Thwaites and Wilberforce Strike Back

For an introduction to Thwaites and Wilberforce click here
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SETTING: A corner on High Street, Fremantle. The sun is beating down on two young men who are standing beside a small tree, which is sitting in a black plastic bag bordered by orange barriers. Each man is leaning lethargically on an enormous shovel. The men are dressed in rolled-up shirtsleeves and suit pants, and both have sweaty rings under their arms. One is also looking a bit sunburnt.

WILBERFORCE: So what are you here for?

THWAITES (sheepishly): I left the only copy of the draft design guidelines for Scheme Amendment 49 on the bus.

WILBERFORCE (grimacing sympathetically): Tough break, mate. We've all been there. You know the design guidelines for the East End?

THWAITES: The ones that were meant to be released early last year?

WILBERFORCE: Yep, those ones. Know why they never went out? (He points to his chest with both thumbs.) Back of a taxi after the 2010 Christmas party. Luckily the boss hasn't noticed yet.

(A brief pause while they watch a pretty backpacker walk past.)

THWAITES: So what are you in for?
WILBERFORCE: You know that new security camera at the Round House?
THWAITES: The one on the giant pole that looks straight into everyone's bedrooms?

WILBERFORCE: Yeah. That was me.
THWAITES: Ah. (A short, slightly embarrassed pause.)

THWAITES: Nice try though.

WILBERFORCE: I know, wouldn't it have been great? They were just about to mount the camera when a resident complained.

(He looks despondent, and THWAITES pats his shoulder consolingly. Another pretty backpacker walks past.) 

THWAITES: So what are we meant to be doing here exactly?

WILBERFORCE: We're supposed to plant this (prods the sapling violently) in the ground. And then repeat the process with all the others.

THWAITES (looking down the street and groaning): God, there are so many. And it's so hot. Can't we put it off till it's cooler? 

WILBERFORCE: Believe me, I tried. Turns out they've been sitting in these bags for three months already. The last bloke in charge of planting started with the grass trees at Bathers Beach..got sandblasted pretty bad.

THWAITES: Ooh, nasty.

WILBERFORCE: Yeah, he'll be off for a few more weeks yet, till they know whether the eyelid transplant worked.

THWAITES (sighing): Well, better make a start. 

(He attempts to wrestle one of the plastic barriers out of the way, heaving with his whole body weight before collapsing against it in a sweaty heap.)

THWAITES (gasping): Bloody hell!

WILBERFORCE: I know. I think I got a hernia doing that yesterday.

THWAITES (sounding desperate): Aren't there... pipes and things we need to map before we do any planting?

WILBERFORCE (shaking his head): Taken care of. I called that 'dial before you dig' number.

THWAITES: Don't they sometimes get things wrong?

WILBERFORCE: Nah, don't think so. They have to be pretty on the ball in that department. Imagine if they got mixed up? I mean, people would be digging up gas lines and mains water supplies all over the shop.

THWAITES: You're right. It's an awesome responsibility. 

WILBERFORCE: It sure is.

THWAITES: I mean, we could hit a gas line, cause a spark and take out half of the West End! The public is relying on us to be a hundred percent sure of what we're doing.

WILBERFORCE: At the very least. Probably more like a hundred and ten percent.

(The two men ponder this for a moment.)

WILBERFORCE: You know, Thwaites...

THWAITES: Yes, Wilberforce?

WILBERFORCE: The guy I spoke to about where the pipes were didn't sound, you know... totally positive. Only, like, a hundred and nine percent sure.

THWAITES (looking suddenly alert): Not one hundred and ten?

WILBERFORCE: Nope, definitely more like a hundred and nine. A hundred and nine point five, tops.

THWAITES: Well, we have to stop the project right now, Wilberforce. Hundreds of lives could be at stake! 

WILBERFORCE: You're right, Thwaites. Launching in willy-nilly to something as serious as this is irresponsible. We need to do some more research. 

THWAITES: A study at the very least.

WILBERFORCE: And probably a working group too. Just to be sure. To investigate properly could take months. Ol' eyelids could be back before we're able to go ahead.

