The WA Government has committed to developing a new 'Urban Greening Strategy' to promote and enhance tree canopy and greening across the Perth and Peel region. The new strategy will take a whole-of-Government approach to ensure new initiatives are coordinated and complement existing greening programs.

The WA Government has announced amendments and finalisation of the State Planning Policy 7.3 Residential Design Codes including revised Medium Density Code provisions, which coincide with a number of major planning reforms to come into effect from 1 March 2024.

Image: medium density development by Matt Delroy Carr, MDC Architects. Photo by Dion Robeson.

Vincent Council has become the first in the country to encourage sustainable design with the promise of swifter DA assessment.

A series of affordable housing thoughts and ideas by Perth’s leading architects.

The new Medium Density Code will not only improve the design quality of urban infill, but also the operational performance of homes – saving people money in the long term. It could also be the answer to NIMBYISM in our existing suburbs.

But that’s only half the story. The other side of the conversation, and something not widely understood, is the diversity of housing – and choice – the new Code enables.

The State Government’s new Medium Density Code elevates the focus on design quality, revolutionising the approach to medium density developments – and making good design more accessible for all West Australians.

Australia currently has the largest homes in the world, and WA among the largest homes in the country - with new houses over 40% bigger than they were 40 years ago.

When it comes to sustainability, less is more. By this I mean less square meters in our homes, less demolition of our existing buildings and, importantly, less embodied and operational carbon in construction.

The Australian Institute of Architects WA President's Prize for 2022 has been awarded to two architects making a difference in the community – Ross Donaldson and Michelle Blakeley.