Establishing an ecosystem in the heart of the city

As you are reading this, an urban orchard and native wetlands are being brought to life in the Perth Cultural Centre (PCC).

These shady, green areas will be the perfect spot to eat lunch, meet up with friends and watch performances, but what’s really exciting is the thriving ecosystems that will be living in the heart of our city.

The urban orchard will produce seasonal vegies, herbs, fruit trees and more and will be maintained by community organisations. The wetlands will be home to frogs and birds and will be reminiscent of how the area used to be hundreds of years ago, before the PCC was even dreamed of.

This project is part of a world-wide trend – literally bringing ‘concrete jungles’ to life and combining arts, culture and ecology for a new generation.  The PCC urban orchard is based on environmentally sustainable landscaping and urban design for the future and is led by EPRA with Landscape Designer and Environmental Scientist Josh Byrne.

Watch the videos

See what Josh has to say about these unique projects that are underway right now. 

View Josh Byrne talking about the urban orchard on You Tube
View Josh Byrne talking about the wetlands on You Tube
View Josh Byrne talking about the revitalisation vision on You Tube

Image: Adrian Lambert, Acorn Photo Agency

Seasonal Recipe

Try out this recipe which has key ingredients the urban orchard will feature this season.

Citrus Coleslaw

10 minutes preparation 
6 serves of vegies in this recipe

1 orange
3 cups cabbage, shredded
2 spring onions, sliced
1 small green capsicum, seeded and sliced

Dressing
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

Grate the orange rind and set aside. Peel and slice orange into segments or rings. Combine orange with  cabbage, spring onions and capsicum in a serving bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and add orange rind. Pour over salad and mix well.
Serves 4.

Variation
Use pink grapefruit instead of orange. Add sliced kiwi fruit or grated carrot. For a creamy, low-fat dressing, mix ¼ cup low-fat natural yogurt, ¼ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise, juice of ½ lemon and 1 teaspoon wholegrain or French mustard.

Recipe from Healthy Food Fast © State of Western Australia 2010, reproduced with permission.