Perth City Deal beyond transformative

On a blustery Sunday in September an announcement of a City Deal for Perth worth $1.5 billion was a welcome game changer.

Transformative in nature, City Deals bring together the three layers of government – local, state and federal and leverage non-government investment to bring about something bigger than the sum of its parts. Its impact is not to be under-estimated.

City Deals have been signed in Darwin, Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston, Geelong, South East Queensland, Townsville and the biggest one to date sees Western Sydney as the beneficiary.

Perth finally has its ‘deal’ with the jewel in the crown Edith Cowan University developing a vertical campus adjacent to Yagan Square as the new home of WAPPA, along with Murdoch and Curtin universities adding to their presence too.

The City Deal will also create more facilities for the homeless, better connections for cyclists and pedestrians, more amenity for city-dwellers and visitors, and create a start-up complex focused on robotics, automation and AI. Cultural facilities such as Perth Concert Hall and the Perth Cultural Centre will also get much needed upgrades, and we will see the long-awaited redevelopment of the WACA as well as the building of a public swimming pool.