Midland to the east, Albany highway to the south-east and Kwinana freeway to the south, creating a stellate pattern.
Define urban renewal and give an example in Perth.
Redevelopment of underused urban areas; e.g., Elizabeth Quay or East Perth Redevelopment.
How has Perth’s flat topography influenced its urban development?
It has encouraged outward northern-southern urban sprawl due to ease of construction and cheaper costs.
How many kilometres away are the closest regional centres of Geraldton and Bunbury from Perth?
Bunbury is 180 km south of Perth, and Geraldton is 424 km north of Perth.
How does the Bid Rent Theory help explain Perth’s land use patterns?
Land closer to the CBD is more expensive and used for high-value commercial uses.
What urban development strategy aims to reduce urban sprawl in Perth?
Perth Directions 2031 (planning document created in 2010) looked to encourage urban infill. Essentially, constructing new dwellings on vacant land already present in inner suburbs to increase density and limit urban sprawl.
What process involves wealthy individuals moving into and renovating older inner-city housing? Provide a suburb as an example.
Gentrification.
Bayswater was primarily a medium to low socio-economic area, but new infrastructure projects close to to rail, have increased private investment in the area, improving land value.
Inglewood has seen houses being purchased and renovated, increasing and value and aesthetics.
Explain how Perth’s site contributes to its vulnerability to bushfires.
Vegetation on the scarp and in outer suburbs increases fire risk, especially during dry summers.
Vertical escarpment also increases speed of bushfires
Recall the latitude and longitude coordinates of Perth
31 0 57' S and 115 0 51' E
Identify and explain two functional zones within Perth’s internal structure.
Industrial zone (e.g. Kewdale) reflects accessibility to major transport networks (freight terminal) and the airport. Cheaper land value for large warehouses, factories, and processing plants.
Inner mixed-use zone (e.g. East Perth), reflecting high accessibility amenities and land value.
Rural-Urban fringe - Wanneroo, Forrestfield, Swan Valley, expanding cheap low-density residential into semi-rural/rural land uses such as wineries, farming.
Recall the extent of the urban footprint of the Perth and Peel metropolitan area. (+ or - 100km2)
6418km2
Explain the role of planning strategies like Directions 2031 in shaping urban processes.
These plans guide sustainable development, promoting infill (increasing density), reducing sprawl (more affordable and attractive homes to live in and or build in existing suburbs), and improving connectivity (transport hubs and infrastructure).
Perth and Peel at 3.5 million - Transport-orientated developments, infill and sustainable development.