3 minute read
LACH4424 Design Studio - Complexity
LACH5424 Design Studio - Complexity Unit Coordinator: Hans Oerlemans ‘WHAT IF Beaufort Street Precinct’
AMY STEWART
The existing condition of the Beaufort Street precinct prioritises the movement and activity of vehicles above all else, with wide traffic lanes dominating the public space and pushing pedestrian activities to the fringes of the streetscape. The purpose of the strategy is to return the precinct to its historical roots as a place that supports a great diversity of public uses where pedestrians and residents feel comfortable and welcome in the space.
The Beaufort Street precinct is situated on the site of a once extensive chain of ephemeral wetlands that stretched across the Swan Coastal Plain. The lakes of Hyde Park, originally named Boodjamooling are one of only a few remaining remnants of this system. While traces of the wetlands can still be seen in the soils of Perth, the urbanised nature of the Beaufort Street precinct has erased surface level connections to the unique ephemeral system. This design strategy aims to reconnect the precinct to the deep environmental systems present on site, creating a greater sense of place of Beaufort as a wetland precinct.
Image: Quendas in an ephemeral wetland habitat.
LACH5424 Design Studio - Complexity Unit Coordinator: Hans Oerlemans ‘WHAT IF Beaufort Street Precinct’
TUULI SAVOLAINEN
Today’s suburbia is faced with big scale challenges such as global warming, biodiversity loss and population health problems. At a micro level the car dominance creates traffic congestions, unsafe environments, noise, and air pollution, while at times leaving behind a huge reservoir of underutilised space in the form of quiet, overly wide streets amid the suburbia. How could this huge reservoir of underutilised space be better used for the benefit of both people and the environment? What key moves would assist the whole precinct and its different conditions to tackle both macro and micro level issues? How to transform the precinct within a 25year timeframe with minimal resistance?
Based on a thorough analysis, Regenerative Suburbia transforms some of these underutilised street scapes into connected strings of parks, backyard gardens and extended living rooms where people can occupy the space the way they see fit. The plan consists of three main street typologies; Park Lanes, Boulevards and High Street where the designs vary based on zoning, traffic conditions, and connectivity. All typologies increase green cover as much as possible to create a carbon sink, cool the environment, improve biodiversity and stormwater management while creating beautiful spaces for people. Secondly the car dominance is diminished, and the streets are given back to people in the form of shared streets and public transport. Finally, each street allocates empty space for people to apply degrowth through tactical urbanism. Through temporary testing to permanent structures, these spaces are reserved for kit-of-part type modules that can contain anything from veggie gardens, composting facilities and EV charging to food carts, outdoor gyms, and playgrounds. There is an argument that the ‘eco-city’ must emerge from below, not top-down. In this way, the people are given the power to reflect the changes they wish to see in their world.
Image: Regenerative Suburbia perspective.
