About 100 of Brisbane’s biggest and boldest thinkers attended a briefing last week to learn about and register their interest in helping to reimagine Brisbane’s inner city (a 2022 project).
The Committee for Brisbane, Planning Institute of Australia, Australian Institute of Architects and Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, with research support from The University of Queensland, launched a collaboration to “reimagine the inner city” (defined as the CBD, Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, South Brisbane and Woolloongabba).
The project will explore the future, or futures, for Brisbane’s inner city to 2050 and consider what strategies and actions could be put in place to ensure the city centre recovers its vibrancy and continues to play its role as the city’s economic heart, focussing on five key themes:
- Connectivity
- Creativity
- Equity
- Enterprise
- Sustainability
With the support of baseline research being conducted by The University of Queensland, the project will access and analyse data to provide a sound platform to inform decision-making.
Planning Institute of Australia State Manager, Queensland and NT, Matt Collins, said the project’s objective was to encourage blue-sky thinking about the inner city’s future.
“Using the significant skills and experience of our collective memberships, we want this collaboration to reimagine Brisbane’s inner city over the next 30 years and produce new work that considers megatrends and issues and sets out future directions for Brisbane,” Mr Collins said.
Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Chapter President, Dr Michael Lavery, said the project also proposed to positively influence city-making leading into the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, while responding to the opportunities and challenges of COVID-19 for city centres.
“Importantly, the reimagining project will look to propose a group of transformational, city-building projects to help reshape and revitalise our inner city,” Dr Lavery said.
Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Queensland President, Tessa Leggo, said the project partners wanted to facilitate a cross discipline, no-agendas review of Brisbane’s inner city.
“We’re excited to invite Expressions of Interest from specialists and big thinkers from across our memberships to share their expertise and views, to reimagine what Brisbane city can be,” Ms Leggo said.
The reimagining project is scheduled to start in early 2022 and deliver its outcomes by mid-2022, including providing a submission as part of Brisbane City Council’s City Centre Master Plan review.
To register your interest in participating in the project, please email: reimagining@committeeeforbrisbane.org.au
Thank you Populous for hosting the Briefing.
