Hey Perth, want inspiration for a sustainable city? Just look to the horizon

Just off the coast of one of the world’s least sustainable cities sits an exemplar of sustainable urbanism.

Rottnest Island/Wadjemup is in many ways everything that Greater Perth is not. Perth could learn a lot from its holiday island.

Brad Pettitt taught his daughter to ride without training wheels on Rottnest Island.

For a start, getting around by push-bike on Rottnest exceeds that of even the world’s iconic cycling cities, with over two-thirds of people exploring the island by bike each day. Amsterdam and Copenhagen might be world-leading cycling cities, but their cycling rates don’t come close to those on Rotto.

Back on the mainland mode share for cycling in Perth is one of the lowest in the world and low even by Australian standards, sitting at less than 2 per cent of trips.

When you ride into each of the settlements, be it Thompson, Geordie, or Kingston, you see signs that slow speeds from 40km/h (which is the maximum spend on the island), down to 20km/h, and then 10km/h shared zones. As a result, bikes, utes, buses, and people all mingle together safely on the roads.

Back on the mainland, it is largely reversed with the slowest speeds being 40km/h. As a result, Perth’s roads often feel unsafe for cycling and walking as cars speed through our centres.

Rottnest goes beyond the global aspiration of a 15-minute city, it’s far better than that. It operates more like a five or 10-minute city in which everything you need daily, whether it be a supermarket, café, bakery, or restaurant, is just a short walk or bike ride away.

Back on the mainland, Perth was recently rated poorly as a “24-minute city”, one of the lowest-ranked not only in Australia but the Western world.

One reason things are close and convenient is that Rottnest is well-planned, with clear boundaries of where housing can go. Also, Rotto’s housing is relatively dense. The housing of Rottnest is double the density of metro Perth, and with a smaller housing footprint, it means that everything you need is closer by.

Powering this good urban design is locally produced renewable energy. You can see the wind turbine making your electricity over your back fence. Rotto is on track to use 75 per cent renewable energy in a couple of years.

Renewables are well-utilised on Rottnest.

On the mainland, renewable energy is half that and the clean energy transition is proving to be painfully slow.

Rottnest brings together the best elements of sustainable urbanism to create a place that touches this beautiful island lightly. Not only does it protect its unique natural environment, but it creates a great place to be.

People ride, walk, and mingle on the streets because they are safe and slow and aren’t dominated by cars.

My daughter learned to ride without trainer wheels on Rottnest last year because the streets were such a safe place.

This year I watched her and her mates take off by themselves and ride around the settlement, often not to go anywhere, but just for the fun of the ride. Seeing them experience this freedom is joyful.

Rottnest raises the obvious question: why can’t we create places like this on the mainland of WA?

There’s no reason why it can’t be done. Cities from Copenhagen to Utrecht and even Paris have done it or are doing it.

But it takes a plan involving gentle density and connected communities and roads with slower speeds focused on people walking and riding. Add in lots of renewable energy, and we can see how cities can be part of the solution to the climate challenge while being better places to live.

This kind of urban thinking could take Perth from being one of the least sustainable cities in the world to one of the most. We just need to look over the sea to our horizon for inspiration.

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