TURNING back on the water fountain at The Piazza in Fremantle’s CBD was a small step but a big statement for Spacemarket’s Sarah Booth.
For her, it showed that the Piazza was getting its heart back after a few lean years of vacancies and anti-social behaviour. But now the Churchill Fellow has her sights set her sights on something even bigger: nothing less than the revival of Perth and Fremantle’s vacancy-plagued CBDs.
• Sarah Booth’s made a little splash in the heart of Fremantle’s CBD, but her Churchill Fellowship report could be the wave of change our CBDs need. Photo by Steve Grant
Her report, which recommends creating a city-wide urban renewal authority and a WA Centre for Cities, and identifying a “city choreographer” to marshall the city’s stakeholders, has just landed on planning minister John Carey’s desk.
Last Friday she met with Mr Carey and some of Perth’s heavy-hitting CBD property owners to talk about the creation of a Perth business improvement district – a model Fremantle adopted and then abandoned about a decade ago.
• For the full story and an excerpt from her report, see