Perth Metropolitan Region Research Articles

Desirable Dense Neighbourhoods: An Environmental Psychological Approach for Understanding Community Resistance to Densification

This article examines an environmental psychological approach to exploring the attitudes of urban residents towards what they consider to be a ‘desirable dense’ neighbourhood. Socio-cultural expectations of high-density developments are explored through an analysis of residents’ perceptions of what constitutes a desirable high-density environment. The article presents specific findings identifying influences on residents’ attitudes to urban densification derived from three case studies of designated transit-oriented development (TOD) areas located in the Perth Metropolitan Region. It was found that community resistance towards future higher-density developments is rooted in the current socio-cultural context of the area. Community resistance may be driven by the physical quality of developments (such as building heights, overshadowing), however, deeper concerns are allied to the uncertain social outcomes that are the product of new development. A dominant cultural characteristic such as a disinclination to socialise with diverse people is found to be a negative response to dense neighbourhoods in all the case studies. This characteristic is more evident in populations of high socio-economic status. These areas are usually close to the central business district (CBD) where many infill high-density developments have been proposed.

20 years of exploitation of the Yarragadee aquifer in the Perth Basin of Western Australia for direct-use of geothermal heat

Aquifers in the Perth Metropolitan Region of Western Australia have been explored and exploited for water supply since the late 19th century. Throughout the early 20th century, the availability of warm groundwater from the Yarragadee confined aquifer at relatively shallow depths was popular with laundries, public baths and for industrial applications but it was not until 1997 that the first direct-use geothermal project for bathing and swimming was implemented. By 2016, a dozen commercially successful geothermal schemes will use low enthalpy geothermal water supplies from the Yarragadee aquifer at depths ranging from 750 to 1150m for heating leisure centres, building air and outdoor pools. With distributed heat estimated to more than 110×103GJ per year and up to 180×103GJ when considering projects currently at construction stage but not yet commissioned, Perth currently has the biggest concentration of operating geothermal direct-use projects in Australia. The development of geothermal projects in Perth was made possible by early achievements pioneered by designers from the groundwater industry. This paper presents the hydrogeological setting of the Yarragadee aquifer which is the main geothermal resource in Perth, the well and surface heat exchanger design criteria, the economic and environmental considerations, and the best practices and circumstances that led to the 100% success rate of direct-use geothermal projects in Perth.

Would Bigger Councils Yield Scale Economies in the Greater Perth Metropolitan Region? A Critique of theMetropolitan Local Government Reviewfor Perth Local Government

Forced amalgamation is a ubiquitous feature of Australian local government reform – compulsory council consolidation programs have occurred in all states and territories, with the sole exception of Western Australia. However, the Final Report of the Metropolitan Local Government – released in October 2012 – called for a reduction of about 60 per cent of the local authorities in the Greater Perth metropolitan area. The Western Australian Government responded by announcing that the number of Perth councils will fall from 30 to 14 from 1 July 2015. The Final Report recommended amalgamation on seven main counts, including scale economies. However, apart from citing work on Tasmania by commercial consultants Deloitte Access Economics (DAE) (2011), no econometric evidence was produced in support of claims on scale economies. This paper seeks to remedy this deficiency by estimating a number of econometric models on the impact of amalgamation on Perth local government. The results of our empirical modelling suggest that scale economies, cost savings and other pecuniary gains are largely illusory. Indeed, only two of the ten main local government functions provide evidence to suggest potential economies of scale.

Evaluating the impact of air pollution on the incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Perth Metropolitan Region: 2000–2010

BackgroundOut-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a major public health issue. Several studies have found that an increased level of ambient particulate matter (PM) smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) is associated...

To develop and measure the effectiveness and acceptability of a pharmacy-based chlamydia screening intervention in Australia

ObjectivesTo develop and measure the effectiveness and acceptability of a pharmacy-based chlamydia screening intervention called Emergency Contraception Mediated Pharmacy Access to Chlamydia Testing (ECOMPACT).DesignSelective, opportunistic and cross-sectional study targeting asymptomatic...

