The Freo Alternative was a ground-breaking approach to infill housing in established suburbs by the City of Fremantle.

First proposed in 2016, the project was designed as a new way to meet the State Government’s infill development targets and limit urban sprawl, while protecting the amenity people valued in their neighbourhoods.

In 2019, ‘The Freo Alternative – Big Thinking About Small Housing’ won the Best Planning Idea – Small Project category at the Planning Institute Australia WA Awards for Planning Excellence.

A decade on, what have we learnt from the innovative idea? What worked, and what didn’t? How has this influenced the new Medium Density Codes?

Join former Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt on a walking tour of 3 completed Freo Alternative projects in Beaconsfield. We will meet with residents and visit the three projects before finishing with a short participatory workshop on lessons learnt.

CPD points
This event is for built environment professionals, developers and decision-makers, as well as anyone with an interest in making cities better for people and the planet. Architects can earn 2 informal CPD points (AIA) – the questions can be downloaded here.

Address
Hilton Reserve, Corner Lefroy Road and Shepherd Street

Concession tickets available
Students and concession card holders can use the code FDWCONCESSION for 20% off tickets. For mob, use the code MOBTIX for a 50% discount.

Dr Brad Pettitt was the Mayor of the City of Fremantle from 2009 to 2021, when he became the Parliamentary Leader of the Greens WA after being elected to the Legislative Council of the WA Parliament. He was re-elected in 2025.

Prior to this Brad was the Dean of the School of Sustainability at Murdoch University.