Green, Blue and Smart: Institutional Work in the Creation of a Multifunctional Infrastructural Space

Abstract

The spaces created by urban infrastructure are being reimagined as multifunctional urban places. This paper explores the creation of a green, blue and smart infrastructural space, the Wharf Street Next Generation Community Park (WSNGCP) in Perth, WA. The research uses a multiple method approach to understand the types of institutional work–maintaining, creating or disrupting–that were employed in the creation of the WSNGCP. The research shows that multifunctional urban space is dynamic, andpolicymakers, planners and designers could focus on thresholds as areas of contention to facilitate and negotiate the interests of various institutional actors.