Self-reported risk factors for chlamydia: a survey of pharmacy-based emergency contraception consumers

To investigate the self-reported risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis in pharmacy-based emergency contraception (EC) consumers, evaluate their pharmacy experience and determine whether they would be willing to accept a chlamydia test from the pharmacy. A survey for women to complete after their EC consultation was developed from themes identified in a literature search. Nineteen pharmacies in the Perth metropolitan region and 13 pharmacies in rural, regional and remote Western Australia (WA) participated in this study. From the 113 surveys completed (n = 75 from Perth metropolitan; n = 38 from rural, regional and remote WA), 85% of respondents were between 16 and 29 years of age and all (100%) of the women had inconsistent barrier contraception. Almost all (94%) of the women had at least two, and nearly half (47%) had at least three out of the four risk factors for chlamydia. Nearly 70% of the women found it very easy/easy to access a pharmacy and felt very comfortable/comfortable discussing EC with the pharmacist. Significantly more women said they would be willing to accept a chlamydia test from a rural, regional and remote WA pharmacy than from a Perth metropolitan pharmacy (P = 0.003). Pharmacy-based EC consumers are at high risk of chlamydia and would be willing to accept a chlamydia test from the pharmacy. There is an urgent need to re-orientate health services in Australia so that all EC consumers, including those obtaining EC from pharmacies, have the opportunity to be tested for chlamydia.

The impact of the built environment on health across the life course: design of a cross-sectional data linkage study

IntroductionThe built environment is increasingly recognised as being associated with health outcomes. Relationships between the built environment and health differ among age groups, especially between children and adults, but also...

Application of geothermal absorption air-conditioning system: A case study

Possible applications of geothermal energy are increasingly attracting worldwide interest as a low carbon source of energy. Sedimentary basins offer an accessible low grade geothermal heat source to launch energetically efficient air-conditioning systems. The natural temperature, porosity and permeability of these sedimentary basins may be sufficient to provide usable geothermal power for heat-driven sorption air-conditioning system. In the Perth metropolitan region, hot sedimentary aquifers with temperatures between 70 and 100 °C are generally available at around 3 km depth or shallower. This paper outlines the possible application of a large scale geothermal absorption air-conditioning system to provide baseload cooling to the main campus of the University of Western Australia (UWA). The conceptual design of this system is proposed. The design considerations and the performance outcomes are presented. The economic analysis based on the real-time cooling load profile at the UWA and the chiller operation scheme demonstrates the viablity of geothermal absorption air-conditioning system. This paper will help engineers appreciate the opportunities and barriers to geothermal applications, the latest developments and how this technology may help to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Access to commercial destinations within the neighbourhood and walking among Australian older adults

BackgroundPhysical activity, particularly walking, is greatly beneficial to health; yet a sizeable proportion of older adults are insufficiently active. The importance of built environment attributes for walking is known, but few studies of older adults have examined neighbourhood destinations and none have investigated access to specific, objectively-measured commercial destinations and walking.MethodsWe undertook a secondary analysis of data from the Western Australian state government’s health surveillance survey for those aged 65–84 years and living in the Perth metropolitan region from 2003–2009 (n = 2,918). Individual-level road network service areas were generated at 400 m and 800 m distances, and the presence or absence of six commercial destination types within the neighbourhood service areas identified (food retail, general retail, medical care services, financial services, general services, and social infrastructure). Adjusted logistic regression models examined access to and mix of commercial destination types within neighbourhoods for associations with self-reported walking behaviour.ResultsOn average, the sample was aged 72.9 years (SD = 5.4), and was predominantly female (55.9%) and married (62.0%). Overall, 66.2% reported some weekly walking and 30.8% reported sufficient walking (≥150 min/week). Older adults with access to general services within 400 m (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.07-1.66) and 800 m (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.02-1.42), and social infrastructure within 800 m (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.01-1.40) were more likely to engage in some weekly walking. Access to medical care services within 400 m (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.63-0.93) and 800 m (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.70-0.99) reduced the odds of sufficient walking. Access to food retail, general retail, financial services, and the mix of commercial destination types within the neighbourhood were all unrelated to walking.ConclusionsThe types of neighbourhood commercial destinations that encourage older adults to walk appear to differ slightly from those reported for adult samples. Destinations that facilitate more social interaction, for example eating at a restaurant or church involvement, or provide opportunities for some incidental social contact, for example visiting the pharmacy or hairdresser, were the strongest predictors for walking among seniors in this study. This underscores the importance of planning neighbourhoods with proximate access to social infrastructure, and highlights the need to create residential environments that support activity across the life course.

