Brisbane 2032 Games to be the most walkable with new CBD link

South Bank’s bouganvillea-lined Grand Arbour could extend into a 5km pedestrian boulevard through the heart of Brisbane in a project that’s been likened to a famous New York City attraction.

A major pedestrian boulevard linking the Gabba with Suncorp Stadium would create a “green spine” in the heart of Brisbane, and along with free public transport transform how millions of people move through the city, experts say.

South Bank’s bougainvillea-lined Grand Arbour would be become a 5km Brisbane icon, extending one way to the Gabba and in the opposite direction through the cultural precinct and wrapping around the river bank to the new South Bank 2.0.

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It could even cross pedestrian bridges into the Queen Street Mall and City Botanic Gardens, under a proposal by industry leaders to give the city a tourism drawcard to rival New York’s 2.33km High Line.

With less than a decade until the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail’s Future Brisbane examines the major infrastructure needed to effectively connect the city’s CBD to event locations and landmark sites such as Kangaroo Point and the Story Bridge.

With major events including swimming, rugby, football and the opening and closing ceremonies – along with table tennis, archery and 3x3 basketball – held within 4km of each other, Brisbane 2032 is tipped to be the most walkable Games in modern Olympic history.

South Bank and the CBD linked in a Brisbane 2032 vision by Urbis

University of Queensland planning director Peter Hyland said Brisbane’s open space meant it was in a better position than many of the world’s great cities to efficiently move millions of people through densely populated areas.

Mr Hyland, who led the planning of Greater Springfield and has worked on urban projects in Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, said Brisbane must develop major public transport hubs where travellers could seamlessly interchange between heavy rail, buses and walking.

“We’ve got a platform to build off, we’ve got some challenges but we’re fortunate we have the capacity,” he said.

He declared Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro positive starts, but declared it was critical to optimise their use.

“They’ll be the key arteries but we need to supplement them … provide the linkage infrastructure,” he said.

Mr Hyland proposes a shaded, well-vegetated pedestrian link to weave its way through the city from the Gabba to South Bank and on to Suncorp Stadium.

“Walkways really make an inner city very vibrant and give people the chance to experience a city,” he said.

Committee for Brisbane chief executive officer Barton Green agrees, noting the proximity of events would make 2032 the most walkable Games in Olympic history.

South Bank and the CBD linked in a Brisbane 2032 vision by Urbis

“We will have the Gabba, South Bank, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Live and Suncorp Stadium all within walking distance of each other,” he said.

“We’re very good at boulevarding in this city and creating tree-lined spaces.

“There are opportunities to create a green walking spine to link those Olympic and Paralympic venues, and that’s a legacy project.”

Mr Green said the boulevards should be turned into “fan trails” for the 2032 Games, with Olympic experiences people could pause and enjoy along the way.

And Business South Bank CEO Janine Watson said these trails should be lined with vibrant bougainvillea, extending South Bank’s picturesque Grand Arbour.

The concept is similar to that of New York City’s High Line, a vibrant green space created on a former New York Central Railroad spur in 2009 that has become a major drawcard for the city.

Ms Watson said the South Bank arbour should be extended to link popular Brisbane sites and become a city icon.

“Imagine throughout the city there is bougainvillea that leads you down Queen Street Mall, down West End and the river – it’s like the yellow brick road but more climatic,” she said.

“Precincts are important because they have different personalities, but you need to find threads that connect up these precincts.”

Sisters Isabella, 10, Hannah, 4, and Charlotte, 7, in South Bank’s Grand Arbour, which would be extended to 5km under the Brisbane 2032 vision. Picture: Lachie Millard

One of the threads will be the new Neville Bonner Bridge connecting South Bank with the landmark Queen’s Wharf Precinct, which is expected to play a major role in entertaining Brisbane’s international guests.

My Hyland said a return of the defunct CityCycle scheme – which allows people to hire bicycles – should also be among all options considered to move people around the 2032 Games.

Property Council Queensland executive director Jen Williams also supports extending the Grand Arbour.

“The Arbour Walk must extend beyond its current linkages in South Bank to connect major destinations across the broader inner city,” she said.

“As an icon of the city and a signpost between destinations, it should connect the Gabba to South Bank and West End, link back to the city centre, and encourage visitors across to Roma Street and up to Spring Hill and Victoria Park.

“An extension of the Arbour Walk would be a simple – yet powerful – connector of important places and spaces for our city.”

She said a clear path between venues and major attractions was vitally important in helping visitors navigate their way to and from events.

“Visitors to the city are likely to come from countries all over the world and speak myriad languages, meaning traditional, written directional signs may not be easily understood,” she said.

“Whether as the beautiful bougainvillea plant, or images of the flower stencilled on to footpaths, cast into railings or painted on walls, extending the Arbour Walk would help locals and tourists alike in finding their way around major landmarks in the city.”

While Paris’ River Seine is expected to play a key part of its 2024 Olympic Games, what role the Brisbane River holds in the celebration of the Games is some years away.

Brisbane 2032 organising committee president Andrew Liveris noted Paris’ approach to the Games would take ceremonies and cultural activities out of the stadiums and into the streets for the first time.

“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony will use the River Seine as its stage, while the Paralympics Opening Ceremony will feature along the iconic Champs-Elysees to Concorde,” he said.

“Paris 2024’s new approach opens the Games up to more people and cleverly connects the landmarks, venues and transport corridors, making the entire city feel like one giant venue.”

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said there would be a huge demand for the council’s ferry services to move people around.

“Tens of thousands of visitors will be keen to take in Brisbane’s best sites and travel between entertainment precincts like Howard Smith Wharves and South Bank,” he said.

“One of the things we may need to consider is significantly more after-dark services.

“We may even need river services operating 24 hours a day to these precincts.”

Cr Schrinner said Brett’s Wharf ferry terminal must be upgraded to service Hamilton’s athletes’ village, and revealed council was lobbying the state government for a jointly funded, high-frequency Gold City Glider bus service to the site.

“I believe we can create a village-like precinct between the Brisbane venues,” he said.

Mr Green said a 5km green mobility zone, in which public transport is low-cost or free, should circle the CBD.

“The council already runs its free City Loop service, and the opportunities are there to look at expanding that concept as the population within the inner-city areas densifies,” he said.

“The economics can start to stack up for improved public transport services, and it can be an incentive to move people out of private vehicles.”

PwC Brisbane managing partner Chris Rogan said the real opportunity for Brisbane would be using the 2032 Games to accelerate investment in transport projects and deliver long-lasting legacy infrastructure.

Future Brisbane, in partnership with key corporate and community organisations, will explore the legacy opportunities of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Follow the campaign in The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail over the next month, and join us at the Future Brisbane lunch event at Howard Smith Wharves on December 2.