THWAITES: What a shame...but it's no use cutting corners. We'd better go tell the boss.

(Both young men sigh happily, and begin sauntering down High Street.)

THWAITES: Wilberforce...

WILBERFORCE: Yes, Thwaites?

THWAITES: Do you reckon people will people buy it? I mean, a study to put in a few plants... They're bound to think it's a bit suss.

WILBERFORCE: Trust me, mate, I don't think it's going to be a problem. Now let's nip into the backpackers and check their licence hasn't expired. Come to think of it, I reckon there needs to be a CCTV camera around there...

(He claps THWAITES heartily on the shoulder. The audience hears THWAITES exclaim "Ow, watch the sunburn!" before their voices fade into silence.)

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Afterword

When my wife and I strolled down High Street last December we were both pleasantly surprised to see that some trees had been introduced into the West End, albeit not planted but sitting in bags surrounded plastic barriers.

Recently I was glad to discover that the City is looking into making this more permanent. I hope that the study doesn't disappear into the bureaucratic mire and that we can enjoy street trees in the West End fairly soon. 

Some more mini Freo monuments

Here is the second installment of my mini Freo monuments.

The luxurious smells of Kakulas Sisters

There is a wonderful scene in Amelie when the eponymous heroine plunges her hand into a sack of dried grains to feel them running between her fingers. Sometimes the simple pleasures are the best. While I wouldn't recommend getting caught doing this in Kakulas Sisters, the potential is there - there's definitely something Amelie-like about the bags of legumes and vast array of spices.

My wife may not be the cook in our household (see an explanation from an earlier post here) but on a Sunday afternoon she can be found strolling the aisles, taking in the sights and smells of Kakulas Sisters and contemplating various devilish concoctions in her mind. 

Fortunately for me and my tumtum, when it comes to cooking my wife has a three second memory.

The hanging shoes of Cantonment Street

Although the decrepit Woolstores building is a blight on Freo's inner east end, it at least provides local skaters with somewhere to practice.

Unfortunately I'm old enough to remember when skateboarding first emerged on the sporting landscape. I managed to convince my father that purchasing the el-cheapo black skateboard that I had set my sights on would benefit him in more ways than he could imagine (namely getting me out of his hair on weekends). I never quite mastered the art of any skateboarding tricks and instead took to hurtling my younger brother

down our driveway at death defying speeds after watching the bobsled at the Winter Olympics.

For me, the hanging shoes of Cantonment Street represents a tribute to those skateboarders who grace this eyesore with their presence and interact with the space.

Pietro Porcelli statue in Kings Square

There's a lot to be said about statues that are at eye-level. Arguably Freo's best statue, Greg James' Pietro Porcelli statue is a true Freo mini monument. I love that it is interactive and that so many people have their photo taken with it.

Five reasons for visiting...Cantonment Street

Here are five reasons for visiting my street.

Clancy's Fish Pub/Princess May Park

The best thing about Cantonment Street is Clancy's. It's welcoming, homely and relaxed. An added bonus is the Princess May park out the back. Groups of parents can sit on the long wooden benches with a view to St Patrick's and watch their kiddies run free.

Clancy's

My wife and I have many happy memories of our visits to Clancy's. I think that one of the secrets of a truly great place is its ability to cater for the young, the old, singles and families.

Like Little Creatures, Clancy's pulls it off.

Woolstories

The new urban art on the decrepit Woolstores building is another reason to visit Cantonment Street.

Woolstories urban art

If you have an interest in urban art then 'Woolstories' is well worth a gander.

Some more Woolstories urban art

Skateboarders' paradise

If you're a skateboarder then the best reason for visiting Cantonment Street is the Woolstores building. The concrete ledge facing Cantonment Street provides a world class skateboarding surface.

A spot of skateboarding

Atwell Arcade

Two of Freo's best vintage clothes shops are located in this little arcade, along with a lolly shop and another Freo institution: Culley's.

Shopping at Atwell Arcade

The trees

London Plane trees are planted regularly along the street and, when they're in full bloom, provide a wonderful green canopy. These trees really do make a difference.

