All the time it is being said that Perth is in transition. Not quite dullsville, not quite the bright lights of Sydney or Melbourne (yet).

I was recently asked what I wanted to do with my one and precious life – it’s interesting to consider for Perth. 

For a long time it was considered the “poor cousin” out West. While we are not that anymore, necessarily, we do need a plan that everyone can act on to build our city.

Place making is the hot idea right now in urban planning. While few of us will lead strategies and programs that reform our neighbourhoods and suburbs, we all have a responsibility to the soul and belief that entails.

I am fortunate to jet across to Sydney and Melbourne with some regularity. One of things Perth can collectively do better than these cities is have a soul.

Not to say that Sydney and Melbourne lack substance, but Perth can be more raw and direct than either of them. We’re a straight forward no-nonsense people who like to get shit done.

This is something we cannot lose.

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi was elected on a platform to “Get Perth Moving”. There is no more noble idea than this.

It wasn’t that her predecessors were particularly bad at their jobs, but they didn’t show the foresight to link culture, development, economics and society into our growing city.

Recently I’ve been asking people what they bring to Perth, whether they were born here or not, we must all bring something. You should try this and see what reaction you get.

While the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority is charged with the physical planning of Perth, our duty is to enact that and make Perth the best, most welcoming and interesting place in Australia.

I guess we won’t know until the New York Times comes back in a couple of decades.