Gemma Smith
</div>
<div class="small-12 medium-12 large-12 columns">
GEMMA SMITH
Gemma Smith is helping shape the world around us – literally. A director at local architecture and planning firm Hocking Heritage Studio, she is currently working on the massive Perth Waterfront and Perth City Link projects. While these developments are set to modernise our city, Gemma is also helping preserve its past. Once a conservation officer in Oxford, she is now looking after local heritage sites including the Perth Town Hall and Raine Square Redevelopment. "It's important for the city to grow, we just need to be mindful of keeping its character," says Gemma.
Perth is predicted to double in size, so we need to accommodate that. The city is definitely going to be high-rise. Buildings will go up and there will be fewer vacant blocks of land. It's going to become much more dense. I think that's the main way forward.
The Perth Waterfront project will have a huge impact. To bring development down to the river is a very simple idea, and yet it can change the dynamics of the city so much. People will be able to interact more with the river on a daily basis, and use increased services available there.
Development has to go hand-in-hand with public transport. The wider vision is to increase light rail and put more suburbs on the train line. People are very attached to their cars. But if there's a greater public transport system reaching a wider area, then I think more people may consider using trains – especially if they're going to be faster.
We can keep our historic roots while progressing into a modern city. You don't have to wipe out every old building just because it doesn't necessarily suit modern usage. They can be adapted. The Raine Square Redevelopment has heritage buildings around the bottom, and a brand new structure coming out of the top. One 40 William Street is the same, and there are other examples around Perth where old and new just go together.
Most people want to see the city grow, while keeping its identity. Perth isn't as frantic as Brisbane or Sydney, and it should retain that laid-back feeling. But a slower pace doesn't have to stop development. We're not so much a nine-to-five community anymore. Our hours are all over the place. The city is moving along with the times in terms of architecture, but it needs to move along with the times in terms of trading hours and services too.