Ideas and Ambitions for Brisbane’s Identity
Thought leadership published via Frost*collective.
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On February 29 we hosted a special Leap Year Long Lunch at Martin Boetz’s Short Grain for Brisbane’s leading thinkers and city-makers.
This special date only comes around once every four years, so we wanted to use the extra day to share ideas and ambitions for Brisbane’s identity as they city goes through a huge period of change.
We asked all 30 attendees, “What are the big leaps Brisbane needs to make to move forward?”.
Here, we consider how we can consolidate all the elements needed to create a big vision for Brisbane that will secure the city’s success for many more leap years to come.
These are just a few of the themes that emerged.
1. The Brisbane River
For thousands of years cities have grown and developed around rivers and costal inlets. The Brisbane River has a huge role to play in the life and interconnectivity of the city. We should look to river cities who have done a great job of this. The Thames is the lifeblood of London. The Seine is the heart of Paris. Millions of people use man-made structures to cross these rivers every day.
But rather than just crossing it, we should think about the river for all forms of activity. What if Brisbane had a river people could swim in for the next seven to ten generations?
Marrinawi Cove at Barangaroo in Sydney Harbour opened in 2023. After thousands flocked to the swimming spot in its first summer, New South Wales’ Infrastructure and Cities Minister has ordered his department to investigate transforming part of Barangaroo’s Nawi Cove with another swimming spot – this time a floating swimming pool. The Spree River floating pool in Berlin and Islands Brygge Harbour Bath in Copenhagen are examples to aspire to.
2. Better development
It’s important we are demonstrating better development. We shouldn’t rush progress for the 2032 Olympics and should focus more on long term outcomes.
“Don’t draw ugly shit. The risk we have is taking shortcuts in the lead up to the Olympics, then leaving legacies that are demolished in 100 years. It takes just as much effort to draw something ugly as it does to invest in something we believe in.”
Danny Juric, Director, Plus Architecture
Looking at the billions Brazil invested in infrastructure for the 2014 World Cup, Allison Stewart reflected on whether they got it right, and what they could have done better for this article in Harvard Business Review.
She writes, “The cities that have been most successful investing in mega-events have integrated these plans into a long-term strategy for redevelopment, entwining plans in the ultimate objectives of the residents of that city. Barcelona, for example, used the 1992 Olympics to rejuvenate the city, which resulted in a significantly improved urban core.”
3. Neighbourhoods not precincts
We know city dwellers and visitors want to live in and enjoy neighbourhoods where they can engage in social connection in a community with great food, drink and culture every day of the week. As part of this, we need to shape neighbourhoods that strengthen our recognition of indigenous culture and heritage.
“We need to design developments that encourage social equity and create opportunities for those who don’t usually get them. It’s about neighbourhoods not precincts where people come together not only on game day [at the Gabba] but throughout the week.”
Troy Casey, Managing Director, Blaklash Creative
Each year, Time Out asks thousands of people the places they love in their cities to find the 40 best neighbourhoods in the world. The list considers community and social ventures, access to open and green space, and thriving street life. Click through to find out which cities made the list in 2023 and what they have in common.
4. Large-scale reuse
We need to be at the cutting edge of contemporary ideas around reuse. It’s about getting people to understand the value of keeping fit outs, and considering how buildings can be reused. We need to be asking ourselves, ‘do we really have to knock down that building? Can it be adaptively reused for something else?’
In Queensland’s latest State of the Environment report the government outlined some thought-provoking statistics. In 2018–19, 2.21 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste was sent to landfill. This is about 714,000 tonnes (48%) more than in 2014–15. However, the amount of construction and demolition waste recovered increased by 59% between 2014–15 and 2018–19, rising from about 1.81 million tonnes to about 2.87 million tonnes.
5. Brisbane is great, don't spoil it
Perhaps the most important note to take is that whatever we do, we need to celebrate the real Brisbane. What makes it unique and what makes it brilliant, right now?
“We’re all in the same boat. We need to decide as a city what works. We need to be brave, selfless, and collaborative and think beyond election cycles. The Government needs to be bold and different. And we need to break the boys club.”
Rebecca Randazzo, General Manager Customer Experience, Southbank Corporation
The Australian Financial Review noted in an article about the city’s winning Olympic Games bid in 2021, “Brisbane’s image of itself has shifted from sleepy backwater to leisure and culture hub.” It points to what the city got right when it hosted its last truly iconic event on the world stage. Expo 88, which ran for six months and attracted more than 15.7 million visits – at a time when the country’s population was 16.4 million people.
These are all brilliant ideas and we thank the incredible group of city-makers who joined us for lunch on February 29.
We know Brisbane is a vibrant city. Now is the time to work on growing its optimistic personality. By incorporating a celebration of Country and togetherness, we can design the best possible future for Brisbane and its people not just for the 2032 Olympics, but for generations to come.