Promoting active travel in Midland town centre

Midland Walkability Study

While Midland, Perth, might sit at the intersection of two major highways, walkability and active travel is still a major priority for the town centre. One avenue to a solution? Employing the Healthy Streets design tool, which is an approach that looks at streets through a human experience and health lens, assessing them through 10 Healthy Streets Indicators. The City of Swan engaged us to use the Healthy Streets design tool to assess streets within the Midland Town Centre.

Our assessments will contribute to updating Midland’s existing walkability plan and identifying specific, strategic actions to improve the network for people who walk and ride. A total of 27 Healthy Streets assessments were undertaken, which provided the City with the means to assess and prioritise projects both within the study area and from separate proposals, keeping accessibility at front of mind.

Many of the proposals were quick wins which the City can implement as part of existing maintenance programs, such as tree planting and fixing trip hazards. The wider outcomes from this study will assist the City to improve its infrastructure, inform development assessments, and make high value investments in the Midland public realm.