Population Trends of Recurrent Coronary Heart Disease Event Rates Remain High

Survivors of nonfatal coronary heart disease (CHD) can reduce their risk of further events by various preventive interventions. The impact of such measures as delivered over 11 years, on population rates of subsequent major CHD events, has not been extensively studied. This study determined population trends in the prevalence of clinically manifest CHD and the proportion of major CHD events that occur in this population. A population longitudinal person-based event-linked file of CHD extracted from State Hospital Morbidity Data and Death Registry for 1980 to 2005 was used to identify, for each year from 1995 to 2005, survivors who had a hospitalization for CHD over the previous 15 years (population with established CHD), and to examine the occurrence of CHD death and hospitalization with a principal diagnosis of myocardial infarction in both populations with and without established CHD. The average annual age-standardized prevalence of CHD in the Perth metropolitan region (population 1.6 million) was 28 373 (8.8%) in men and 14 966 (4.0%) in women. Age-specific prevalence increased exponentially with age, from <1% in 35 to 39 age group to 42% in 80 to 84 age group in men and half that in women. The percentage of total CHD events (n=28 941) that occurred in the population with established CHD was approximately 43% in both men and women, 55% and 51%, respectively, for CHD death and 35% and 36% for nonfatal myocardial infarction. More than 40% of major CHD events annually occur in persons with manifest disease, highlighting the imperative to implement systems of care that support effective secondary prevention.

Planning a City through ‘Dialogue’: Deliberative Policy-making in Action in Western Australia

Deliberative policy-making is an alternative method of generating new planning strategies based on the public deliberation of citizens and stakeholders. Four ideals of deliberative policy-making espoused by deliberative democracy theorists are identified. Using this framework the ‘Dialogue with the City’ process undertaken by the Western Australian Government to develop the Network City spatial planning strategy for the Perth metropolitan region is examined. While this process went further than most towards realising the ideals of deliberative policy-making, the Government was not able to fully achieve the ideals of inclusive decision-making, equitable decision-making, deliberation toward the common good and consensus decision-making. It is most likely that the deliberative approach to policy-making does not represent a new model for governing; rather, these participation techniques constitute a more sophisticated model for involving citizens and stakeholders in planning.

Molecular Genetic Characterization of Olpidium virulentus Isolates Associated with Big-Vein Diseased Lettuce Plants.

Lettuce plants showing symptoms of lettuce big-vein disease were collected from fields in the Perth Metropolitan region of southwest Australia. When root extracts from each plant were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific to the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of Olpidium brassicae and O. virulentus, only O. virulentus was detected in each of them. The nucleotide sequences of the complete rDNA ITS regions of isolates from five of the root samples and 10 isolates of O. virulentus from Europe and Japan showed 97.9 to 100% identities. However, with the six O. brassicae isolates, their identities were only 76.9 to 79.4%. On phylogenetic analysis of the complete rDNA-ITS region sequences of the five Australian isolates and 10 others, the Australian isolates fitted within two clades of O. virulentus (I and II), and within clade I into two of its four subclades (Ia and Id). Japanese isolates had greatest sequence diversity fitting into both clades and into all of clade I subclades except Ib, while European isolates were restricted to subclades Ib and Id. When the partial rDNA-ITS region sequences of two additional southwest Australian isolates, four from Europe, and four from the Americas were included in the analyses, the Australian isolates were within O. virulentus subclades Ia and Id, the European isolates within subclade Ic, and the American isolates within subclades Ia and Ib. These findings suggest that there may have been at least three separate introductions of O. virulentus into the isolated Australian continent since plant cultivation was introduced following its colonization by Europeans. They also have implications regarding numbers of different introductions to other isolated regions. Lettuce big-vein associated virus and Mirafiori lettuce big-vein virus were both detected when symptomatic lettuce leaf tissue samples corresponding to the root samples from southwest Australia were tested using virus-specific primers in reverse transcription-PCR, so presence of both viruses was associated with O. virulentus occurrence.

