The Cultural Capital of Urban Morphology

Perth, Western Australia has been steadily changing its urban fabric and appearance, \nfrom a colonial outpost to a post-colonial centre embracing modernity. Its brief history means \nthat the grounding in prior historical periods may appear missing. In this paper, we argue that \nthe young history is not necessarily precluding the existence of layered values, but that these are \nunderestimated in relation to Perth’s urban development. Consequently, a perpetual ideological \nscenario of a virtual tabula rasa is created where everything is considered fleeting and easily substitutable. \nThis paradigm, supported by global economic forces, has to date been preferred over \nurban transformations based on the typological process. \nWhile economic factors undeniably impact urban transformations and development, this paper \nsuggests that other factors must be considered for sustainable urban growth, such as cultural \ncapital discussed by Bourdieu. The authors argue that the understanding and application of urban \nmorphological and typological principles in urban design can be used to sustain the permanence \nof cultural capital as an essential and tangible component of the city.