William Bold - Planning Strategies

Planning Strategies

In 1914 the council sent Bold on a tour of Britain and North America to gather information about municipal experiments and improvements. On his return he refined his 'Greater Perth' concept to include satellite garden and seaside suburbs, a redeveloped civic centre similar to Chicago's, and an overall plan on 'City Beautiful' lines. The 'Greater Perth' movement made some progress during World War I when Leederville, North Perth and Victoria Park voluntarily joined Perth; but the inner western suburb of Subiaco remained independent. In 1917, on Bold's recommendation, the 526 hectare Limekilns Estate in the western suburbs, by land already owned by the city, was bought. Sir James Mitchell's state government passed the City of Perth Endowment Lands Act in 1920 which enabled the council to develop and sell land in its trust. In the mid-1920s the council, at Bold's suggestion, invited architects to design satellite towns on the new lands. Floreat Park, Wembley Park and City Beach owed much to Raymond Unwin's writings and the 'City Beautiful' movement. The designs clearly showed the effects of Bold's 1914 tour with its parkways, boulevards, playing fields and gardens. Early homes there were functional and cheap enough for the thrifty worker, for Bold was a strong advocate of 'national efficiency'. In 1928 the first Australian town planning Act was passed by state parliament. It owed much to the Town Planning Association of Western Australia, established in 1916, and whose principals were Bold, Carl Klem, and the architect and city councillor Harold Boas. In 1930 Bold and Boas persuaded the council to establish a town planning committee.