BRIEF

The Fremantle 2029 Community Visioning process identified a long-term vision to be a sustainable, liveable and vibrant place. A key value was the City’s green spaces and places, with a responsibility to protect and enhance the natural environment, green spaces and heritage features through the implementation of an Urban Forest Plan (UFP).

As temperatures increase with climate change, it was paramount for the UFP to assist in reducing the health, social and economic impacts associated with heatwaves. It was critical for the UFP to provide a tool to actively engage with the community about the importance of trees and green spaces, advocate for tree retention in private and public land holdings and implement canopy increases. The UFP also focuses on geographical hotspots that have limited capacity to provide natural or manufactured cooling mechanisms

APPROACH

Ecoscape investigated the cultural and environmental elements that define the look and feel of Fremantle as a ‘place’. The UFP recognises the City has a diverse range of precincts and makes recommendations based on these unique qualities.  To structure the strategic framework, four distinct City Areas were defined based on biophysical mapping, with a focus on assessing the topographic and geological formations across the Fremantle.  This was critical to the long future success of the UFP as these key characteristics greatly influence tree species function, form and diversity.

Land-use and cultural heritage characteristics were also considered as part of the cultural fabric of Fremantle. Tree species were chosen to reflect past land-use and practical application based on location.

A critical aspect to the UFP was to ensure each City Area contained an active community group that could be approached to help and promote greening initiatives.  The Fremantle community has a strong voice and is dedicated to improving the place they live, and harnessing this advocacy will ensure the existing canopy and future urban forest are protected and enhanced.

OUTCOME

The City Areas are networked by a well-defined street hierarchy and pedestrian / cycle network, interwoven with strategically located Green Links creating micro-climate and context specific solutions for each City Area and consequently, guide the implementation and prioritisation of works to implement the equitable and manageable vision.