Perth: Planning for growth on a big scale

The Australian city of Perth has 1.7 million residents spread out over 5,300 sq km. This sprawl, as well as the city’s rapid population growth, poses challenges to the city’s transportation planners. This article discusses how the city is meeting this challenge through the adoption of its Public Transport Plan for Perth in 2031. The plan, which was released in 2011, is fully aligned with the Western Australian planning scheme. The plan advocates a massive investment in transportation planning and infrastructure. The plans call for moving extensive heavy passenger rail lines underground, and reconnecting the central business district with the city’s entertainment district. Since much of the public transportation system relies on feeder bus routes connected to radial heavy rail lines, investment also is planned for implementing new bus technology that will enable real time tracking and traffic signal priority.