Canopy of trees along Cantonment Street

At the corner of Cantonment Street and Market Street there is also a beautiful old Morton Bay Fig which provides a great place to sit and people watch under the cooling shade.

People watching under the Morton Bay Fig

Freo under the microscope: What is the ideal building height for Freo?

Dean Cracknell

Dean Cracknell is the author of this post. He is a Freo devotee interested in creating interesting, diverse places for people and is a guest contributor to The Fremantle Doctor blog.

Land has traditionally been pretty cheap in Australia (not any more I hear you groan). So our towns and cities have spread out rather than up. We are just beginning to realise that urban sprawl has severe consequences – environmental, social and economic. So the development industry and governments are shifting their gaze from the horizon to the sky.

There weren’t many tall buildings around when I was growing up in a country town. The tallest building, besides the few church spires, was a two storey pub. Low rise buildings felt like the natural order of things. So it was a bit of a shock to move down to the “big smoke” – more commonly known as Melbourne. But I grew to love the vitality, dynamism and opportunities of the big city. My ideas also changed and adapted – tall buildings now seemed normal. Perceptions of building height are dependent on time and place. What may be tall in a country town would be tiny in a big city.

Why do we need tall buildings?

There are times and places to ask silly questions (my wife would say that I ask more than my fair share). Like, why do we even need tall buildings?They are built because they are relatively useful, convenient and cost-effective. A lot of floorspace can be built on small sites in popular and expensive locations. If the free market was able to operate without compunction there would probably be lots more tall buildings in popular locations, such as close to the beach or river, in town centres and close to employment.

The market (which is basically the sum total of the choices made by many different people) naturally fuels a desire to build taller buildings in Freo because it is popular and has expensive real estate.

What is the ideal building height for Freo?

I am glad you asked (wink, wink). This is a topical issue given the debate surrounding   Scheme Amendment 49 (check out my earlier thoughts here). 

For starters, I (we) have asked the wrong question. There is no such thing as the ideal building height for a whole area. Interesting places will have variety of building types and heights and a diversity of land uses. A single building height produces boring, flat–topped boxes. I think the Council and some people in the community have resorted to simplistic guesstimates of what future building heights should be in the city centre without doing the necessary homework to support their ideas.

There is (or should be) a lot of groundwork to do before new building heights are established. The following list is not exhaustive nor supposed to read as consecutive steps.

Urban design ingredients

What do the current buildings look like? How tall are they? What about the streets? How wide are they and what are they used for? How busy are they? A good urban design rule of thumb is that building facades (or frontages) should be no taller than the width of the street. A 1:1 ratio helps enclose the street while still allowing for sunlight. This standard would mean that a 20 metre wide street could have a building facade of up to 20 metres high. Taller building elements can be set back further behind the building facade if necessary. The standard is clear, transparent and easily understood.

Local context

Where do breezes/winds come from? What about solar access for public spaces like parks? What are the important views? How can buildings be designed to work with the environmental context?

Developable sites

How big are they? Are they regular-shaped? How can they be accessed by cars and service vehicles (planners need to think about access for rubbish trucks, ambulances, removals trucks etc)?

Important landmarks

Landmarks like heritage buildings give a place a unique character. How can they be retained as landmarks and complemented by new buildings?

Desired look and feel

What kind of place should it be? What is the existing character? Does new development need to be a particular character? Why? What kind of uses should be encouraged? What are the community’s ideas?

As far as I can see, Freo currently doesn’t have a desired ‘look and feel’ for new development in the inner east end.

Development economics

It is no good setting rules if no one can afford to adhere to them.

For example, the Building Code of Australia (which is mandatory) requires lifts for buildings over 25 metres high – great idea. But lifts are very expensive to install, maintain and replace. It may not be economically feasible for a developer to construct a building of say 27 metres high, which would require a lift, if the developer is only getting a few extra metres of building height. They may instead propose a building that is 24.9 metres high, or alternatively 40 metres high to justify the expense of installing lifts.

Unfortunately, money often drives decisions, which is not to say that this is a good thing. But the budding height setter needs to be aware of such fundamental issues.

