URBAN FORESHORE

POINT FRASER REDEVELOPMENT STAGE 1 & 2

Point Fraser is a 3.7 hectare urban foreshore development located on reclaimed tidal river flat within the Perth CBD.

Landscape Principles in Practice:

• Value Our Landscape:  A comprehensive masterplanning strategy was invoked in parallel with detailed site investigations and assessments prior to any earthworks, including investigations into ecology, geology, hydrology, pedology and socio-cultural aspects of the local and broader landscape. Intensive site analysis revealed new landscape values which informed design decisions, leading to more robust and sustainable environmental outcomes.
• Protect – Enhance – Regenerate:  The decision-making hierarchy adopted in the design effectively reverses the previous urban expansion emphasis of directing untreated discharge of urban runoff into the Swan River and of infilling and hard walling the river and foreshore; to one focused on reinstating original ecological features to biologically filter and treat runoff before discharge into the river.  This approach respects and enhances landscape value and environmental integrity at a local and broader landscape scale.
• Design with Respect: Design form and function respects local landscape character and enhances environmental performance via improvements to water quality, provision of functional habitat for increased biodiversity and environmental amenity as well as recreational, educational and interpretive opportunities to strengthen the original function of the surrounding river environment and the local identity.
• Design for the Future:  The Point Fraser Demonstration Wetland is the first project of its kind in Australia to achieve the successful removal of Acid Sulphate Soils without the release of heavy metals and other contaminants into the soil or surrounding water supply. Native marine couch has also been re-established along the immediate foreshore – the first known commercial use of this species in Western Australia.  Innovative approaches to landscape management challenges such as these can inform future development, building adaptive capacity and enhancing environmental resilience within our built environments. The design approach and rehabilitation techniques used in this project are applicable to urban & rural river sites throughout Australia.
• Embrace Responsive Design: An ongoing aspect of the project design is commitment to long-term maintenance and stewardship via monitoring of wetland and water quality, sediment and vegetation, habitat performance and social monitoring.  Training and education opportunities enhance opportunities for greater understanding of natural landscape processes, and the impacts of intervention and management techniques are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect increased knowledge.

 

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