User:Dkjj2012/Brisbane Urban Renewal Task Force

Brisbane City Council first established ‘Urban Renewal Brisbane’ in 1991. Struggling to shake its ‘Big country town’ image URB faced inner-city economic woes and consequently sprawling fringes. ‘Integrating Distressed Urban Areas’ (produced by the OECD in 1998) highlighted the issues facing the developed world’s urban planning disaster areas:

“Deprived areas, which have grown in number in recent years, limit the opportunities and prospects of people who live in them. Without a vision of their potential, a nation only bears the costs but fails to realize the possibilities inherent in these places and their populations.”

Such areas were abundant in inner-city Brisbane in the early 90’s and URB set about their work to fix it.

Guiding Principles

Newstead and Teneriffe were the original areas earmarked for development. Since then many other suburbs have been revitalized but the same principles apply to each. Like all good urban design projects the concept of place is essential in all URB’s under-takings. Iconic landmarks, unique to Brisbane and unique to the individual area are crucial to this concept. Inner north-eastern suburbs – Teneriffe, New Farm, Newstead – have retained local history and feeling embodied in the wool stores, CSR refinery and Powerhouse, whilst embracing the cultural contemporary life associated with ‘New World Cities’. Mixed-use, mixed densities, transport infrastructure co-ordination along with sustainability and other modern urban design theories are hallmarks of the URB team, balancing public amenity with private and commercial pursuits.

Community Consultation

Planning projects by their nature are political, compounded by the fact URB plan areas grew by more than eight times in the fifteen years from 19912! Careful community consultation and partnership is crucial to the success of these developments. Workshops, formal submissions, online feedback and interaction are methods used by URB to ensure that all concerned parties within the community can contribute and actively engage in the development of their area.

Works completed

URB does not actually complete developments; they work with key developers and government to complete projects that are valuable to all parties. Major projects and precincts to have undergone ‘Urban Renewal’ under the URB framework are:

• Emporium complex – fortitude valley
• Brisbane Powerhouse – New Farm
• Teneriffe Wool Stores
• CSR refinery – New Farm
• GPO (Bar) – Fortitude Valley
• Gasometer – Newstead
• McWhirters – Fortitude Valley
• ‘The Cannery’ Apartments – Teneriffe
• Report leading to revitalization of river front areas and introduction of CityCat services
• Bikeways and pedestrian paths throughout the city
• Newstead Riverpark (Ongoing)
• City Laneways project

Many other projects have been completed or are in the pipeline, which are not included here but can be found at the Brisbane City Council Website.

Looking Forward

Having made large inroads filling the urban gaps in Brisbane’s inner-city, URB now moves to the more complex task of revitalizing existing suburbs. Neighborhood plans are in place and URB work to ensure future development and infrastructure are realized to their full potential.

External links

• BCC Urban Renewal