Demographic data is forecasting Wanneroo’s population will double by 2041 to over 400,000 whilst by comparison, the City of Perth is set to grow far more conservatively from 28,000 to just 41,000.
The City of Wanneroo covers an expansive 52 kilometres from Girrawheen to Two Rocks, and of course since the mining boom, Wanneroo’s outlying suburbs have become increasingly developed.
The ‘Dormitory’ Phenomenon
Urban planning experts sometimes refer to ‘dormitory suburbs’ at Perth’s outer fringes. It’s not a positive reference – and RailSmart Planning sets out to reverse this phenomenon.
Simply put, ‘dormitory suburbs’ are so named since the suburb empties out in early morning to early evening as its residents head off to work, only returning to sleep. Such suburbs have been accused of ‘having no soul’ with others comparing these to compound housing.
In recent years, the heavy influx of new residents coming across to service the mining boom, led to vast and rapid residential development in the outlying northern suburbs within the City of Wanneroo.
This suburban sprawl highlighted a pressing need for smarter urban planning solutions for the City – to not only accommodate – but be fully prepared for far greater sustained growth into the future.
Railsmart Planning to the rescue
RailSmart Planning Wanneroo is a project which moves beyond traditional land-use and transport planning.
RailSmart at completion, will be a proof of concept smart-planning tool which fuses cutting edge technology with the latest research to fast track future-scenario planning.
What this means (in plain english) is it will allow urban developers, land-use and transport planners to have access to the exact information they need to:
- Create vibrant, thriving public spaces surrounding Metronet rail station precincts
- Design and zone areas to maximise job creation in these same outlying suburbs
- Make public transport more accessible for local residents and commuters
The purpose of RailSmart Planning is to create land-use and transport options which allow communities in fast-growing outer metro areas, to have the best kind of work choices and lifestyle advantages right where they live.
RailSmart really is a very smart plan for the City of Wanneroo.
Note: The RailSmart Project received grant funding from the Australian Government.