Five Big Development Ideas For Brisbane

Brisbane, a vibrant and rapidly growing city, deserves to be on the world stage alongside the likes of Sydney and Melbourne. In this blog post, we will explore five ambitious ideas by Mel Pikos to help shape Brisbane’s future, making it a more sustainable, connected, and attractive destination for residents and visitors alike.

Watch the full video here.

Extend the Brisbane Metro

First on the list is extending the Brisbane Metro. Imagine a city with better connectivity, where transportation is efficient and high-demand nodes are easily accessible. By extending the metro line to form a ring around the city, Brisbane can offer improved connectivity and increased service capacity to high-demand areas.

This extended metro line would connect key Olympic precincts, such as the athletes’ village at Northshore Hamilton and the upgraded Albion playing fields, as well as the Gabba Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics events. Additionally, the metro line would facilitate easy access to various events at Southbank, making it an excellent mode of transportation for tourists and locals.

Introducing a new green bridge connection from Morningside to Northshore Hamilton, this plan would also open up the opportunity for more housing options in two inner-city industrial suburbs. With the extended metro line connecting the CBD and other key locations, it would reduce the city’s traffic congestion, resulting in a more sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transportation.

Build a New Queensland Dam

Water is essential for life, but it can also cause devastation when not managed properly. Investing in a new dam is crucial to ensure water security and protection against future floods. With climate change and other environmental factors affecting water levels and weather patterns, diversifying our capacity to mitigate flooding and protect water security during periods of drought is essential.

A new dam would not only ensure Brisbane’s water supply and long-term viability, but it could also produce hydroelectricity, a renewable on-demand energy source that can help reduce our carbon footprint. With large-scale energy storage, a new dam could futureproof our energy security, ensuring access to reliable and sustainable energy for years to come.

To make this happen, a comprehensive study into the required capital works and investment in South-East Queensland would be needed, focusing on increased major urban and rural water security and flood mitigation. With the data and insights gathered from this study, investing in building the new dam would be a responsible and sustainable approach to managing our natural resources.

Build a Second Gabba Stadium

The Gabba Stadium has been a beloved fixture in Brisbane’s sports scene for decades. However, with the demand for larger-scale international events, there is a need for increased capacity. Constructing a second mega stadium above the adjacent Metro and Cross-river rail station has the potential to offer numerous advantages without causing any disruptions to the existing stadium.

Besides adding far more capacity than a mere 8,000 seats, a second stadium would ensure sporting events like cricket and AFL won’t be disrupted. Plus, a second, larger mega stadium would enhance Brisbane’s competitiveness for hosting large-scale international events that demand increased capacity, making the city a more attractive destination for sporting and entertainment enthusiasts from all over the world.

Activate the Brisbane River

The iconic Brisbane River has untapped potential. By opening up the river to a wide variety of public and private commercial activities, we can create a more inclusive and better-utilised river that benefits everyone. This would improve connectivity between the heart of the city and Moreton Bay, Moreton Island, and Stradbroke Island, bringing in more tourists and businesses to Brisbane.

Encouraging and facilitating greater commercial engagement for businesses to conduct activities on and along the Brisbane River would provide additional sources of revenue for Brisbane City Council, which can be used to fund other important city projects. Some possible commercial activities include marina berths, water taxis, jet ski safaris, and boat hire. Imagine taking a water taxi to your favourite spot along the river or renting a boat to explore the beautiful scenery. These activities can bring people together, boost tourism, and enhance the vibrancy of our city.

The Brisbane River is a treasure that we can all benefit from, but it needs to be activated to achieve its full potential.

Divert the Riverside Expressway

The Riverside Expressway has been a divisive presence in our city, cutting off our connection to the beautiful Brisbane River. By diverting the expressway from Woolloongabba to the CBD, we can unlock 150,000 square meters of prime developable land and create new opportunities for our city.

This gives rise to the opportunity for a New York High Line-style greening project across Brisbane’s most valuable asset, the Brisbane River. Imagine a vibrant green space where people can come together and enjoy the beauty of our city.

To achieve this, we could partially close the Riverside Expressway from Clem 7 onwards and create new tunnel connections from the Southbank turn-off to the Go-between Bridge, Turbot, and Alice streets in the city. This would funnel traffic in and out of the CBD more efficiently while freeing up valuable land for development. With a diverted Riverside Expressway, we can create a more accessible and vibrant riverfront for everyone to enjoy.

Conclusion

These five bold ideas have the potential to elevate Brisbane to the world stage, making it a more connected, sustainable, and attractive city for residents and visitors alike. But we want to hear from you! Are these ideas on the right track or are they just pipe dreams? Would you like to see more detail on any of these ideas, or do you have any ideas of your own on how Brisbane can grow and thrive? We’d love to know your thoughts. Let’s work together to create a brighter, greener, and more connected future for all of us in Brisbane.