The Impact of Land Supply on Housing Affordability in the Perth Metropolitan Region

A number of commentators and policy makers believe that a potential solution to housing affordability is available through large scale release of newly subdivided land on the urban periphery. The argument follows that releasing more land increases supply and, through market forces, leads to lower new land and house prices. This will, in turn, lead to improved affordability within the stock of existing houses. Despite this view, there has been very little empirical research investigating how large scale land release on the urban fringe actually affects housing affordability. This question has important implications for both planning policy and affordability within local housing markets, but also within the wider aggregate urban housing market. This paper explores this issue by quantifying land release in a number of Perth (Western Australia) Metropolitan suburbs and comparing the extent of land release with changes in land and house prices. Our analysis indicates only a weak relationship between land supply and rates of house price growth, concluding that the drivers of housing affordability are far more complex than the single issue of land release.

Mobility management in Australia: Practices in Perth and Adelaide and Comparison between them

In this paper, we overviewed current situation on mobility management in Australia, and practices of travel feedback program (TFP) in Perth metropolitan region and Adelaide city. We compared these TFP cases with representative TFP cases in Japan. In the results, difference between both cases in Australia was shown that the case in Perth was individualized-marketing-based TFP, and the case in Adelaide was conversation-based TFP. From the comparison of the cases in Australia with cases in Japan, TFPs in Japan were now still under developing, but there is a possibility to develop more effective TFPs through referring many other cases and academic knowledge.

Ameisen als Schlüsseltiere in einem Grasland—Studien zu ihrer Bedeutung für die Tiergemeinschaft, das Nahrungsnetz und das Ökosystem (Ants as Keystone Species in a Dry Grassland: Studies of their Importance for Animal Community, Food Web and Ecosystem Function), C. Platner. Biodiversity and Ecology Series 1. Universitätsverlag Göttingen (2006). 170pp., €16, ISBN:978-3-938616-05-5.

Fish communities are an important cultural, recreational and commercial resource that also have an important role in the functioning of marine ecosystems. Around the world fish assemblages are experiencing pressures from anthropogenic activities, and marine spatial planning is being established to mitigate these impacts and assist with biodiversity conservation. Information about how fish assemblages are structured across a range of spatial scales which encompass variations in physical, biotic and environmental parameters will assist marine spatial planning and management. We investigated differences in reef fish assemblage composition over three reef lines across an inshore to offshore gradient (3–23 m depth) at two marine reserves (70 km apart) in the Perth metropolitan region, Western Australia. There were significant increases in the number of individuals, species richness, and relative abundance of fish species across the shallow shelf depth gradient in the two locations. There were distinct fish assemblages associated with each reef line, correlated to depth and distance from shore. The differences across the shelf gradient, even over this small depth range, were greater than the differences between the two locations. These findings have implications for marine spatial management and the design of marine reserves that aim to conserve biodiversity. It may be most appropriate for such marine reserves to encompass a wide depth gradient, rather than a large longshore area. At the very least, cross and longshore patterns in fish assemblages should be taken into consideration and used to guide spatial management plans for biodiversity conservation.