Properly engage with the community

What do locals think? Why? What about others outside the community? The outsiders of today may be the locals of tomorrow (or vice-versa). What are the issues? What does the ‘silent majority’ think?

The key is to involve people early in the process.

Develop urban design requirements

New developments should be built to a high quality and complement local character.

Urban design requirements or guidelines are critical as they specify upfront the Council’s expectations. This removes the guesswork for developers and builds confidence in the community. Design guidelines should be developed in conjunction with setting building height limits.

Conclusion

The list above is by no means complete. But it demonstrates that a lot of thought and hard work needs to go into setting a new planning framework for building heights. Simplistic guesstimates are not the answer.

So what do I think the “ideal” building height for Freo would be? Well, I think 2-4 storey facades along streets, with further building height of up to 9-10 storeys on some sites set well back from the street would be a good starting point.

But that’s a guesstimate, which is being simplistic isn’t it?
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Dean can be followed on Twitter by checking out: @city_pragmatist

Scheme Amendment 49: Should revitalising Freo be solely about economics?

In 1968, a politician was prepared to look beyond the standard way of measuring success in terms of deficits and GDP figures. He stuck his head out and espoused a different perspective, which I've recounted below.

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product...if we should judge American by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."

- Robert F. Kennedy

In the words of Julian Dobson, here was a bold, visionary kind of leadership that looked beyond deficits and GDP figures. I've been thinking about Scheme Amendment 49 and RFK's speech springs to mind for all the wrong reasons.

If you listen to the amendments' proponents, its success in revitalising Freo will be measured largely through retail and office space figures as well as achieving primary centre status for Freo (our very own version of 'deficits and GDP figures').

Doesn't this approach to measuring revitalisation surrender Freo's values through the mere accumulation of a bureaucratic category?

This approach might be good for measuring where a centre fits into a bureaucratic category but does it take into account everything that which makes living in Freo worthwhile?

That's the problem with solely focusing on economics. It isn't authentic and it takes you down a path that you might not want to go down.

On the other hand, looking at revitalising Freo from the perspective of what makes a great place to live, socialise and work changes things. It means that we don't have to worry so much about bureaucratic categories. We can focus on creating a unique place that will attract the very best talent and traders along with oodles of potential residents and visitors.

That's what some on Council don't get. Build a truly great, authentic place and they truly will come.

Scheme Amendment 49: Why the scare tactics?

For about a week now I've been mulling over Roel Loopers' summary of the debate surrounding Scheme Amendment 49 at Wednesday night's Planning Committee meeting (you can read his summary 'Huge Council Eve for Big Freo Changes' by clicking here).

It seems to me there is broad consensus that Freo's inner east end requires revitalising. I agree. I think most people do. To me, much of the area looks like a group of architects got together to see how they could surpass each other in designing extremely bad, unpleasant and ugly buildings. I can just see one of them hunched over some plans and then spinning on his 1960s office chair, with a cigarette in one hand and a scale ruler in the other exclaiming to face the rest of the office. "Jones thinks that he has a ghastly design, but wait until he cops a look at what I've come up with!"

Why is it then that much of the rhetoric we hear from Council continues to be about the necessity to do something, anything, post haste?

More importantly, why is it that whenever a legitimate criticism against Scheme Amendment 49 is raised, Council begins to wring its hands, knash its teeth and wail about how if something isn't done immediately, it spells the end for Fremantle?

For example here is how Roel summarised Councillor Sullivan's comments at the meeting:

"Councillor Andrew Sullivan put doom and gloom on the evening by claiming if Fremantle does not develop rapidly in the next five years, decline will become catastrophic. There needs to be balance between the utopia we might like Fremantle to be and reality, he said."

This kind of catastrophic hyperbole is beginning to resemble a kind of emotional blackmail, intended to silence vigorous debate about ensuring that Freo is revitalised properly. Advocating for Scheme Amendment 49 really shouldn't be solely based on scare tactics about an arbitrary end date for Freo. If that is the best they can come up with, then I'm not convinced.

The old rubric says that you wouldn't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, and I think that this holds true for Freo. Maybe 2012 is the year that Council takes a collective breath and resolves that when it comes to revitalising Freo, quality is far and away better than quantity?