City introduces Urban Greening Strategy for a greener, cooler future

Shaped by extensive input and collaboration with the community, the City of South Perth's new Urban Greening Strategy will guide efforts to create a greener, cooler, more liveable City for generations to come.

Developed with assistance from independent consultants Josh Byrne and Associates, the Urban Greening Strategy outlines key environmental and community outcomes, including enhanced urban cooling, increased biodiversity, and improving public health and wellbeing.

It is guided by four key pillars: Protect, Enhance, Manage, Connect and Support. Each pillar includes goals and objectives to guide action and investment required to achieve the City's urban greening vision.

The Strategy follows three stages of extensive stakeholder and community engagement, supported by Aha! Consulting. These included ideas shared through community activities, an online survey, a two-day Deliberative Panel attended by 38 community representatives in February, and a final stage where the draft Strategy was open for community feedback.

It builds on the work of previous strategies and plans, including the Urban Forest Strategy 2018-2023, and was developed to broaden the City's environmental focus beyond trees and canopy cover.

The Strategy recognises that urban greening should also incorporates vegetation, shrubs, understorey planting and many other ways to identify and retain nature and biodiversity.

It considers a wide range of greening initiatives, including green corridors, urban parks and foreshores, community education and incentive programs, policy and advocacy efforts, and sustainable funding mechanisms.

City of South Perth Mayor Greg Milner said the Strategy reflected the power of community-driven planning and the City's shared vision for a greener future.

"We've gone to great lengths to ensure this Strategy captures the aspirations of our community. It is shaped by their ideas, feedback and lived experience and we thank the community for their high-level input and collaboration in the development of this Strategy," Mayor Greg Milner said.

"We know our residents value green spaces - not just for their beauty and biodiversity, but for their health benefits and ability to build stronger neighbourhoods - and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed."

The Urban Greening Strategy was adopted by Council at the July 2025 Ordinary Council Meeting and will guide the City on its future planning and implementation of urban greening.