City of Canning
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Wharf Street Next Generation Community Park
The team at City of Canning converted the once fenced-off drainage basin into a thriving oasis that provides a habitat for native wildlife. As well as improving local biodiversity, the space also enhances amenity and liveability for local residents.
Recognising the need for further education regarding drainage and stormwater, the City developed an augmented reality app called 'Smart Canning'. The app reads the basin's water quality data and provides an interactive way for people to learn about the importance of maintaining healthy waterways.
The fenced-off drainage basin has been transformed into a thriving wetland and multi-purpose smart park.
The first project of its kind in WA
As a drainage basin, Wharf Street was prone to litter and poor water quality due to the volume of stormwater runoff from nearby roadways. Working with Water Corporation through the Drainage for Liveability Program, the team were careful to maintain the drainage capacity of the new wetland to flood-proof the area whilst improving the quality of the water.
The wetland is now home to local plant species that improve water quality, and habitat areas and structures to attract local bat species such as the Gould’s Wattled Bat which is known to eat nuisance insects likes midges and mosquitoes. The outcome is a delicately balanced ecosystem, rid of foreign weeds and is now a thriving habitat for local animal, insects and plant species.
Wharf Street Next Generation Community Park is pioneering the use of smart technology in public spaces to provide education and research opportunities for residents, schools and university researchers. As a smart park, landscape design seamlessly integrates with technology to deliver an innovative approach to stormwater management and an education space to learn more about water. Sensors installed in the park measure water quality and weather conditions. Data collected from the sensors is available online for the public, researches and other local governments to use.
As the first project of its kind in WA, the City of Canning is now working with other local government agencies to help them replicate the project in suburbs across Perth.
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