Network City: Retrofitting the Perth Metropolitan Region to Facilitate Sustainable Travel

‘Network City’, the latest 25-year planning strategy for metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, is designed to realise the integration of land use and transport networks within established and new areas. This article examines the influence of urban form on travel patterns and the case for sustainable travel outcomes in order to set in context the ‘Network City’ concept. The concept is described, and then the article focuses on the operational detail needed to progress towards fuller integration between the transport network and the city it serves. This includes analysis of urban structure in the context of the factors that influence efficient use of public transport: including residential density, intensity of activity and the hierarchy of activity centres. The implications for road planning are discussed where land use–transport integration is the core objective rather than simply traffic efficiency. If sustainable travel is to be facilitated there is a need to change both the operation of public transport and the urban structure and these changes are mutually supportive.

Design-led sustainable development: The Liveable Neighbourhoods experiment in Perth, Western Australia

The Western Australian Liveable Neighbourhoods Design Code is an ambitious and internally acclaimed initiative to introduce sustainable neighbourhood design principles into the design of new suburban subdivisions. This paper explores the issues surrounding its implementation over the period 1998–2002, examining the debates and further research undertaken on each of the design principles. A broad assessment is made of its significant impact on suburban design in the Perth Metropolitan Region, and note is taken of its arguably greater impacts on redevelopment and revitalisation projects in existing urban areas. The key barriers to its wider adoption have been both procedural (slowness in processing applications and deficiencies in the skills of development controllers and engineers) and substantive (issues of appropriate densities, lot sizes, retail and service provisions, culs-de-sac and biodiversity). The paper illustrates how debates about each of these issues have met developer resistance, which has dogged the implementation of the Code. More positively, however, it illustrates that where the Code accords with market trends there has been significant progress in developing potentially more sustainable patterns of development. However, the achieved densities remain low by all but Australian and North American standards, and have not increased significantly over the lifetime of the Code.

Incidence of Celery mosaic virus in celery crops in south-west Australia and its management using a 'celery-free period'

In 1997 and 2000, surveys were carried out to determine the incidence of Celery mosaic virus (CeMV) in celery crops in south-west Australia. In 1997, CeMV was found on only four of 11 celery farms sampled in the Perth metropolitan region and the incidence of infection was less than 0.1% in individual crops on all but one farm. In contrast, in 2000, CeMV was found on all ten farms sampled in this region and on half of these farms, incidences of infection in individual crops were 43–96%. In 2000, a 3-month ‘celery-free period’ was instigated by celery growers on five adjoining farms in which the incidence of CeMV-infection had exceeded 80% within individual crops. No CeMV was found on any of these farms during the next 12 months but a trace of infection was present again after 2 years.

Incidence of three viruses in vegetable brassica plantings and associated wild radish weeds in south-west Australia

During the spring and summer of 2001, surveys of 50 plantings of vegetable brassicas (broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower) and associated wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) weeds were done to determine the occurrence of three aphid-borne viruses, Beet western yellows virus (BWYV), Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) and Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). Plantings at 15 widely separated farms were sampled in the Perth metropolitan and Manjimup regions of south-west Australia. None of the three viruses was detected in vegetable brassica plantings at Manjimup and neither were CaMV or TuMV detected in the Perth metropolitan region. BWYV was only detected at a low incidence (2% infection) in one planting of cabbage at Carabooda. In contrast, populations of wild radish from one farm in Perth and five out of six farms at Manjimup were infected with BWYV at incidences up to 65%. One population of wild radish was also infected with TuMV at an incidence of 2%. Additional keywords : Cauliflower mosaic virus, Turnip mosaic virus, Beet western yellows virus, surveys, virus reservoirs, control.

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The subject of palliative care in nursing homes is receiving steadily more attention from researchers worldwide. In this Australian study, 228 nurses working in nursing homes situated in the Perth metropolitan region completed a questionnaire based on 'free response' methodology. The results indicated that most respondents had strong views on palliative care, but that these were strongly polarised. The attitudes of those nurses working in palliative care were significantly more positive to it than the attitudes of those who were not. Direct exposure to palliative care therefore seemed to have a positive impact. In their exploration of the negative views, the authors highlight fear of litigation, lack of support, and the stigma associated with death and dying. 71 references.