FORM

August 21st. 9.23am

Havng decided to settle, leave and re-settle in Peth over the past 15 years, I have toiled over the answers to these questions more than once! Perth offers a fantastic (relaxed) lifestyle and a great environment to bring up a young family. A signficant part of my extended family also lives within an hour of Perth. This is why I choose to live here. Leaving Perth again has, however, become closer to the top of my mind in recent times. Whilst significant reasons are career progression and the taxation regime in Australia, there are other small, Perth specific, "things" that seem to build on each other daily. Things such as: recent press speculation around the downgrading of Perth's new proposed airport to a "base level", a recent planning decision that did not allow progressive architecture next to older buildings, building a three lane bridge in Mandurah, building a one lane bridge across the railway in Shenton Park, no Sunday trading. Rather than lead the way and being bold, decisions made in Perth are aimed at being mediocre and are constantly comprimised. The French build a glass pyraid smack bang in the centre of the Louvre, Sydney builds an Opera House, Bilbao builds the Guggenheim and Hong Kong builds a new island to house an airport.

> Posted by Andrew Hillbeck, Accountant, Perth.

August 20th. 6.05am

I am an old man with friends and loved ones in WA. Over the course of my life I traveled the world on business and pleasure and have been influenced by many great cities. One of your contributors noted "people" as a key ingredient and this is certainly the case. A Roman, Coriolanus, asked "What is a city, but the people?" Even though I might be gravitating towards a certain prickliness regarding my city life here in Atlanta (see "A Man in Full," by Tom Wolfe), I am continually nourished by our cultural diversity. In any one day I might hear a dozen different languages being spoken, rub shoulders with hip-hoppers or walk in a park filled with people of all ages pursuing interests from skateboarding to Tai Chi. Yet, all this is glorious; but really dynamic cities need more than "bread." I will toss out a few additional ingredients that have touched me: residential architecture of Copenhagen and Toronto, commercial architecture of London and Hong Kong, museums (small and grand; art, nature and history) of Paris and Washington DC, music scene in Austin, Texas, transportation in Tokyo, parks and open spaces in Brussels and Singapore, nightlife in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, dining in Portugal's second city Oporto, and just about any big time zoo. The list is as infinite as an individuals needs (my wife will not live more than a kilometer or two from a book store); and certainly those nagging practical matters like medical care are an imperative.
If I may offer up one city that might be of interest to people in and aroung Perth, it is Barcelona. I think that in addition to vox populi, style matters; and Catalans have it in spades. If curiosity were to get the better of some Perthians you might find a nugget or two by comparison, and you can begin with the water.
By way of closing I salute the spirit, energy and good character of Australia and remind you that even after Dorothy saw all that Oz had to offer she still longed for Kansas.

> Posted by Sam, Uncle, Atlanta, Georgia.

August 19th. 2.41pm

Initially moved to Perth due to partner's work in resource industry. We decided to put down roots (ie build a house)due to quality of life and excellent education for our children. Quality of life considerations include: size of city (not too big)and good timing for commute from city to home - we are on train line, lack of pollution, access to quality medical/health resources; low crime rate; access to beach and river close to home and city, "open" social communities (whereas we had lived in Sydney and Melbournwe where the "old boy network" locked newcomers out) and large numbers of expats coming and going causing a constant cross pollination of ideas. Access to WAIS as a centre of excellence for one of our children who is an elite athlete.
DEFICITS include the lack of dynamism and resourcing of the arts scene; imbalance between sport and arts in psyche of the city; tyranny of distance (ie if we could not afford regular flights interstate or o/s I doubt we would stay in WA long term. - as it is we prioritise $$ for flights out, to offset the isolation and therefore feel we have "best of both worlds")

> Posted by robyn torney, PhD researcher, Perth.

August 12th. 8.23pm

my family moved here when i was young, i returned here after travels abroad for family reasons, and Perth has so much potential sadly inhibited by archaic procedures and a 'wild west' entrepreneurial mentality.
For vibrancy we need to mix up areas/people/centres, take creative risks, involve everyone and look further afield for inspiration on how to use what we have. Give some responisiblity back to the people who can make a creative difference, recognise the creaativeity buried in the city.
The current direction may make me leave. I have resisted the desire to leave, and its getting harder to do so.

> Posted by Cat, Univeristy Lecturer , North Perth.

August 12th. 3.28pm

I was born in Belfast, however immigrated to Perth with my family when I was five years old. I was lucky enough to travel to over 50 countries while working onboard cruise ships and still choose to live in Perth.

> Posted by Ronan, Barman, Joondalup.

