Does Central Perth have a future?

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Abstract
After years of delay, the Perth Central Area is about to get both a statutory planning scheme and a strategic plan. Whether this is a case of ‘better late than never’ or ‘too little, to late’ is the question pursued in this paper. For the past 30 years, since the need for a city centre plan was first recognised, have been marked by drastic changes. Office towers and hotels now dominate the core, replacing buildings of charm and character. The central workforce has increased despite metropolitan plans calling for office dispersal. Traffic congestion on entry roads has increased despite (or because of?) freeway construction. Meanwhile retail sales have declined and city retailers forecast doom. These changes are discussed against the background of the growing power of finance capital; this illustrates some of the dilemmas facing planners seeking to modify development priorities which seem to receive support from both sides of the political spectrum.