The Cultural Capital of Urban Morphology

Abstract

Perth, Western Australia has been steadily changing its urban fabric and appearance, from a colonial outpost to a post-colonial centre embracing modernity. Its brief history means that the grounding in prior historical periods may appear missing. In this paper, we argue that the young history is not necessarily precluding the existence of layered values, but that these are underestimated in relation to Perth’s urban development. Consequently, a perpetual ideological scenario of a virtual tabula rasa is created where everything is considered fleeting and easily substitutable. This paradigm, supported by global economic forces, has to date been preferred over urban transformations based on the typological process. While economic factors undeniably impact urban transformations and development, this paper suggests that other factors must be considered for sustainable urban growth, such as cultural capital discussed by Bourdieu. The authors argue that the understanding and application of urban morphological and typological principles in urban design can be used to sustain the permanence of cultural capital as an essential and tangible component of the city.