August 12th. 2.04pm

For me what makes a city is its people. People bring life, vitality and business to a city. Perth unfortunately lacks people in the CBD which in turn drains out the life of the city center. I live in East Perth for reasons relating to people. East Perth is a residential suburb with many commmercial developments. In East Perth there are restaurants, bars, cafes and parks. All of these facilities and social places are alive for the simple fact that people are there to help them prosper. With the residential backing of the suburb, the business can in turn suvive. There is a sever deficit of central living arrangments in Perth. This pushes up prices and shirnks down the sizes of available accomodation. Whilst we see some small population centrally; they tend to be only the wealthy middle aged demographic. This means that services and good within the CBD are exhorbatently priced and slow.

If Perth remains the way it does then I will not remain here. There are many plans on paper and many new commercial ventures but nothing is actually being done to aleviate the central housing squeeze; its costly and it makes for a bore of a life.

Tjad

> Posted by Tjad Dorrington, Recruitment Consultant, Perth CBD.

August 11th. 6.22pm

I chose to live 30 min out of the Perth CBD because of house prices and close proximity to family.

Yes, Midland is developing infrastructure which makes living here in the long term more attractive (even if it has taken 25 years to get any change). Although its technically a 'city' it still has a small town feel which is evident in the family owned business' and the weekend farmers market. I am also looking forward to see the effects that the Railway Workshop developments have on Midland's culture.

The only reason I might leave is because as I get older is personal safety comes into factor - there has been a history of crime in the surrounding suburbs.

> Posted by Shirleen, Administrator, Midland, WA.

August 11th. 4.43pm

I didn't really choose to live in Canberra, was a family thing. I'd see myself living here for atleast another 5 or so years, the public transport system and accessibility to everything is good and is easy to get to most places. I would probably leave for warmer climate and or other reasons.

> Posted by Nick, unemployed, canberra.

August 11th. 12.08pm

I've recently moved to Perth from Geelong, Victoria by myself.
I chose to move here for the opportunities and the atmosphere. It is so different to what I've grown up in.
My first impressions of Perth were that it is such a beautiful and laid back place, people don't appear to be as stressed and rushed as they do in Geelong and Melbourne.
I'm here indefineltey, so as long as I continue to enjoy living here I'll be here.
Missing my family too much or my family needing me back in Geelong is what would make me leave.

> Posted by jacinta , Contract Administrator, Perth.

August 9th. 9.51pm

i live in Perth because i was born here and my family and friends are also here. I think i will stay in perth long term as it suits my lifestyle. we have the best beaches and a relaxed atmosphere. I may chose to leave perth due to future job opportunities, although i love the lifestyle i have now it can be boring at times.

> Posted by sara, student, woodvale, WA.

August 8th. 9.18pm

I live in Perth in close proximity to my workplace.

Learning a trade means there is a great opportunity to take advantage of WA's mining boom when I have finished my apprenticeship. I have grown up in Perth and I think in the long run this is where I will stay.

The only reason I might leave is to explore other cities and see what they have to offer - one of the reasons I am learning a trade is so that I could go anywhere and find work. Although if everyone leaves when the boom is over.. would I want to return?

> Posted by Daniel, Apprentice Cabinet Maker, Bassendean.

August 8th. 9.10pm

I moved from NYC with my partner who is Australian.

I will be here for a while but not forever. Perth’s lifestyle is lovely with its beautiful parks and beaches. However a spacious home on a large plot in the suburbs does not excite me. I admire Perth for its opportunity, entrepreneurialism, self determination and innovation.

If the unique pleasures of the metropolis could be captured by statistics as well as days of sunshine or murder rates larger cities would rank higher in the livability studies. I would leave for this vibrancy. I would trade in the high quality of life for energy and passion. I would leave to find more diversity, culture, and an energy that permeates the air and quickens the pulse.

> Posted by Jessica, industry development, Perth.

August 8th. 5.00pm

When I moved to Melbourne three years ago I really felt I'd moved to a 'proper city'. After a while the things I first noticed as being so different, so interesting so 'big city', they now just feel so everyday. I've come to expect that energy in the street and in the people. It's not until I leave for a little while how that I realise how important and wonderful that energy in Melbourne is. I don't think I'll ever move.

> Posted by Holly, designer, Melbourne.

August 8th. 4.04pm

As a resident of the Terrace for thirty years,I pine for improvements,but I note that calls for "vibrant" new developments come from many with scant knowledge of Perth`s social or cultural history.Rather than appreciating the past as a solid base for future excitement,they dismiss it as "before my time".I don`t want my home town to be shaped by such a boring,shallow and-let`s face it-IGNORANT mindset.There is more to a zappy,snappy inner-city lifestyle than sitting around King Street in FIGJAM poses.Enhance and improve what`s already here! You could,for instance, agitate for the Piccadilly Theatre to be returned to its art deco glory.It`s not as though you have no role models.His Majesty`s Theatre is here for you only because a previous generation fought a decade-long battle for its preservation.Apropos the highly publicised Field Of Dreams in Wolf Lane in January,I come from a hard-bitten artistic world that would have whipped up those plastic "flowers" in five minutes flat as party decorations.Months later Wolf Lane is still overwhelmingly beige.Cultural ignorance? How about the University student of architecture who asked me,"Why do the names Gilbert and Sullivan ring a bell with me?"

