TBB Planning Better Suburbs, City of Stirling

Quick Facts

Client City of Stirling

Timing 2016 - 2020

Key Services Strategic Planning, Community Engagement, Precinct Planning

The Goal

Better Suburbs was about shifting the conversation on infill from fear to opportunity. The project sought to accommodate growth while strengthening neighbourhood character, improving access to services and creating more liveable centres. It aimed to show how density, when carefully planned and well-located, can support better places and stronger communities.

A city-shaping framework that reframed infill as an opportunity for better neighbourhoods.

Our Role

TBB led Perth’s first large-scale, place-based infill strategy, guiding the overall direction of the project and coordinating a multidisciplinary team. We worked closely with the City of Stirling to establish a clear, evidence-based framework that balanced housing choice, infrastructure planning and community wellbeing.

A defining focus was meaningful engagement with one of Perth’s most culturally diverse communities. We designed an inclusive engagement program and worked collaboratively with state agencies and industry partners to test feasibility, build alignment and ensure the strategy was practical, implementable and supported over the long term.

The Outcome

Better Suburbs delivered a clear, future-focused planning framework that continues to guide infill development across the City of Stirling. The strategy established where growth should occur, how centres could be strengthened and how new housing could be delivered without eroding neighbourhood character.

Importantly, it provided the City with the tools to move from strategy to implementation, including precinct plans, infrastructure planning and statutory changes to support delivery. For the community, Better Suburbs helped build confidence that growth could improve local places rather than detract from them. For the City, it created a robust, adaptable blueprint for managing change over time.