Every so often there’s a call out for people’s big idea for Perth or in some cases, a politician goes so far to spend public money on a big idea as a lasting monument to remind future generations of their reign. After all, that is how Perth got its Bell Tower care of Richard Court’s great idea. It was supposed to revitalise the Perth foreshore and attract pedestrian traffic from the malls and have an array of shops and eateries and be a hive of activity. Well, the buildings are there but I’m not sure if one could call it a centre of activity. Often the area is empty and if there is anyone there, it’s usually because a ferry load of people have arrived from South Perth.

So here’s my big idea for Perth. Let’s not have a big idea. They don’t work and they don’t galvanise the public or create a sense of community. The indecision over the next sporting stadium demonstrates that. Despite having ageing sporting facilities, the combination of state and local governments could not provide a sense of leadership to decide what kind of stadium needed to be built in addition to where it would be located. Debate raged for months and the final decision was to re-vamp the existing stadium.

I think that it is time for small ideas. What is wrong with building upon what Perth already has rather than dismissing it and replacing it with a new veneer. And while we’re focussed on Perth’s identity, can we please stop comparing Perth to Melbourne. Perth isn’t Melbourne. So what if there’s a cafe or bar opening up in an alleyway? That idea isn’t trademarked or patented. In fact it’s a rather old idea and has been around for centuries.

What’s wrong with having several small ideas in different areas over Perth? There’s talk of creating a summer jazz musical festival from the Town of Vincent. Fremantle is known for its working port, markets and cafes. Cottesloe for its beaches and associated beach culture. Subiaco is known for its cafes, (though it did formerly have the Station St markets which has since closed and is greatly missed). Why can’t this be built on?

There just isn’t a need for the next big thing. That doesn’t build character in a city, rather if anything it disconnects people. How can anyone feel connected to a large project, even if they do support it especially if the decisions have already been made. Smaller projects headed by local governments may work better as individual communities can then determine what they want to be part of.

Though it would be a hindrance when a small group of the overall city’s population rules dictatorship and forces draconian regulations over an existing cultural precinct so perhaps an overall larger body needs to administrate over this. Though I believe that’s what the state government is for but they have no idea what a community is. Perhaps it’s time they were reminded, at a time other than election time.

This started off as an entry to ABC Perth’s give-away tickets to the Community 2030 Summit in Perth but then I decided to make a blog post out of it as well.