> Posted by Ivan King, actor,columnist and theatre historian., 121-45 Adelaide Terrace,East Perth 6004.

August 8th. 3.39pm

What made you choose to live where you do?
I moved my family away from South Africa because as the father/husband I could not reconcile myself with allowing them to live in a place where their lives were in constant physical danger.

Although I did not know much about Perth at the time (except that I would easily find work here) there was nowhere else in the world that attracted me as much as Perth did. The rivers, the ocean, the friendliness of the people all enhanced the work prospects.

Will you stay there for the long term?
Yes, my wife and I have no intention to move anywhere else. We love Perth and its people.

I am concerned because although much is said by industry and government leaders about making Perth a more attractive to live, not much is done to affect that outcome.

What might make you leave?
I will leave if personal safety becomes a problem or if I find that Perth stays stuck in the 20th century. When I retire, I want to be living in a city that is a 21st century city!

> Posted by John Visser, Engineer, Perth, WA.

August 8th. 11.39am

Move to Perth from Melb for work purposes. Perth is, to my mind, not as "metropolitan" in terms of either built environ or culture for my own tastes. While there is a fairly lively young dance scene, theatre scene, and new music / sound art scene, avant-garde, abstract or otherwise esoteric/hard/difficult/not-that-popular forms are not well represented. Also the opening hours of busnesses and silly licencing laws do little to contribute to a lively street culture beyond the main drag in Northbridge.

> Posted by Dr Jonathan W. Marshall, Academic, WAAPA, Mt Lawley (work) / edge of Northbridge (home).

August 8th. 9.44am

I came to Perth for a brief adventure in 2001, then fell in love with Freo, then with my partner...
Now that I work in the city and am starting to know it, i'm starting to love it's pockets of brilliance (in truth, there are too few - although I loved the flowers off wolf lane!).
I've lived in Sydney, Budapest, and St Petersburg over the years, I think what makes those cities is a pulse - constant movement, and lots of small communities interacting in a huge space. Perth might be less frantic, but that makes it the most livable of the four.
Perth's public transport frustrates me (although the free transit zone is fabulous) and the emptiness at nights/weekends make it have less of a heart-beat, but it's a wonderful place to live and work. I don't understand why so many WAliens seem so desperate to leave.
I've tried to convince my entire family and all my old friends to move here - still working on it - and that would be the only thing that might make me leave in the end...

> Posted by Dell, servant of the public, perth.

August 8th. 8.58am

I grew up in Perth and trained here, my friends and family (and the great education I could receive) was enough to make this 'a city' for me. But as I got older, what I needed from a city and the broader urban environment changed. I wanted those accidental connections you make at your favourite coffee shop or bar, the unusual conversations and mixes you find in truly layered cities. And ultimately I wanted those professional opportunities that were simply not available in Perth, a city with great talent, but without a creative industry. So I moved to Sydney, and now, I'm in London. What made a city for me changed and grew as I grew. Now, in my mid twenties, a city is small and intimate (but huge all at the same time), and full of options and opportunities - socially, culturally and professionally.

> Posted by Emma, singer, London.

August 8th. 6.15am

a city is a large community of people

yes i love perth

more oportunity else where or change of lifestyle

> Posted by Lara, site clerk, perth.

August 7th. 7.44pm

What makes a city?
A city is a large group of people living, working and playing together. The city structure is enhanced and the people connected through work and culture. Culture develops through the arts, entertainment, learning and development activities which are diverse and respond to the needs of interest of local people as well as extend their knowledge and experience.
What made you choose to live where you do?
Mostly it is because of the work I do.
Will you stay there for the long term?
Very likely at this stage, but life is a mosiac and takes many turns, often unexpected.
What might make you leave?
Family, work, friends, leisure opportunities

> Posted by Brenda, lecturer, Perth.

August 7th. 6.18pm

What made you choose to live where you do?
- More so the university (seeing as I lived in the NT prior to this) as well as my familiarity with the state and family being from WA. I found the atmosphere homely rather than the business of other capitol cities (excluding Darwin).

Will you stay there for the long term?
- I plan to live here for the rest of my life unless unexpected circumstances arise.

What might make you leave?
- Unexpected circumstances. Many friends/family moving to another area of Australia. If I marry in the future and my husband NEEDS to move for work reasons.

> Posted by Emily, Students, Perth.