Leveraging City Shaping Infrastructure
The Property Council’s Leveraging City Shaping Infrastructure lunch, on August 11, saw a panel of experts, proponents, policymakers and stakeholders analyse the potential impact of impending projects on Brisbane’s future.
Along with major road, rail and highway upgrades, Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro are in the advanced stages of planning. James Tuma, National Design Director – Urbis, led an insightful discussion with the panel on how this investment could be leveraged to deliver the best outcomes for the city.
Cr Adrian Schrinner, Brisbane Deputy Mayor, outlined Brisbane City Council’s approach to delivering an affordable solution to congestion in the city’s bus network. Cr Schrinner emphasised the strategic importance of the bus network to the city, explaining that significantly more commuters utilise the bus network than the rail network.
Graeme Newton, Cross River Rail – Head of the Authority, explained that the State Government had committed to fully fund the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail, and it is expected to be delivered by 2024. The delivery authority considers the redevelopment opportunities presented by the project as a core benefit of the new infrastructure and will be working closely with adjoining stakeholders to ensure the project seamlessly interfaces with the city.
Renaye Peters, Non-Executive Director with Queensland Rail, spoke to the social benefits that could be delivered through these new infrastructure projects. Citing examples in the United Kingdom, Renaye explored the significant social impact and community outcomes that have resulted from similar projects.
Malcolm Middleton, Queensland Government Architect, expressed a desire to see both Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro catalyse a new wave of design-led thinking in the city. Malcolm pointed to previous missed opportunities, where core infrastructure has been disconnected from the existing urban environment and poor public realm outcomes have resulted.
Mark Stockwell, Managing Director – Stockwell, identified the importance of big vision planning to drive Brisbane’s next evolution. Mark expressed support for an Olympics bid for South East Queensland, saying that the process of compiling a bid would deliver positive long-term planning benefits for the city. Mark took the opportunity to express his scepticism of value capture taxation models, explaining that major infrastructure delivery was ultimately a government responsibility and not something that could be feasibly funded by taxing perceived benefits.
The Property Council thanks all the speakers for their insightful contributions. This event would not have been possible without the support of sponsor Urbis.
Photos from the event can be found here.
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