Congratulations to the City of Vincent for taking the bold step of engaging placemakers for its four urban village centres. This is a first for Perth and will be much-needed to counterbalance the CBD-focus of the City of Perth if Vincent should be swallowed up in the Col Pot masterplan for local government.
When I helped organise the Mainstreet Conference in 2009 (held in Fremantle and supported by the City of Vincent), I was struck by the importance of place and how easily it can be overlooked in the normal processes of government.At the state level, there is a lot of talk of activity centres and urban villages - but nothing to make them happen or to enhance and maintain their vitality and viability.
This step is a classic example of what small local governments can do that would be very difficult for larger ones. Vincent can do this for all four of its centres but a larger local government would have to deal with competing demands from across its area.
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